Legal interpretation and translation are essential to ensure fair understanding and access to justice for all stakeholders in society, with emphasis on legal integrity.
Taking Hong Kong as an example, where English and Chinese are regarded as the official languages of the city, all legislations are required to be enacted and published in both languages. While the same principle is encouraged in court, there may still be times when court proceedings (i.e. court hearings and judgments) are found to be reflected in only one of the languages concerned. For instance, hearings in Court of Final Appeal are to be only available in English, and the arrangement of an interpreter would depend on the nature of the proceedings (i.e. criminal or civil). Legal interpretation and translation are also crucial for stakeholders who are not familiar with either of the two official languages, both in terms of accuracy and authenticity.
Another aspect of significance lies in the difference in the legal system between two or more jurisdictions. The enactment of the civil law system in the Greater China Region (other than Hong Kong) exemplifies the notion, involving discrepancies in the understanding of legal terminology as reflected in different legal systems. An interpreter and translator would be vital in processing and conveying the meaning and intent without any bias or misinformation.
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