Face-to-face police interpreting
Vetted interpreters for custody, interviews under caution, witness statements and identification procedures.
Sector: Police and criminal justice
Interpreting for police and criminal justice
From the custody suite to the courtroom, SILA Linguists provides vetted interpreters and evidential translation that protect the integrity of investigations and the rights of everyone involved.
In England and Wales, police may not interview a suspect who does not appear to speak or understand English unless an interpreter is present, except in tightly defined urgent cases. Across the EU, suspects and accused persons have the right to interpretation and to translation of essential documents. In both systems, poor interpreting can make evidence inadmissible and put a case at risk.
SILA Linguists provides interpreting for custody, interviews under caution, witness and victim statements, and the later stages of a case. Our interpreters are vetted, impartial and familiar with police procedure, including the caution, rights and entitlements, and the requirements for recording interviews conducted through an interpreter. England and Wales and Scotland each have their own procedures, and our interpreters follow the rules that apply.
Investigations increasingly depend on foreign-language material: phone downloads, messaging apps, social media, recorded calls and seized documents. We transcribe and translate this material for evidential use, and our forensic linguists support cases where a speaker's origin or identity is in question.
What this sector needs
Language challenges in police and justice
Interviews under caution
Interpreters must convey the caution, questions and answers exactly, so that the interview record can be relied on in court.
Custody at any hour
Detainees arrive day and night. Custody officers need quick access to an interpreter to explain rights and entitlements.
Victims and vulnerable witnesses
Victims of domestic abuse, trafficking and sexual offences need interpreters who are calm, neutral and, where requested, of a particular gender.
Evidential translation
Seized documents, messages and recordings must be translated and transcribed in a format suitable for disclosure and court bundles.
Independence from the parties
Interpreters must not have links to the suspect, victim or community involved, and conflicts must be declared at booking.
Security of material
Case material must stay inside secure, GDPR-compliant workflows with linguists bound by confidentiality agreements.
How we help
Services for police and justice
Telephone and video interpreting
Remote interpreting 24/7, 365 days a year for booking-in, rights and entitlements, and initial victim contact.
Evidential transcription
Transcription and translation of interview recordings, intercepted calls, voice notes and video.
Translation of evidence
Translation of seized documents, messages, statements and foreign court records for investigation and disclosure.
Forensic language analysis
Analysis of a speaker's language variety where origin or identity is relevant to an investigation.
SILA Linguists®
SILA Linguists® language services for police, prisons, probation and the courts
Our vetted, trained and qualified interpreters and translators can support police forces, custody suites, prisons, probation services, youth offending teams and victim support organisations with language work that protects evidence and rights. Face-to-face interpreters attend custody booking-in, interviews under caution, Achieving Best Evidence interviews, witness and victim statements and criminal trials, while telephone interpreting is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for urgent calls and rights explanations. Video remote interpreting connects officers, prison staff and probation officers with interpreters wherever they are needed. Interpreters understand custody procedures, the caution and the need to interpret everything said, without adding or omitting a word.
Our evidential transcription team transcribes and translates interview recordings, intercepted calls, body-worn video and voice notes in the original language and in English, with speaker labels and time stamps in the format the court requires. Translators handle phone downloads, messaging app exports, foreign criminal records and documents seized during investigations, with certified translation for use in court. Specialist language analysis can assist where the origin of a speaker is relevant to an investigation, and nationality assessment supports complex identity questions.
This work connects closely with our legal, immigration and private intelligence services, and Deaf suspects, victims and witnesses are supported by registered BSL interpreters. Frequently requested criminal justice languages include Albanian, Vietnamese, Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian, Arabic and Kurdish Sorani, among more than 350 languages and dialects that SILA Linguists® provides across the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Every linguist is security-conscious, impartial and bound by confidentiality agreements, and personal data is handled under UK GDPR.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do your police interpreters work to PACE?
Our police interpreting follows the requirements of PACE Code C in England and Wales, including those for interviews conducted through an interpreter. Scotland has its own procedures, and elsewhere we follow the equivalent local rules.
Can we use telephone interpreting in custody?
Telephone or video interpreting is often suitable for booking-in, rights and entitlements and short contacts. For interviews under caution and complex statements, face-to-face interpreting is usually preferred.
Can you transcribe and translate recordings for court?
Yes. We produce verbatim transcripts with translations, timestamps and speaker labels so that the material can be checked against the original recording.
How do you avoid conflicts of interest?
We ask interpreters to declare any connection with the people or community involved and replace them if a conflict arises. Tell us any concerns when you book.
Get in touch
Tell us the language, the format and the date
Our bookings team will confirm the details with you and arrange the right linguist. Have the language (and dialect, if you know it), the type of assignment and the date ready.