Ten years after our first workshop in Lincoln, we ran another and had a great day with a diverse range of language professionals
Since our first workshop in 2016, we have seen hundreds of police and court language professionals at our events. Having not run a workshop for some time, following repeated requests, we decided to open the doors at the place where it all started in Lincoln.
We were thrilled to welcome many familiar faces, including some who attended ten years ago, and many new faces. Some delegates had travelled considerable distances to be with us and one in particular was driving to Poland following the event! We were very grateful to everyone who attended and contributed to the workshop. Our delegates included experienced police interpreters, those looking into the field and some simply wanting to learn something new having heard about our workshops. Delegates professions included spoken language interpreters, BSL interpreters, Lipspeakers, teaching fellows and more!
The course leader for the event, Simon Smith, commented “I have been asked for a long time to run further inputs on interpreting police interviews and so decided to choose Lincoln where we started. I was very humbled to see so many old clients and friends return and just as delighted to see many new faces. Every single person in attendance contributed so much that it made all the hard work in preparing for the event a complete pleasure.”
Here is a brief snapshot of what delegates had to say: -
“Outstanding”
“Real life scenarios that I can relate to”
“It will help me act more professionally and act more confidently with procedures”
“I learned how I am legally supported as an interpreter”
“Very informative and interesting. Lots of real-life examples and explanations”
“I haven’t done police work yet, this has helped to build my knowledge and confidence”
“I’m now more confident in taking police assignments”
“Simon was very clear and approachable”
“Very knowledgeable trainer and shared their vast experience”
“Very welcoming, great food, every question answered”
“Simon is very knowledgeable and gave so many examples in a variety of situations. He took questions all day and answered everyone. I loved the group work”
“Please run more, I’d love to come again”
We were very grateful to the Bishop University catering team and to Linda from Zakon for administerial support during the workshop.
Due to demand, we are repeating the event in Farnborough on 6th June. There are only a few spaces left, details can be seen here: - https://zakon.co.uk/news/post/2026-03-29-interpreting-police-interviews-workshop-farnborough-6th-june-2026
We are also scoping the possibility of running this in Newcastle and/or Manchester. Please register your interest by emailing bookings@zakon.co.uk