According to the Ministry of Justice, HM Courts & Tribunals Service has awarded a new set of language service contracts for courts and tribunals following what the department described as a robust procurement process. The package covers spoken language interpreting, British Sign Language, visual and tactile communication, and independent quality assurance. The policy aim is operational rather than symbolic. The department says the new arrangements are intended to make services more resilient and reduce off-contract bookings, meaning occasions when support has to be sourced outside the main contract because the standard route cannot meet demand.
The supplier structure largely keeps continuity while adding extra capacity. Existing provider thebigword will continue to deliver spoken language services in the first instance, while Translate UK has been appointed as an additional secondary spoken language supplier. Clarion UK remains responsible for visual and tactile communication services, and The Language Shop continues in the independent quality assurance role. For HMCTS, continuity matters because contract transition can itself create service risk. Retaining established providers in several parts of the model reduces the prospect of abrupt change, while the addition of a second spoken language supplier gives the system a clearer fallback where demand is harder to meet.
One of the clearer changes sits in workforce preparation. The Ministry of Justice says the new contracts bring in a stronger onboarding process, including mandatory induction to the justice system, so interpreters are briefed on court procedure, professional expectations and the needs of court and tribunal users. That matters in legal settings because the task is not limited to literal translation. Interpreters are operating in formal proceedings where accuracy, timing, terminology and courtroom practice all affect whether a hearing can run fairly and efficiently.
The contracts also allow interpreters to opt out of particular case types where appropriate, especially where the material may be sensitive or distressing. HMCTS is therefore recognising suitability and welfare as part of service planning rather than treating all assignments as interchangeable. In practical terms, the change gives suppliers more scope to match interpreters to casework with proper regard to the demands of the assignment. It also reflects the reality that some hearings involve subject matter that requires particular care.
Independent oversight remains with The Language Shop, which the Ministry of Justice says will carry out risk-based quality assessments. That approach allows scrutiny to be directed more heavily towards assignments, providers or patterns of performance where the service risk is judged to be higher. For court staff and justice professionals, independent assurance is a material part of the contract structure. It separates day-to-day delivery from quality checking and gives HMCTS an additional route for identifying recurring problems earlier.
For court and tribunal users, HMCTS frames the benefit in direct terms: fair and effective access to justice. Whether a person needs spoken language interpreting, BSL, or visual or tactile communication, the basic requirement is the same. They must be able to understand proceedings and to be understood. The department says the new arrangements are designed to make support more consistent across jurisdictions, including face-to-face and video interpreting. Feedback from interpreters, legal professionals and HMCTS staff informed the model, and the practical measure of success will be whether availability improves, off-contract bookings fall and hearings are better able to proceed as listed.