Daily Archives: Thursday, December 24, 2015

  • HTTP status code proposed to report legal obstacles

    Steve WoodsOpen Standards, Tech

    IETF logoThe Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has as its mission “to make the internet work better by producing high quality, relevant technical documents that influence the way people design, use, and manage the Internet“.

    As part of this work, the IETF develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards, in particular the standards that comprise the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP).

    These standards include HTTP status codes, which are derived from both IETF internet standards, IETF RFCs other specifications and some additional commonly used codes.

    The IETF’s HTTP Working Group has recently published a draft RFC proposing a new HTTP status code – status code 451 – for use when resource access is denied as a consequence of legal demands.

    The draft’s introduction gives the rationale for the proposal:

    This document specifies a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) status code for use when a server operator has received a legal demand to deny access to a resource or to a set of resources which includes the requested resource.

    This status code can be used to provide transparency in circumstances where issues of law or public policy affect server operations. This transparency may be beneficial both to these operators and to end users.

    Getting into detail, the draft states that responses using this status code should include an explanation in the response body of the details of the legal demand, i.e. the party making it, the applicable legislation or regulation and the classes of person and resource to which it applies.

    The use of the 451 status code implies neither the existence nor non-existence of the resource named in the request. That is to say, it is possible that if the legal demands were removed, a request for the resource still might not succeed.

    The draft also gives an example of status code 451 in action.

    HTTP/1.1 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons
    Link: <https://spqr.example.org/legislatione>; rel=”blocked-by”
    Content-Type: text/html

    <html>
    <head><title>Unavailable For Legal Reasons</title></head>
    <body>
    <h1>Unavailable For Legal Reasons</h1>
    <p>This request may not be serviced in the Roman Province
    of Judea due to the Lex Julia Majestatis, which disallows
    access to resources hosted on servers deemed to be
    operated by the People’s Front of Judea.</p>
    </body>
    </html>

    For those unfamiliar with the People’s Front of Judea, here’s some background information. 🙂

    One of the reasons behind the proposal is that existing status code 403 (Forbidden) was not really suitable for situations where legal demands mean access to resources is denied.

    Comments on the draft will be received until 13th May 2016.

    The numbering of the status code pays homage to science fiction author Ray Bradbury‘s 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451.

    Reposted from Bristol Wireless.

  • PI4J writes to Home Office on reduced interpreter pay rates

    Steve WoodsLanguage, Politics

    PI4J logoProfessional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J), the umbrella group representing over 2,200 NRPSI registered and qualified interpreters working in 135 languages, has written to the Home Office’s Central Interpreters Unit in Liverpool regarding the proposed pay cut for Home Office interpreters which is due to come into effect on 1st January 2016 (posts passim).

    The text of PI4J’s letter is reproduced below.

    Central Interpreters Unit
    Interpreter Operations Unit
    UK Visas & Immigration
    The Capital
    New Hall Place
    Liverpool
    L3 9PP

    By Email: CIU@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

    21 December 2015

    Dear Sir/Madam,

    Re: Introduction of reduced rates of Home Office interpreters’ pay from 1st January 2016

    Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) is an umbrella group representing over 2,240 interpreters
    from both the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) and the National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI). Our aim is to work with government to ensure the quality of interpreting available to the Justice System and in the Public Sector.

    Reliable communication provided by qualified professional interpreters and translators is an essential resource which ensures that justice and human rights are upheld for non-English speakers and deaf people. This is put at risk if standards are dropped and quality is sacrificed.

    On 20th November 2015 interpreters received a notice regarding a reduction in rates to due to take place on all bookings undertaken on behalf of the Home Office (HO), including UK Visas & Immigration, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and HM Passport Office and any other bookings made through Interpreter Operations Unit, from 1st January 2016 onwards.

    PI4J is extremely concerned about this decision to slash interpreters’ rates of pay, without any
    consultation with or input from interpreters and their representative bodies.

