In an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, the Supreme Court of India is taking a human-centric approach to solve a persistent issue: the inadequate and often inaccurate English translations of judicial documents originally written in various Indian languages. In a pioneering initiative, the court will now engage qualified lawyers to serve as translators, a move designed to ensure the unimpeded administration of justice.
This groundbreaking effort has seen the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) shortlist 69 lawyers to provide translation services from 13 different Indian languages into English. This marks a significant first, as practicing lawyers are being formally appointed and compensated for translation work, addressing a critical need identified through numerous court orders that highlighted how poor translations could distort meaning and hinder justice.
Previously, the court relied on its in-house team of 60-70 official translators. However, their growing workload, including translating judgments into regional languages, led the judges to authorize SCAORA to develop an auxiliary pool of translators. Advocate Vipin Nair, President of SCAORA, explained that the idea originated from a March 18 court order, with then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna acknowledging the unavailability of official translators due to their existing commitments.
The response from lawyers was enthusiastic, with nearly 70 proficient in vernacular languages being selected. The importance of precise translation was recently emphasized by Justices Sanjay Karol and P.K. Mishra, who stressed the need to capture the true meaning and spirit of the original language to ensure comprehension by appellate courts. This was highlighted in a property dispute case where the translated civil court judgment failed to accurately convey the original intent, prompting Justice Karol to remark on the critical importance of every word and comma in legal matters.
Following court directives, SCAORA informed the court on April 15 that the Chief Justice had approved the creation of this translator pool. A communication from SCAORA secretary Nikhil Jain on August 14 listed the empanelled lawyers, proficient in languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu, Bhojpuri, Assamese, Odia, and Gujarati.
While SCAORA clarifies it won’t be liable for translation quality, each translator must provide an undertaking certifying accuracy. The association has set a fee of ₹100 per page, payable directly by the lawyers commissioning the translations. This initiative is expected to significantly improve the quality of documents submitted to the Supreme Court, ensuring accurate pleadings and enhancing the effectiveness of all Advocates-on-Record.
This move complements the Supreme Court’s ongoing efforts to incorporate AI translation tools, such as the Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS), used since 2019 to translate judgments into regional languages. A committee, overseen by a Supreme Court judge, currently manages the translation of important judgments into regional languages. Data from the Ministry of Law and Justice indicates that as of December 6, 2024, over 36,324 Supreme Court judgments had been translated into Hindi and more than 42,765 into 17 regional languages. By integrating legal professionals into the translation process, the court aims to combine linguistic expertise with legal acumen, addressing a critical gap that neither manpower nor machine learning alone has fully resolved.