Translation Service

Karmela Molodõk
Head of Translation Service

The idea of centralising translation services in the area of administration of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice was analysed in 2017. The establishment of a national translation centre was also discussed, but unfortunately it remained only an idea. A cooperation agreement was entered into between the courts, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Police and Border Guard Board, which sadly did not work. Subsequently, on the basis of a directive of the Minister of Justice of 25 June 2020, the courts started preparations for the centralisation of support services, which included the creation of a translation service. On 1 January 2022, the Translation Service of the courts was established under Viru County Court.

When I started working as the head of the Translation Service in May 2021, I realised that there was a general vision of what the role of the Translation Service should be as a support service to assist courts in their work, but the action plan to achieve this was not clear. Therefore, my primary goal was to put in place a precise action plan. Five main topics emerged: obtaining technical solutions and connecting them to the system, bringing the salary of court translators and interpreters to a competitive level, establishing a translation centre, organising cross-court translation procurements, and addressing general issues related to the service (balancing the workload of interpreters, ensuring the quality of translations, the structure of the service, and documentation).

Technical solutions

As I quickly understood how long procurements take, I started from there. When the Translation Service was established, we did not have any software to use. Therefore, procurements for translation and management software were organised. In February 2022, we started to use management software that enabled us to handle all court translation orders in one program. We were also able to collect data on the volume of translations and the required language combinations across courts for the first time. The management software includes a database of translators and interpreters: while each court had its own Excel table with the names and contact details of translators and interpreters so far, now such a database is available to everyone in the courts’ intranet.

In the autumn of 2022, court translators and translation partners started to use the translation software MemoQ, which significantly speeds up translation and ensures the consistent use of terminology in translations. Thanks to a shared server-based translation memory, translated texts are available to anyone who uses the program within seconds. As far as I know, no other public authority is using this kind of technical solution, and I know that some of them observed with interest as we were building the system. I also presented the work of the Translation Service at the Forum of Baltic and Finnish Court Administrations, held in September 2023, where it became clear that we are also ahead of our neighbours in terms of technical solutions. It feels good to set an example for others!

After the introduction of translation software, it was necessary to find someone who would manage the translation memories, compile the term base and check the quality of translations. So far, no one had checked the translations made by court translators and procurement partners, but every now and then I heard complaints that the quality of translation (especially in the case of translation partners) left something to be desired. In February 2022, a Russian-language editor joined the Translation Service, tasked with managing translation memories, creating and managing a term base, and conducting the quality control of translated texts. In October 2022, another Russian-language editor joined us.

However, the volume of translations is so large in the courts that it is unfortunately not possible to edit all translations. Rather, we improve the quality of translations by managing a reliable translation memory and term base. Editors also advise and teach translators.

Remuneration of court translators and interpreters

One of the biggest concerns was the remuneration of court translators and interpreters, which was hopelessly outdated. As I was familiar with the private sector and also looked at the salary level of translators and interpreters at the Police and Border Guard Board and the Prosecutor’s Office, it became clear that funds for increasing the remuneration of court translators and interpreters had to be found quickly. The funds allocated by the Ministry of Finance provided a lot of help, and the cross-use of interpreters made it possible to balance the workload, reduce the staff and thereby redistribute budget funds.

Now, two years after the establishment of the Translation Service, the salary of court translators and interpreters has increased by around half and amounts to 1800 euros (gross). Although we still do not reach, for example, the salary level of interpreters at the Police and Border Guard Board, let alone the private sector, we are still in a much better situation than before. In January 2023, a performance pay system was also applied to translators and interpreters for the first time, which allows them to receive additional remuneration for translations exceeding the norm. We calculate the performance pay quarterly and pay it out four times per year.

Establishment of the Translation Centre

In January 2022, the Translation Centre started operating under the Translation Service. Whereas procedural groups had to find an interpreter themselves, agree on the terms and conditions and organise the ordering of the service before, now all this was done by the Translation Centre. By the beginning of spring, I realised that the volume of translations was so large at the courts that we needed to hire someone to organise everything. In May 2022, the translation coordinator joined the Translation Service and started managing orders received by the Translation Centre. However, in June 2023, they decided to go to go work in the private sector – one of their main reasons for leaving was the very heavy workload. With the ever-increasing volume of orders, it became clear that one person did not suffice. Thus, in June 2023, two translation coordinators who had previously worked at Viru County Court as a clerk and a secretary, respectively, started working for the Translation Service. In addition to managing translation and interpreting orders, the coordinators also check and approve translation invoices.

Cross-court translation procurements

Back in 2021, there were no translation procurements covering all courts. Regional procurements differed from each other in terms of price lists, there was no control or overview of the volume ordered within the framework of the procurement.

