CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 5
A.
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 5
1. Background & other Fair Trials training materials .................................................................. 5
2. Scope of this Toolkit ................................................................................................................ 6
3. How to use this Toolkit ........................................................................................................... 6
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
How the content is organised ........................................................................................................... 6
The ‘Using EU Law in Practice’ Toolkit .............................................................................................. 7
‘Interpretation’ and ‘translation’ ...................................................................................................... 7
A word of caution ............................................................................................................................. 7
Keep in touch .................................................................................................................................... 7
B.
BEFORE THE DIRECTIVE: REVIEW OF ECHR PRINCIPLES.............................................................. 8
C.
OVERVIEW OF THE DIRECTIVE .................................................................................................... 9
1. At a glance............................................................................................................................... 9
2. Purpose and objectives ......................................................................................................... 11
3. Right to interpretation and translation................................................................................. 12
D.
PREPARATORY WORK FOR USING THE DIRECTIVE.................................................................... 12
1. Examine national law and practice in light of the Directive ................................................. 12
2. Investigate the local context ................................................................................................. 14
a.
b.
Find out about national interpreting standards ............................................................................. 14
Speak with colleagues / bar associations........................................................................................ 14
I – ASSESSMENT OF INTERPRETATION NEEDS.............................................................................. 15
A.
THE ISSUE .................................................................................................................................. 15
B.
1.
2.
THE ECHR BASELINE .................................................................................................................. 15
A presumption in favour of interpretation if requested ....................................................... 15
Parameters for assessing interpretation needs .................................................................... 16
C.
RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE DIRECTIVE .............................................................................. 17
D.
USING THE DIRECTIVE IN PRACTICE .......................................................................................... 18
1. Making your point at the police station (if you are there) ................................................... 18
2. Challenging the decision finding that there is no need for interpretation ........................... 18
PART II – QUALITY OF POLICE STATION INTERPRETATION............................................................ 20
A.
THE ISSUE .................................................................................................................................. 20
B.
THE ECHR BASELINE .................................................................................................................. 20
C.
RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE DIRECTIVE .............................................................................. 22
1. The right to interpretation (of sufficient quality) ................................................................. 22
2. Provisions relating to quality control .................................................................................... 22
a.
b.
D.
Case-specific response to quality issues ......................................................................................... 22
General quality control requirements ............................................................................................ 23
USING THE DIRECTIVE IN PRACTICE .......................................................................................... 24
1. Preliminary point .................................................................................................................. 24
2. Action to take at the pre-trial stage ...................................................................................... 24
a.
Before the questioning begins ........................................................................................................ 24
2