SWORN INTERPRETING SERVICE

Sworn interpreting is carried out in courts, magistrates’ courts, notaries’ offices and police stations. It involves faithfully translating what is said by a witness or an individual under investigation.

In Spain, the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation) has the authority to grant the title of sworn translator and interpreter for all autonomous regions that do not have co-official languages. In Catalonia, the Direcció de Política Lingüística de la Generalitat (Directorate General of Language Policy of the Government of Catalonia) is responsible for certifying sworn interpreters for the Catalan language; for Galician it is the Secretaría Xeral de Política Lingüística of the Government of Galicia, and for Euskera it is the Hizkuntza Politikarako Sailburuordetza (Deputy Ministry for Language Policy) of the Basque Government.

Traductam has more than 20 years’ experience in providing sworn translation and interpreting services. Montse is a sworn translator and interpreter working from French to Spanish and Martine is a sworn translator from French to Catalan and Spanish to Catalan. For other languages we have a team of collaborators formed of highly reliable sworn translators. Like us, they have extensive experience in their areas of specialisation.

As with conference interpreting, in the case of sworn interpreting the interpreter must familiarise themselves with the subject matter of the dispute. Legal terms are used during the hearing, of course, but there will also be specific terminology related to the subject matter. This is why it is important to receive all documentation possible, so that the interpreters know who is who in the case and can become au fait with the terminology. It is also advisable to meet with the lawyer to have everything explained in detail.