Nearly half of all court interpreters in the Greater Toronto Area, some with more than two decades of experience, were informed this week they had failed a new test administered last year.

These results could lead to widespread delays in trials and new grounds of appeal for defendants convicted of serious crimes.

Of the 225 people tested, 108 did not receive a passing grade, according to the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney-General. Many more received a conditional pass.

Only one Mandarin and one Tamil language interpreter passed the test. Only two Vietnamese interpreters received a passing grade, according to a source familiar with the results.

Stella Rahman, president of the Court Interpreters Association of Ontario described the new test, conducted by the Vancouver Community College, as unfair and not an accurate indicator of whether someone is a qualified court interpreter.

Brendan Crawley, a spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney-General said that the tests were based on transcripts from actual court proceedings in Ontario.

The results are expected to lead to an updated registry of accredited interpreters that will exclude many people who have been working in the courts for several years.

If an accredited interpreter is not available then court staff will search a list of those with a conditional pass. Failing that, an unaccredited interpreter will be asked to come to court and face questioning by the judge, the Crown and the defence to see if the person is acceptable.

See: National Post