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The ATC’s public sector news puts you in the picture of what’s new, noteworthy and interesting in the public sector space for translation and interpreting. In this newsletter, we shine a light onto language support and services for the NHS.
A Fractured Procurement Landscape
Procurement for language services for the NHS is significantly more fractured than for many other types of public sector organisations. Instead of a single framework or contract, NHS Trusts procure translation and interpreting services via e.g. the CCS, ESPO, NHS SBS, NOE CPC, NHS Commercial Solutions, Procurement Services, Health Trust Europe, YPO, NEPO, and also through direct procurement. A good starting point for understanding the NHS is ATC member Inbox Translation’s 2022 report on NHS spending on translation and interpreting services.
NEW! Improvement Framework for Community Languages
A new framework for the delivery of improved community language translation and interpreting services, to which the ATC contributed to, was published by NHS England in May 2025. It highlights inconsistencies of service across the NHS and outlines a framework designed to support the provision of consistent, high-quality community language translation and interpreting services by the NHS to people with limited English proficiency.
NHS Research on Community Language Services
Published at the end of 2024, NHS South, Central and West’s Commissioning Support Unit’s extensive research report addresses health inequalities by understanding the needs of patients with limited or no English. Market research findings revealed an estimated annual expenditure of £75.5 million (equivalent to just 0.04% of total NHS expenditure), with a high-level estimate indicating that the NHS should be investing between £250 and £300 million annually to address the unmet need.
Risky AI Use by Frontline Staff
Research carried out at the University of Bristol and commissioned by the CIOL has revealed widespread but risky use of AI translation tools across UK public services. The comprehensive study involved 2,500 frontline public service professionals, including those working in the NHS, and showed that one-third of frontline workers are using AI translation tools with very little or no guidelines or safeguards.
ATC Partner Services for Public Sector Interpreting
DPSI Online: Interpreter Training & Qualifications
DPSI Online has trained over 2000 students since 2009. Its training enables aspiring interpreters to progress and become qualified as a professional interpreters and translators from Level 3 to Level 6, and its national qualifications empower interpreters to deliver high standards whenever they go for assignments.
Care to Translate: Medical translation app
ATC Partner Care to Translate’s innovative app provides medically verified translations in 48 languages, alongside real-time translation in more than 140 languages, available 24/7. The solution bridges the gap between professional interpreting services and everyday communication needs. Already in use across healthcare settings in the Nordic countries and the UK, Care to Translate is also available to language service providers seeking to broaden their service offering.
Lingsom: Interpreting Management
ATC Partner Lingsom is a management system for LSPs – one system to manage all interpreting (spoken or sign language) and translation orders efficiently and securely. Custom-designed to manage the complexities of interpreting assignments, Lingsom matches each assignment on-site, over the phone, message delivery or video interpretation with the right linguist in your company and automatically does query, confirmation, invoicing, and payrolls and much more.
Miton Systems: Telephone Interpreting Platform
ATC Partner Miton’s Interpreter Line platform enables you to run an automated telephone interpreting service 24/7. Interpreter Line has a low investment to get started, reducing internal administrative overheads, putting you in control of connecting your clients with your qualified interpreters in seconds.
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