04/10/2026
The practices of some large translation agencies in Ireland border on slavery. They ask you to reserve seven hours for an assignment, yet if the assignment is cancelled two hours before the start, you are paid nothing at all. If it is cancelled less than an hour before the start, you are paid for only half an hour. And if an assignment ends early — say after fifty minutes — you are paid for just one hour. This is simply unacceptable.
If you are a community interpreter in Ireland, if you work with interpreters, or if you don't speak fluent English and may one day need an interpreter to assist you in a hospital or a court of law, please support us and sign this petition. We need to change this situation, or interpreting services will be provided by completely unqualified people, and the quality will become extremely poor — potentially leading to miscarriages of justice and even preventable deaths.
Public bodies depend on the availability of competent interpreters to deliver essential services effectively. People who cannot adequately understand or communicate in English depend on competent interpreters to access essential services and exercise their rights, including the right to a fair trial...
