Sign Language Interpretation Service

To whom the service will be provided

To facilitate administration of justice, sign language interpretation service will be provided, as directed by court, to a witness or a party who has such a need in any court proceedings or part of any proceedings.

In criminal proceedings, the Court will arrange for such services as necessary free of charge. In civil proceedings, parties may need to bear the cost so incurred for the service provided if the application is approved by the Court.

Request for assistance in court proceedings/ hearings

As what takes place in a court proceeding/hearing is a matter of case and court management for the presiding Judge or Judicial Officer to decide, irrespective of the kind of assistance sought, the ultimate decision on the assistance requested will rest with the presiding Judge or Judicial Officer. To facilitate the consideration of reasonable and optimal accessibility aids or assistance to be provided to court users with disabilities, please complete the “Request for Assistance in court proceedings/ hearings” application form (downloadable here) and return it to the relevant registry of the respective court you will be attending as soon as you know the date and court venue, and preferably in no less than two weeks before the date of court attendance if possible. We will keep you posted of the outcome of your request as soon as practicable

Hearings requiring Sign Language Interpretation

The average number of proceedings requiring sign language interpretation service remains generally steady with a total of about 100 sessions per annum (i.e. some eight or nine sessions a month) across all levels of courts. The great majority of these proceedings consist of such short hearings as call-over, mention, pre-trial review, sentencing, plea, etc.

Engagement of Freelance Sign Language Interpreters

Pool of Freelance Service Providers

For the provision of sign language interpretation at court, the Judiciary Administration maintains a pool of experienced sign language interpreters who are engaged on a freelance basis as and when necessary.

At present, there are 15 sign language freelance interpreters (FITs) who meet the requirements of the Judiciary in our pool of service providers. The vast majority of them have at least 10 odd years of experience working in courts and/or being engaged by other entities as full-time or part-time sign language interpreters.

To ensure the sustainability of service provision, the Judiciary Administration has been keeping in view the court’s demand for sign language service and other relevant considerations with a view to taking in new interpreters who meet the relevant requirements where necessary.

Entry Requirements

A sign language FIT engaged by court must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. A holder of permanent HK identity card or a valid visa (no work restriction) and;
2. Being proficient in both written and spoken Chinese (Cantonese) and Hong Kong sign language; and
3. In possession of any of the following qualifications:

1. 5 passes in the HKCEE including English Language and Chinese Language; or
2. level 2 or above in five HKDSE subjects including Chinese Language and English Language; or
3. Diploma Yi Jin including Chinese Language and English Language; or
4. an equivalent academic qualification

To ensure the quality of interpretation services provided in court proceedings, the Judiciary further requires that sign language FITs meet the following requirements:

1. pass and obtain the standard required in a sign language proficiency test conducted by an assessment panel as recognized by the Judiciary Administration. For the 2021 proficiency test, the assessment panel comprised hearing-impaired assessors, relevant academia from a local university, and veteran sign language FITs;
2. pass the interview and the security check as arranged by the Judiciary; and
3. possess considerable experience in the field of sign language interpreting with not less than 250 hours (intern jobs not included) for two consecutive years prior to the application. (Candidates with court/law-related interpretation service are preferred).

Terms of Engagement

Under the current mechanism for engagement of FITs, which came into effect in January 2021, sign language FITs engaged by the Judiciary are given a Service Engagement Letter certifying their service providing status for a validity period of 4 years. Status renewal is subject to, inter alia, satisfactory performance and conduct. Performance of freelance interpreters is closely monitored. Serious irregularities (including non-compliance with the standards of services required and/or any substantiated complaints from court users) in court performance and conduct may have adverse impact on the status renewal.

FITs are not staff of the Judiciary and are at liberty to take up jobs, full-time or part-time, with or without remuneration, with Bureaus/Departments of the Hong Kong Government (B/Ds), public bodies or any other entities. They are required to maintain impartiality and make a declaration of no conflict of interest, be it apparent or perceived, at the commencement of each court assignment. They are also required to observe the professional requirement of avoiding private communication with parties, their legal representatives or witnesses.

Management and Monitoring of sign language FITs

The Freelance Interpreters’ Management Unit (FITMU) of the Court Language Section of the Judiciary Administration is responsible for the management of FITs. It has put in place a performance management mechanism to ensure the quality of service provided by the freelance interpreters to the courts.

1. Feedback mechanism:
   Performance feedback and views are regularly collected from court users and full-time court interpreters of the Judiciary. Parties to court proceedings may also raise with the court any concerns about the quality of the sign language interpretation. This will also be taken into account in the relevant performance review;
2. Random inspections of the court performance of sign language FITs are carried out from time to time; and
3. complaints about court performance of sign language FITs are handled in accordance with the established procedures of the Judiciary Administration.

Handling of Complaints

Any complaints against the sign language FITs engaged by the Judiciary Administration are dealt with in accordance with the established procedures of the Judiciary Administration. Specifically, the Judiciary Administration will conduct an investigation upon receipt of the complaint having regard to all relevant facts surrounding the allegations. Where the complaint is found substantiated, appropriate management actions will be taken. Such actions range from verbal/written warning, temporary service suspension to removal from the pool of service providers. Substantiated complaints will also be duly taken into account when engaging the service of the FITs concerned for court proceedings in future.

Apart from the above procedures of handling complaints, any parties to court proceedings may bring it up to the court if there is any allegation or concern that a fair trial may be undermined by the quality of the interpreter in the court proceeding concerned. The court may also deal with it on its own should any interpretation problem be noted. The matter concerned can also be raised on appeal as and when necessary. The court will handle the relevant allegation strictly in accordance with the law to ensure that a fair trial takes place.

From 2010 to 2022, one complaint against the service performance of freelance sign language interpreter at court was received and dealt with in accordance with the established mechanism.