Two cross-court procurements were organised – one for interpreting and the other for translation services. We entered into procurement contracts for interpreting in May 2022 and for translation in July of the same year. In January 2023, it became clear that very important points had been omitted from the procurement of interpreting services, due to which several of the main procurement partners did not wish to continue our cooperation.

The auditor of the Ministry of Justice reviewed the translation invoices of the courts, and on the basis of their summary and recommendations, we decided to launch a new procurement for interpreting services, as a result of which we hope to enter into new framework contracts before the summer of 2024. Another reason to opt for the new procurement was the fact that the volume of rare language combinations had increased dramatically over the last two years, which meant that the current procurement no longer covered our needs.

Certainly, the increase in volume has been influenced by events around us – after Russia’s military attack against Ukraine, the volume of translations increased by almost 30% in the courts. We are also facing a migration crisis – refugees often speak languages of whose existence we are not even aware, let alone able to find speakers of in Estonia. In such cases, we collaborate with international call centres and translate via English. The new procurement of interpreting services includes 43 languages and will hopefully cover all our translation needs in the next three years.

Other issues

Before the establishment of the Translation Service, court interpreters were assigned to specific courts, e.g. the interpreters of Tartu Courthouse worked at the courts of Tartu, while those of Harju Courthouse worked at Harju County Court, and so on. With the establishment of the Translation Service, the whole of Estonia became the working area of interpreters. Based on their physical location, interpreters are currently divided among three regions: the northern region (Harju County Court, Tallinn Circuit Court and Administrative Court, and Pärnu County Court), the southern region (Tartu County Court, Circuit Court and Tartu Courthouse of the Administrative Court), and the Viru region (Viru County Court, Jõhvi Courthouse of Tartu Administrative Court). Each region is managed by a lead interpreter who coordinates interpreting orders in Russian, interpreters’ on-call and holiday schedules, and all other daily issues at the regional level.

Interpreters preferably interpret at hearings in their own region but also throughout Estonia via the Internet, where necessary. Written translations in the Russian language are divided equally among all translators. If the court’s own translators are busy or very large materials need to be translated, we involve procurement partners. The cross-use of interpreters has made it possible to balance regional differences in workload, which enables us to cope with the same workload with fewer staff. In 2021, the number of positions filled at the courts was 27; in 2024, this number was 21.2, while the translation volume per interpreter increased by 23% in 2023 compared to 2022.

In May 2023, the Translation Service was provided its own subpage (under the quick links) in the courts’ intranet, where we have gathered all the materials concerning the service. There, you can find the database of translators and interpreters and the on-call schedule, the procedure and instructions for ordering translations, procurement contracts, etc.

Since the cooperation agreement on translation between the three institutions – the courts, the Police and Border Guard Board and the Prosecutor’s Office – did not work at first, one of my goals was to change this situation. I am very pleased to note that almost three years later, the translation managers of the three institutions meet regularly. We assist in finding interpreters if they are needed by the Prosecutor’s Office when making arrests or by the Police and Border Guard Board when sending a foreigner to a detention centre. In May, the second seminar day for legal interpreters will take place, bringing together interpreters from all three institutions.

Looking ahead

All of the five topics discussed above will remain on the agenda in the future. With respect to technology, we wish to combine management and translation software in 2024 to further automate the placement of orders for translations and the translation process. In cooperation with the IT manager of the courts, we are looking for software that would also enable simultaneous interpreting via video. The salary of translators and interpreters must be brought to the level of a specialist, which amounts to 1.5 times the average salary in Estonia. The approval of translation invoices needs to be improved – the Courts Division has taken steps in this area and a draft amendment of the relevant regulation[1] is being prepared. As part of the interpretation procurement, it is necessary to enter into dozens of framework contracts, make the required changes in the management software and review the ordering process. Within the service, the focus is on supporting the mental health and professional training of translators and interpreters. The biggest concern shared by the courts, the police and the Prosecutor’s Office is how to ensure that there will be a next generation of interpreters when no training is provided in interpreting in Estonia. Unfortunately, no good solution has yet been found.

In conclusion, it can be said that a great deal has already been done. However, due to the rapid development of technology and everything that is happening around us, we have to be open to changes, ready to react quickly, adapt and ensure that the Translation Service of the courts is able to provide support to court proceedings in all situations.

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[1] Regulation No. 322 of the Government of the Republic of 22 December 2005 ‘Procedure for payment of remuneration and reimbursement of expenses to participants in proceedings in criminal, misdemeanour, civil and administrative matters’. – RT I 2005, 71, 557.