As a PhD researcher specializing in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at Leeds University, my work centers on public service interpreting. It is incredibly concerning to observe the worsening conditions in this sector, particularly due to the involvement of exploitative companies like TheBigWord, the sole holder of the Ministry of Justice interpreting contract and a recipient of American private capital investment. Recently, TheBigWord announced they were welcomed by HMP Wealstun Prison, where they are attempting to recruit prisoners under the pretext of providing them with job opportunities.

It is alarming to see that TheBigWord is targeting prisoners to exploit their vulnerability. The audacity of knowingly misrepresenting precarious work, challenging working conditions, low pay, lack of career progression, lack of grievance procedures, problematic power dynamics, and the absence of basic employment benefits such as paid sick leave or pensions as an "opportunity" is beyond shocking.

What opportunities can TheBigWord truly offer prisoners when it currently pays interpreters for phone interpreting less than 19 pence (not pounds) per minute, with 'jobs' as short as 10 to 15 minutes? This results in interpreters earning only £3-4 for every 15-minute assignment, with no guarantee of further work for the rest of the day or even the week. Interpreters must wait endlessly on an app until a "job" comes through, only to work for a few minutes before returning to unpaid waiting, hoping for more work.

Our society, famously described by Voltaire as the "Land of Liberty," must safeguard liberty for all its members, including prisoners. We must also be vigilant against companies exploiting this sector. It is high time we unmask and put a stop to these exploitative practices. It is crucial to reaffirm our commitment to equality, liberty, and inclusion, ensuring that all citizens, regardless of their background, feel secure, valued, and have access to economic opportunities, especially during these challenging times. As Nancy Fraser precisely describes, we are facing "a tangle of looming threats and realized miseries: crushing debt, precarious work, and besieged livelihoods; dwindling services, crumbling infrastructures, and hardened borders; racialized violence, deadly pandemics, and extreme weather—all overarched by political dysfunction."

I suggest these corrective measures:

1) End problematic exploitive outsourcing and bring public service interpreting back under the control of public bodies.
2) Prohibit the exploitation of interpreters and introduce fair pay and interpreters’ protection clauses into outsourcing contracts, and end the practice of paying interpreters per minute of work.
3) Create a regulatory body for companies holding public service interpreting contracts.
4) Ensure financial transparency for companies receiving public funds, potentially implementing a cap on the amount of public money that ends up as profit.
5) Involve policymakers in governing, managing, and regulating public service interpreting, ensuring the rights of interpreters and individuals reliant on interpreters to access public services.
6) Ensure transparency regarding responsibility for health and safety provisions, as well as continuous professional development for interpreters.
7) Involve interpreters in the planning and implementation of outsourcing arrangements.
8) Increase transparency regarding quality control, including interpreters’ competencies, qualifications, and training.
9) Monitor the extent to which phone interpreting is outsourced to individuals outside the UK who may lack the necessary contextual knowledge of our public services.
10) Establish transparent protocols detailing contingency measures to be implemented in the event that contracted translation companies face insolvency or operational failure, ensuring protection for interpreters and continuity of essential public service interpreting provisions.