Accreditation, Certification, Testing Assessing Quality in LIT Services Dr. Cynthia Giambruno University of Alicante (Spain)

Terminology Accreditation: Recognition of the expertise and integrity of an agency, firm, or group to train, evaluate and qualify individuals in a specific field or profession. Certification: Formal procedure by which an accredited or authorized person or agency assesses and verifies (and attests in writing by issuing a certificate) the attributes, characteristics, quality, qualification, or status of individuals, in accordance with established requirements or standards. Testing: Procedures by which an individual can be evaluated to ascertain levels of proficiency and performance that meet certification criteria.

Legal Foundations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000)

Legal Foundations: EU EU DG JLS: Justice, Freedom and Security The development of the European Union as an area of justice for all, based on mutual recognition and mutual trust, ensuring legal certainty for citizens, consumers and businesses in claiming their rights within, and across, national borders Increasing mutual trust is a precondition for the mutual recognition between EU countries of each others judicial decisions. To increase this trust, common minimum standards must be set as regards the right to a fair trial and the rights of crime victims.

EU Directive 2010/64/EU on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings. Article 2(8): Interpretation provided under this Article shall be of a quality sufficient to safeguard the fairness of the proceedings, in particular by ensuring that suspected or accused persons have knowledge of the case against them and are able to exercise their right of defence. Article 3(9): Translation provided under this Article shall be of a quality sufficient to safeguard the fairness of the proceedings … Article 5: Member States shall take concrete measures to ensure that the interpretation and translation provided meets the quality required under Article 2(8) and 3(9).

Legal Foundations: Spain Constitución de España de 1978 Artículo 24.1 Todas las personas tienen derecho a obtener la tutela efectiva de los jueces y tribunales en el ejercicio de sus derechos e intereses legítimos, sin que, en ningún caso, pueda producirse indefensión. Artículo 24.2 Asimismo, todos tienen derecho al Juez ordinario predeterminado por la ley, a la defensa y la asistencia de letrado, a ser informados de la acusación formulada contra ellos, a un proceso público sin delaciones indebidas y con todas las garantías, a utilizar los medios de prueba pertinentes para su defensa, a no declara contra sí mismos, a no confesarse culpables y a la presunción de inocencia.

Ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal Artículo 441 (1882, actualizado 2011) 441: El intérprete será elegido entre los que tengan títulos de tales, si los hubiere en el pueblo. En su defecto, será nombrado un maestro del correspondiente idioma, y si tampoco le hubiere, cualquier persona que lo sepa. Si ni aun de esta manera pudiera obtenerse la traducción … se redactará el pliego de preguntas … y se remitirá a la Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas del Ministerio de Estado, para que, con preferencia a todo otro trabajo, sean traducidas al idioma que habla el testigo.

Accreditation & Certification Authorities Ministries (Justice, Foreign Affairs, Interior) Governmental or quasi-governmental agencies Professional associations Private agencies University or training institution Judges or judicial authorities

Certification: Considerations Language Pair o major v minor (languages of lesser diffusion) Translation v Interpretation o Combined or separate Candidate prerequisites o Training o Experience o Citizenship, national status, work status Full Certification v. Otherwise Qualified Mutual Recognition

Test development: exam scope Linguistic o Source and target languages o Specialized vocabulary and terms of art o Register, regionalisms, etc. Knowledge of the legal system o Host and home systems o Structure and procedures o Rights and guarantees Ethics and good practice o Codes and established guidelines o Interaction with the Court, judicial officials and users o Protocol, responsibilities, professional liability Performance areas o Interpretation performance fields o Translation performance fields (directionality)

Certification: exam development Test Format o Initial screening instrument o Q/A or performance-based o Taped or simulated o Number of items o Full certification v otherwise qualified Domain identification Item/exercise development guidelines Psychometric standards o Reliability o Validity o Anchoring Evaluation criteria o quality parameters o quantification of performance parameters o holistic v item analysis approaches

Test Administration maintaining test security and candidate confidentiality identifying and qualifying test developers, administrators and raters ensuring intra- and inter-rater reliability evaluating cost-effectiveness of test administration options identifying test sites and establishing test administration criteria achieving consistency in testing venues and administration procedures across time and space defining equipment needs setting an application process and providing appropriate pre-test information to exam candidates determining grievance procedures and performance reviews maintaining and disseminating candidate scores and qualifications

Certification goals Provide means by which to separate the clearly unqualified from those with an appropriate level of competence Avoid the use of ad-hoc interpreters who are often friends, family members or staff members with no training or understanding of the role of a legal interpreter Provide standardization to build mutual trust Identify problem areas or issues in need of attention Provide needs analysis data for forward planning Guarantee a sense of legal certainty to anyone involved in a legal procedure, either as the accused party or victim, when issues of language and communication arise.

Thank you. Thank you.