The right to use one’s own language in civil court proceedings

The constitutional principle of equality before the law provides that everyone is guaranteed the same hu­man rights and fundamental freedoms regardless of nationality, race, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, property, birth, education, social status, disability or any other personal circumstance. The use of one’s own language in legal proceedings guarantees the right to a fair trial. The right to use one’s own language in proceedings before public authorities applies to all types of legal proceedings, i.e. not only criminal proceedings, but also all civil, administrative and administrative offence proceedings. When a party to civil court proceedings is a person who does not speak the official language of the court, the involvement of court interpreters is indispensable for the conduct of a fair trial. Therefore, in order to provide high-quality interpretation and translation in court proceedings, a court interpreter, as an assis­tant to the judge in court proceedings, is obliged to undertake continuous professional development and, in addition to their linguistic skills, to constantly upgrade their knowledge of Slovenian and foreign law.