Question 1

Does a Thai court provide an interpreter for a foreign party?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Section 13 of the Thai Criminal Procedure Code requires an interpreter where an accused, defendant or witness cannot speak or understand Thai, and Section 46 of the Civil Procedure Code allows the court to appoint one in civil matters. Courts keep their own interpreter lists, but a party may propose an interpreter for the court's approval. The interpreter is sworn before the hearing begins and must render everything said, without summarising, softening or advising. We brief our court interpreters on the case file and a case-specific glossary before the hearing date.

Question 2

Can the same interpreter be used at the police station and later in court?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes, and continuity helps accuracy. Two cautions apply. If the interpreter's rendering at the investigation stage becomes disputed, the interpreter may be called on that point, which complicates their neutrality at trial. Second, the investigation record must name and be signed by the interpreter; where it does not, the statement's admissibility can be challenged. We keep a written record of every interpreting assignment for exactly this reason.

Question 3

What should a law firm send the interpreter before a hearing?

Accepted Answer

Send the pleadings, witness list, the exhibits likely to be put to the witness, all personal and corporate names that will be spoken, and any technical vocabulary, ideally three to five working days ahead. Preparation is the single largest factor in courtroom accuracy. All materials are held under confidentiality terms, and where the file cannot be shared, a glossary plus a short factual background is the minimum useful package.

Question 4

What happens if we disagree with the interpreter's rendering during a hearing?

Accepted Answer

Raise it immediately so the objection is entered in the record of proceedings, and ask for the question or answer to be repeated. The court may allow a correction or, in serious cases, a change of interpreter. Objections raised after the hearing are very hard to prove without a contemporaneous note, so counsel should intervene at the moment the issue arises.

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Court & Legal Interpreting

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