The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) has expressed concern over the shortage of court interpreters in South Africa, as indicated by Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ) Minister Mmamaloko Kubayi, in her written reply to the National Assembly on 15 August 2025. The indication of this disparity that exists impedes access to justice and coincidentally, coincides with the commemoration of International Translation Day, which is observed annually on 30 September 2025. According to the DoJ, approximately six provinces have a shortage of court interpreters, which compromises access to justice for many South Africans in those affected areas.
Speaking at the national commemoration, held in partnership with the Department of Sport, Arts & Culture and the City of Cape Town, Chairperson of the PanSALB Board, Prof Lolie Makhubu-Badenhorst, expressed concern over the reported shortage of court interpreters in the country.
“The shortage of interpreting services in our courts is a serious indictment on us as a nation as it further perpetuates the hegemony of English and robs South African citizens of access to justice in their preferred language. This is particularly concerning since there are many qualified interpreters who are professionally trained who still remain unemployed. Furthermore, there is still a growing concern with the rate at which vacant interpreter posts are filled” said PanSALB Board Chairperson, Prof Lolie Makhubu-Badenhorst.
“Access to quality interpreting is crucial in ensuring that linguistic human rights of accused persons are adequately protected. Accused persons who are mother tongue speakers of English, which is only about 8% of the population, can follow court proceedings and are at more at an advantage than those who are not proficient in English. This perpetuates the inequality with English remaining as the only language or record in South African courts. This unfair language practice means that many South Africans face justice with procedures they can barely follow, which can result in a great miscarriage of justice. This also starts with the ability of citizens to submit statements in their own languages to strive for the most accurate account of events” she concluded.
ABOUT PanSALB
The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) is a constitutional body mandated to create conditions for the recognition, implementation and furtherance of multilingualism in the Republic of South Africa; and the development of previously marginalised languages.
