What are judicially sworn interpreters needed for?
As a rule, only for appointments before authorities, i.e. for banns of marriage, weddings, driving tests, or for court hearings – and whenever one of the persons involved does not speak German or does not speak it well enough. This is because in such cases the authority must ensure that all parties can follow the proceedings. Court interpreters must pass an examination before a board of examiners in the respective foreign language at the Regional Court for Civil Matters in Vienna and are “generally sworn” by the court after passing the examination. Hence, they are officially trusted persons, and interpretations (or translations) they perform in this capacity will be recognised as reliable by the court or authority.
Is it necessary to book judicially sworn interpreters well in advance?
We always recommend to book in good time (preferably a few weeks before your appointment) if you require interpreting services. This is especially true for court interpreters, as they often have many court hearings to attend, and it may be difficult to find other colleagues, especially in less common languages.