The four most in-demand translators were for languages predominantly spoken in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria.
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The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCD) is spending millions to help foreign nationals communicate during court proceedings.
A recent written parliamentary question asked the department how much had been spent on language interpreters for court appearances in the last financial year.
The most recent figures available to the department were for the 2024-25 financial year, which showed R76.1 million went towards interpreters and translators.
The department explained that it did not incur costs for interpreters for any of South Africa’s 12 official languages, but was required to outsource interpreters for foreign national suspects facing prosecution.
‘Translation services done in courts is done by in-house interpreters for courts, and there is no cost related to it,” the DJCD‘s response stated.
Four most required translators
One Zimbabwean language accounted for 11.5% of translation-related expenditure, costing R8.7 million for the year in question.
This was for Shona translators, who were the most frequently used interpreters in five of South Africa’s nine provinces.
These provinces included Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo, Northern Cape and the North West.
The other most frequently used were the Igbo language in the Western Cape, the Ethiopian language Amharic in KwaZulu-Natal and the Malawian language Chichewa in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Chichewa translators cost R982 000 that year, while Igbo and Amharic interpreters cost R543 000 and R3.1 million, respectively.
Translators for these four languages cost a combined R13.4 million, while all other languages cost R62.7 million in total.
Immigration status not recorded
The department was also asked how much had been spent on interpreters for illegal immigrants, with the department clarifying that data was not collected based on immigration status.
“The expenditure is recorded based on the interpreting services provided rather than the legal status of individuals appearing in court.
These costs are captured under Foreign Language Interpreting services, which support proceedings where interpretation is required.
“The records do not distinguish between foreign nationals based on their legal status, as they appear in court on various charges, not only immigration-related cases,” the department concluded.
