Victorian Consolidated Regulations

MAGISTRATES' COURT GENERAL CIVIL PROCEDURE RULES 2020 - REG 44A.07

Without limiting any other power of the Court, the Court may, at any time, give directions concerning all or any of the following matters, having regard to the nature of the proceeding (including the type of allegations made and the characteristics of the parties and witnesses)—

        (a)     any particular attributes required or not required for an interpreter, including, but not limited to, gender, age or ethnic, cultural or social background so as to accommodate any cultural or other reasonable concerns of a party or the witness;

        (b)     the number of interpreters required in any proceeding and whether relay interpreting should be used;

        (c)     establishing the expertise of an interpreter;

        (d)     the steps to be taken to obtain an interpreter who is an accredited interpreter for the other language concerned or is otherwise qualified to act as an interpreter;

        (e)     the steps to be taken before permission under Rule 44A.03(4) is given;

        (f)     what information concerning the proceeding, may be provided to a person in advance of any hearing to assist that person to prepare to act as an interpreter at that hearing, including, but not limited to, pleadings, affidavits, lists of witnesses and other documents;

        (g)     when, in what circumstances and under what (if any) conditions the information referred to in paragraph (f) may be provided;

        (h)     whether an interpreter is to interpret the witness' evidence consecutively, simultaneously or in some other way;

              (i)     other resources, such as dictionaries or other reference works that an interpreter may require to consult in the course of acting as an interpreter;

        (j)     the length of time for which an interpreter should interpret during a hearing without a break;

        (k)     security for an interpreter including, where necessary, arrangements to preserve the anonymity of the interpreter;

        (l)     practical matters concerning an interpreter, such as seating for and the location of the interpreter;

        (m)     the disqualification, removal or withdrawal of an interpreter, including on the application of the interpreter or any party to the proceeding or on the Court's own motion;

        (n)     the payment of interpreters;

        (o)     any other direction the Court considers appropriate.

* * * * *