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<p>The Home Office aims to provide interpreter and translation services for refugees
and asylum seekers at public expense whenever and wherever necessary. Interpreters
are engaged by the Home Office to act on its behalf. They are not Home Office employees
and undertake freelance work commissioned by the Home Office. In some circumstances
interpreting services are provided by commercial partners.</p><p>Interpreters/translators
engaged are required to operate to a high standard on a range of protection-based
and human rights topics including (though not limited to) religious conversion, Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexuality and gender-based claims, all types and forms of
persecution, medical (physical and mental health) and political activity.</p><p>The
Home Office also works with other commercial providers and public sector bodies which
provide interpreters and linguists to ensure the best sector-wide standards are applied.</p><p>Guidance
on the use of interpretation and translation services, Detention Services Order ‘Interpretation
Services and use of Translation Devices’, was published in July 2022. This guidance
sets out the provisions, including interpretation services and translation devices,
available for individuals held in immigration detention and the circumstances in which
these should be used.</p>
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