The International Criminal Court (ICC) is recruiting Tagalog and Cebuano/Bisaya interpreters as it prepares for the upcoming trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague, the Netherlands, amid growing concerns over language accessibility and interpretation logistics in the proceedings.
The job postings, which include paraprofessional and associate court interpreter positions, were published on the ICC website ahead of the trial scheduled for November 30, 2026.
Salary offers range from €55,665 to €71,173 annually depending on the role, with responsibilities covering courtroom interpretation, witness interviews, and investigative work across in-person, remote, and field settings.
The recruitment comes as ICC officials acknowledge that many witnesses are expected to testify in Filipino and regional languages such as Cebuano, requiring expanded interpretation capacity to ensure accurate court proceedings.
A recent ICC status conference also highlighted operational difficulties, with judges and prosecutors noting a limited pool of qualified interpreters for Filipino languages and emphasizing the need to ensure that testimony and hearings are properly translated. ICC officials have discussed options such as prioritizing English-speaking witnesses early on while additional interpreters are trained and deployed.
The ICC has also been urged to improve language accessibility for public viewing, including proposals to provide Tagalog interpretation or broadcast options so that audiences in the Philippines can follow the trial more easily.
The developments underscore the court’s broader effort to balance complex evidentiary proceedings with linguistic accessibility as it prepares for one of its most closely watched cases involving a former head of state.
