Thebigword team has met with more than 300 people from across the justice sector to explain how they are looking to continue to improve language services when they take over the Ministry of Justice contract next month.
From the end of October, thebigword will deliver all interpretation and translation services to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) organisations in a £120m, four-year deal. Ahead of the switch, key members of staff from thebigword attended the Criminal Justice Management Conference in London to meet with professionals from across the sector.
Director of public sector sales at thebigword, Matthew Lowe, says: “We’re already getting out there and meeting with teams across the MoJ’s various organisations, but this was a great opportunity to talk to a diverse range of people from across the justice sector.
“The reception we’ve had has been fantastic. People have been delighted to hear that we’re working with linguists to create a package they need and with the MoJ and regional partners to create a service that will deliver ongoing improvements across the Justice sector.
“We’ve worked really hard to get linguists on board for this contract and it’s been great to speak to the end users and listen to their excitement about working with thebigword again.”
The conference brings together people from across the justice sector to learn about the latest news, insights and developments. thebigword was in attendance to help people understand how the MoJ Language Services contract will be delivered and what will be done differently.
Delegates were able to test out the new technology that they will be able to access from October 31 and also discuss how thebigword has worked with focus groups to develop an improved package for linguists and a more efficient service for Ministry of Justice staff.
Matthew also met with the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Penal Affairs Group, Lord Ramsbotham, to discuss the new interpreting and translation services. He adds: “Lord Ramsbotham was pleased to hear about our linguist training programmes and the technology solutions we can provide.
“He was also delighted to hear about our partnership approach to the contract and agreed that a common sense approach was needed. He added that he was looking forward to the contract going live.
“Speaking to Lord Ramsbotham was the highlight of a very positive day and it was fantastic to be able to share our ambitions and excitement about this contract with such a wide variety of people who are involved in justice in the UK.”
