Government urged to act on shortage of interpreters

THE Government must act to redress the shortage of qualified interpreters which is reducing the quality of services available to immigrants in courts and hospitals, academics warned yesterday.

In a report calling for a national languages strategy, the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) suggested that a system of accreditation for interpreters was a crucial factor in Ireland’s growing multiculturalism.

The body promotes study and excellence in the humanities and sciences, and its 360 members are elected in recognition of academic achievement.