Court Interpreting Backroom
Today is as good a day as any to start sharing the joys of my glamorous Court Interpreter career with you. Each day is different, each client is, erm, unique, travelling opportunities are endless, as can be seen from the timetable below. It keeps me fit too.
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7.50 leave home in Upper Norwood by car
8.20 arrive at younger daughter’s school near Clapham South
8.30 park the car at Streatham Hill and take 133 to Brixton
8.45 arrive at Brixton
9.20 arrive at Southwark tube station and rush to Blackfriars Crown Court
9.55 leave Blackfriars Crown Court because I was f&&&!!!** booked in error as the defendant is not required to attend. I am signed off by a bored general office worker. He tells me that even though he has no idea why I was booked in the first place, I will be paid for one hour. He forgets to mention that it was him who booked me in the first place.
10.05 call my agency and get a last minute Wimbledon booking for this morning, can I possibly get there before 11, please?
10.10 board Jubilee Line at Southwark
10.15 change at Westminster for District line
10.25 change at Earls Cort for Wimbledon branch
10.26 get a call for second Wimbledon booking for the afternoon and accept it
10.45 arrive in Wimbledon and gallop to court
10.55 arrive at court, sign in at reception, sign in with list caller, say hello to clients, a married couple on fraud charges, sit down for the first time today, eat Pret takeaway breakfast
11.30 consultation with the solicitor who seems to be amused by certain aspects of the case. He decides they will need two separate firms to represent them due to obvious conflict of interest. He chooses to represent the wife and asks the husband to leave.
12.30 consultation ends, I am trying to get hold of bail duty solicitor to represent the husband, none available till after lunch.
13.00 court breaks up for lunch, I sprint back to Pret for staple chicken and avocado sandwich and another cappuccino.
13.30 back to court for my afternoon matter, pre-sentence probation report. Client is very chatty and doesn’t take a hint when I am typing away these very words.
14.00 probation appointment begins, client no longer chatty, not volunteering any information. Hard work all along.
14.40 probation job completed, back to my couple from this morning.
15.15 case called on for transfer to crown court due to the seriousness of the charges
15.40 I leave court and sprint to Wimbledon station to catch 15.58 to Streatham.
16.15 arrive at Streatham station and take 109 to Streatham Hill
16.30 arrive at younger daughter’s school just as they come out of sewing club. I compose myself just in time to make it look like I have it all perfectly under control and I timed my arrival with precision.
17.15 arrive home after a long slog in near stationary traffic.
17.16 greeted on the doorstep by older daughter; mummy mummy what’s for dinner, did you pay for my choir trip, can I go to Melissa’s for a sleepover on Friday, and I need your help with French and history homework.
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By the time I arrived home, I’d clocked up 10,383 steps on my garmin pedometer. I criss-crossed London expertly and ran everywhere. I feel like a walking talking TFL journey planner. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will tell you about a more static version of my daily devotion to Justice.
I love my job, I really do.