전문사법통역사에 대한 사회적 요구와 그에 따른 대책

Abstract

Over the last decade, an increasing number of migrant workers have flowed into South Korea. Unfortunately, however, they have also committed more crimes, with the result that demand for “language intermediaries” in the courtroom is rapidly growing. A close look at the current situation surrounding legal interpreting suggests that there are regional disparities in the availability of legal interpreters and a distressing lack of “competent” legal interpreters. Worse, the status of legal interpreters as a profession is still low, and a uniform regulation governing the use of legal interpreters is not in place. The fact of the matter is that legal interpreters appointed under an internal “guideline” often fail to meet the professional requirements. To resolve those problems, an interpreting school and the agency concerned should join hands to develop a high-quality educational program for legal interpreters as soon as possible. Then, they should develop a certification system whereby the professional competence of legal interpreters is scrutinized objectively and effectively. A prerequisite for all that, however, is the enactment of new legislation on legal interpreting.