JEDDAH — The Ministry of Justice is to set tough new criteria for sign language interpreters after deaf defendants were found to be wrongly convicted of various crimes due to badly interpreted testimonies, Al-Watan reported. A source from the ministry said several defendants with special needs were found guilty after court interpreters did not get their testimonies right. The source said: “The ministry is now holding face-to-face interviews and demonstrations before hiring an interpreter. “There are 95 job vacancies for sign language interpreters at the ministry.” Sign language interpreter Ahmad Al-Faheed said he was called in to verify the testimony of a deaf defendant who had been found guilty. He said: “I began interpreting the documented statements he was said to have made to the judge. “The man was shocked about the misinformation reported and after further questioning it became clear that the interpreter during the hearing had misrepresented the defendant's claims.” He added in such cases the court is forced to reopen the case and hold another hearing as if it were a new case. “There are only seven certified sign language court interpreters, both men and women, in the Kingdom. “The court sometimes hires freelance interpreters who are uncertified because of the shortage we have. They often commit mistakes without anyone verifying their work.” He added these mistakes could be fatal to the defendants as they are often charged with murder, theft and drug smuggling, crimes that carry capital punishments. “The Ministry of Justice needs to be more thorough in hiring court interpreters. They need consult experts such as the Saudi Deaf Sports Federation. “The ministry also needs to provide training programs for sign language court interpreters and ask for official certificates to identify the professionals from the amateurs.”
