Kr. Justice Li
Kr. Justice Yang
Confidential
Lt.
.in
5-8214605
Tel. No.
2nd December, 1985.
MEMO
To..
Registrar, Supreme Court
Your Ref.
dated
(103) SC 14/4/2
in.
28th November, 1985.
2.
Re Court Interpreters
We support the Court Interpreters' proposal.
Their civil work in the High Court is generally speaking more intellectually demanding when compared with their civil work in the lower courts. The civil cases in the High Court are more complicated, the trials longer and the atmosphere more tense.
3.
The criminal cases in the High Court are not necessarily more difficult, though there are a substantial number of long and complicated trials, particularly those of commercial frauds and drug trafficking. Whatever the nature of the case itself, the presence of a jury puts the trial in a different category from that of a District Court or Magistrate Court trial. The atmosphere is certainly more tense, and the moral and psychological pressure higher in view of the very heavy penalties that may be imposed.
The responsibilities of the High Court Judge in any trial are more onerous than that of a District Judge, hence the difference in rank and salary. Whether the judge be an ethnic Chinese or not, so long as English is the language of the Court, he can but work through an interpreter, except in the few cases where an interpreter is not required. It seems therefore logical that the recognition accorded to the senior judge should, to a certain extent, be accorded to his interpreter without whom he can hardly carry out his duties in Court.
5.
Another issue that requires careful consideration is the promotion prospects as compared with that of the Chinese Language fficer and the question of morale. A comparison may also be made with the type of work done by Simultaneous Interpreters, which is in many respects similar to that of our High Court interpreters. Finally, it should not be overlooked that our interpreters' career prospect is confined to the Judiciary. Experience in the past has shown us that at one time interpreters who asked for transfer to other departments fored much better than those who remained.
**
GEXM
CRP
3
Simon F.S. Li
T.L. Yang
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