The aim of this study is to research the professionalization process for Hong Kong court interpreters. This study will first try to understand how court interpreters view their own professional status and how satisfied they are with their jobs. It will then propose a mechanism for accreditation. The study will test the acceptance of this mechanism by interpreters in order to understand the power structure between professionals and the authorities. Finally, the study will try to understand if an accreditation mechanism can be used by court interpreters as a means to empower themselves.
Court interpreters are currently facing the possibility that they may become extinct, as occurred with court reporters in Hong Kong five years ago when the government decided to terminate the use of court reporters at all levels of courts in Hong Kong. Ever since the British colonial rulers first came to Hong Kong, court interpretation has been used in courts of law at all levels. Court interpreters have long played an important role in the administration of justice in Hong Kong. Due to the fact that the Chinese language is being used more often in this predominately Chinese community, court interpreters have become an easy target of the government's budget cutting measures. The number of court interpreters has now been frozen, and resources for professional development have been minimized.
Professionalization is an important means for a group of professionals to gain control over the development of their own profession. Previous studies have indicated that accreditation is an integral part of professionalization. This study will be the first local study to discuss professional accreditation for interpreters in Hong Kong. Currently, no accreditation mechanism exists in Hong Kong for court interpreters. This study will conduct a survey to determine how court interpreters perceive the issue of professional accreditation. It will then propose that an accreditation system be put in place. The acceptance of this mechanism by the government (the authorities) and court interpreters (professionals) will then be tested.
This study will incorporate both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The time line for this study is as follows:
Month 1 to Month 3: Focus groups will be used to understand how court interpreters perceive the issue of an accreditation mechanism.
Month 4 to Month 6: In-depth interviews with training officers, lawyers and judges will be conducted in order to understand the views of non-interpreters of interpreter accreditation.
Month 7 to Month 9: Similar accreditation systems will then be reviewed, and a new one tailored to the needs of Hong Kong will be proposed.
Month 10 to Month 12: Finally, when an accreditation mechanism is proposed, a questionnaire survey will be conducted among court interpreters on the staff of the Judiciary in order to understand their acceptance of such a system.
Month 12 to Month 14: Write-up period.
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2 comments:
Thanks for sharing a useful piece of information on the interpreters. we are the Court reporters located in Hong Kong and have interpreters who can help you overcome the language barrier.
Looking for court reporting services, read your blog, must say a very informative piece of information
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