language-hrvatski-1

Court Interpreters

Court Interpreters

sudski tumač za engleski

Court Appointed Interpreter for the English Language

A court appointed interpreter will certify translated documents and reports such as:

  • Audit reports
  • Various permits
  • Legal documents
  • Court statements or affidavits
  • Various contracts
  • Birth certificates
  • Marriage certificates
  • Other various legal certificates
  • School certificates
  • Confirmations
  • Transcriptions of school results
  • Transcriptions of records, etc.

The Regulation on Court Appointed Interpreters

A court appointed interpreter for the English language translates upon request by the courts, government bodies, legal entities or citizens, spoken or written texts from Croatian into English and vice-versa.

The Ministry of Justice has issued “The Regulation on Court Appointed Interpreters” (Official Gazette no. 88/08) which explains in detail the conditions that translators must fulfil in order to carry out the job of a court appointed interpreter.

A person fulfils the conditions for being a court appointed interpreter if they, besides the general conditions prescribed for acceptance into government service, also fulfil the following special conditions:

  • Have a knowledge of the Croatian language,
  •  
  • Also possess a comprehensive knowledge of a foreign language,
  • A knowledge of the constitution of judicial authority, government administration and legal terms,
  • A successfully completed tertiary degree.

The Courts Act on court appointed interpreters

Article 137 of the stated Act cites the following:

  • A court appointed interpreter translates upon request by the courts, government bodies, legal entities or citizens, spoken or written texts from Croatian into a foreign language, from a foreign language into Croatian, or from one foreign language into another.
  • A person can be appointed as a court interpreter if they have completed a tertiary degree, have a complete knowledge of an appropriate foreign language and the language in official use, and have a satisfactory level of general and legal knowledge.
  • Court interpreters are appointed for a period of four years and dismissed by the president of the County or Commercial Court. Upon expiration of the four-year period, such interpreters may be appointed once again.
  • Against a decision rejecting the request for appointment as a court interpreter, the applicant maintains the right to lodge an appeal with the Ministry of Justice within 15 days of such a decision.
  • The Minister of Justice shall in accordance with the respective regulation, prescribe the manner of determining as to whether a person fulfils the conditions for appointment as a court interpreter, their rights and obligations, and the fees and costs for such work.
  • The County or Commercial Courts maintain a registry of court interpreters appointed to their respective territories.
  • The registry of court appointed interpreters for all courts is published as required by the Ministry of Justice in the “Official Gazette”.