    This decision will most certainly have serious implications for the supply of competent, qualified professional interpreters to the Home Office. These interpreters have provided ongoing linguistic support and expertise to the Home Office over the years, including in many rare and hard-to-find languages.

    Interpreters have demonstrated in the last four years that they can and will refuse to work for low rates set by so-called ‘market forces’, thereby significantly reducing the pool of qualified interpreters and translators available to work in the public services.

    This is evidenced by the detrimental decline within the Ministry of Justice’s Court Interpreting Service since they outsourced to a private agency in 2012. We assume that you are aware of the extensive coverage in the media regarding the subsequent disruption and chaos visited upon the courts and the delays and collapse of court cases, resulting in an enormous waste of time and money and two Parliamentary hearings (see below links).

    PI4J has been at the forefront of the professional interpreters’ campaign against the unacceptable lowering of standards and quality in public service.

    The standard of interpretation is fundamental to allow access to a fair hearing and justice for vulnerable minorities in the asylum and immigration system and to assist enforcement agencies in the prevention and detection of serious crime. They must be afforded equal access to the highest levels of linguistic support.

    Standards must include minimum professional qualifications for Public Service Interpreters (PSI) and BSL/English Interpreters, Deaf interpreters and Sign Language translators, to include mandatory NRPSI/NRCPD/SASLI registration and independent regulation.

    Without these safeguards, access to justice will be denied and human rights and race relations will be jeopardised.

    In addition, we reiterate that in order to attract and retain qualified and experienced professional interpreters and language professionals, equitable and sustainable terms and conditions need to be put in place.

    Professional interpreters invest substantial time, effort and money to gain and maintain their skills. The proposed cut means that Home Office interpreting work will become part of the low-paying industries.

    It is important to point out that there has not been an increase in the Home Office interpreting rates for many years now. They were further eroded by inflation and the growing cost of living in the UK, especially in areas such as London. In addition, failure to provide reimbursement for travel time under 3 hours each way and travel expenses up to 100 miles, particularly in view of the remote locations of many of the Home Office and detainee centres, make the rates even more unattractive.

    Remuneration must reflect the fact that these are gross hourly rates for self-employed interpreters, liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance, who have no pension, holiday or sick pay, and no job security.

    The impact of the cuts places interpreters’ livelihoods at risk and will mean that public service interpreting will no longer be a viable career. As skilled professionals they will seek to earn a better living in other sectors.

    This in turn will result in reduced quality of language services and a back-log to a system which is already struggling.

    Full support of professional interpreters and appropriate terms & conditions is the only way forward to ensure the quality and success of any future arrangements for the provision of language services in the public service sectors and to avoid a market exit.

    In the interest of all involved and the system itself, we urge you to reconsider this troubling and counterproductive decision.

    Yours faithfully,

    Klasiena Slaney
    For and on behalf of the Professional Interpreters for Justice

    Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) Member Organisations:
    Association of Police and Court Interpreters (APCI) – chairman@apciinterpreters.org.uk
    Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru; (CCC) – geraint@cyfieithwyrcymru.org.uk
    Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) – chiefexec@iti.org.uk
    National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) – chairman@nrpsi.org.uk
    National Union of Professional Interpreters and Translators, part of Unite the Union (NUPIT)
    – nupit@unitetheunion.org
    National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters part of Unite the Union (NUBSLI)
    – branchsecretary@nubsli.com
    Society of Official Metropolitan Interpreters UK Ltd (SOMI) – board@somiukltd.com
    The Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) – keith.moffitt@ciol.org.uk

    Links:
    Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J), includes links to Parliamentary hearings and dossiers of failings
    RPSI Linguist Lounge and Professional Interpreters’ Alliance, collected news reports about the outsourcing of public service interpreting in the UK
    National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI)
    National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD)
    Scottish body for training and qualifying British Sign Language interpreters (SASLI)
    National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI)