NHRC Calls for Special Law to Protect Judicial Interpreters' Rights

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a report today pointing out a shortage of judicial interpreters in Taiwan. The year-long investigation found cases where interpreters worked for 24 consecutive hours, were forced to identify bodies without prior notice, and faced conflicts of interest when brokers acted as interpreters. The NHRC urged the Judicial Yuan to integrate norms across agencies and enact a special law for interpreters.

To understand the current state of judicial interpreting and comply with international covenants on civil and political rights, NHRC Vice Chair Chi Hui-jung and Commissioner Wang Li-chen interviewed various legal professionals over the past year. Chi highlighted the 2013 'Te Hung Hsing 368' case, where the lack of professional interpreting led to critical records not being correctly preserved, affecting the defendants' rights.

Commissioner Wang identified five major difficulties for interpreters: safety concerns during searches, fear of legal liability for translation errors, excessive workload, psychological burden from body identification, and conflicts of interest. The NHRC proposed six calls for action: 1. Enact a special law for interpreters; 2. Establish a national-level service mechanism; 3. Ensure adequate budgeting; 4. Strengthen social and personal security for interpreters; 5. Use digital technology such as speech recognition; 6. Include language barriers in the scope of mandatory defense.