Translate in court? Me? Ow?

A translator claimed he put in a job application for his cat to work for Delph-based Applied Language Solutions — and received an email saying he should take her for an assessment.

Neil McCafferty, of translation company Talk Russian UK, claimed his cat was skilled in “rare cat language”.

This was revealed in a BBC investigation that claimed ALS interpreters have been working in courts without mandatory Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks.

The company — now owned by Capita — won a £300 million contract from the Ministry of Justice earlier this year for national court translation services, but has faced criticism for not providing sufficient staff and for poor translation standards.

The BBC claimed people without CRB certification have been offered jobs following online applications despite providing few or no details of work experience or references.

ALS says it will remove from its register interpreters who do not have the right documentation. Forty-three interpreters have already been removed for not having appropriate checks.

Figures show there were 2,232 official complaints about the company in February, March and April.


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