Prison video link is now the default for many defence conferences — cheaper and faster than a prison visit, but unforgiving when interpreting goes wrong. A 45-minute slot with a mismatched interpreter is a wasted slot.
Five things to check before the slot is confirmed
- Dialect, not just “Arabic”. Confirm where the client is from and that the interpreter actually covers that dialect. A Sudanese client on a compressed PVL audio feed through a Levantine interpreter is a recipe for a repeated conference.
- How does the interpreter join? Some establishments allow remote joining; others require attendance at your office or the prison. Confirm the establishment's practice when booking the slot.
- Slot length. Interpreted conferences take roughly twice as long. Ask for a double slot or plan a follow-up.
- Papers in advance. Even a charge sheet and case summary lets the interpreter prepare terminology — standard professional practice, covered by confidentiality.
- Continuity. The same interpreter for conference and hearing improves the client's confidence and the quality of instructions.
Why audio quality raises the dialect stakes
PVL audio strips out the redundancy that helps comprehension in person. Where interpreter and client share a dialect, degraded audio is survivable; where they do not, comprehension collapses. This is why solicitors increasingly specify dialect-matched interpreters for PVL in particular.
This practice interprets regularly by PVL, including Sudanese Arabic conferences at HMP establishments — slot details to [email protected] for same working-day confirmation.