By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Last year, 20,623 foreigners were booked, which is more than three times of 6,144 in 2003. However, the police translation service remains insufficient and expatriates have to wait hours to undergo investigation. The police try to reduce complaints by overhauling the system.
"We call interpreters two-three times a month and Chinese are the most frequently needed," said Lee Gyoo-gwang, a detective of Gangseo Police Station in Seoul. "We have a list of interpreters and call those who live near the police station."
There are 306 registered translators speaking 23 languages at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Additionally, there are some 150 police officers who can interpret.
The largest pool includes 81 for Chinese, 61 for English and 37 for Japanese. These three are considered as major languages and translators for them are paid 30,000 won per hour.
Other languages include Mongolian, Russian, Vietnamese and other minor languages that have only one or two police translators in the city. They are paid 35,000 won for an hour of translation.
"We mainly depend on private interpreters. They are mostly foreign language instructors, students who studied the language, housewives and naturalized Koreans," Yang Hee-sang of the police agency said. "They are providing service on a voluntary basis. Though they are registered and get paid, we cannot `order' them to come and interpret early in the morning or during their other work."
The SMPA has updated the list of the interpreters for better service. "In this new list, we checked whether the interpreters can come for late night and 71 percent of them are available at night."
Other police agencies hire married immigrants as translators. "Incheon has a foreigners' human rights protection center and some of their interpreters are married immigrants from Vietnam, Mongolia, Pakistan and more," Lee Sang-jae, secretary of the Korea Migrant Workers Human Rights Center, said.
"Though the service is not so satisfactory, it is positive that they utilize such human resource."
Lee also pointed out that the police only bring in interpreters when they need them. "The police usually accompany oral translators at the first investigation and at trial. However, suspects and victims don't have interpreters when they need interpretation to protect themselves or exercise their rights," he said. "It is hard to consult with court-appointed lawyers because of the expensive translating bills, too."
"Sometimes we bring in minor language interpreters when a case involving migrant workers happens, but it is just not enough," an official of Seoul Migrant Worker's Center said.
Interpreters are sulky about their treatment. "I work as an instructor at an English cram school, but you don't know when a police case will come in. It is hard to interpret in late night after work for 30,000 won," Kim, a registered translator said.