Empowerment of HPI Members in Assisting Foreigners in The Police

Abstract

The number of legal cases involving foreigners in Indonesia requires the availability of professional legal interpreters. Legal interpreters are indispensable in assisting foreigners involved in legal cases because not all foreigners are fluent in Indonesian and not many officers who handle foreigners can speak English fluently. Currently, the police use many adhoc interpreters who do not have translation or interpretation skills, including: the police themselves, friends, hotel or villa staff or owners of inns or boarding houses, guides, travel drivers, taxi drivers, grab drivers, and even housemaids or pedestrians. This happens because only 8-10 members are willing to become interpreters for assistance in the police. The lack of Indonesian Translators & Interpreters Association (HPI) members who can and are willing to assist foreigners in the police is because they feel a lack of confidence so they do not dare to become interpreters in the police. In addition, members feel that they do not have the experience and skills of police interpreting. From the above problems, the Community Service (PKM) Team offers a solution to partners, namely, empowering HPI of Regional Commissariat (Komda) of Bali members in assisting foreigners in the police. The empowerment of HPI members is carried out by providing seminars and workshops on interpretation in assisting foreigners in the Police. This seminar and workshop were held on May 27, 2023 intensively for one day which was carried out by face-to-face method. For this workshop activity, the Warmadewa University Community Service Team invited three resource persons, namely from academics in the field of interpretation, stakeholders of interpretation users and interpretation practitioners. The results of this PKM activity are expected to, first, increase courage and self-confidence and second, improve the interpreting skills and abilities of HPI Komda Bali members.