Ontario's Criminal Lawyers' Association is asking for an inquiry into the testing of court interpreters. (CBC)

Defence lawyers who work in Ontario's justice system are calling for a provincial inquiry into the accreditation of court interpreters.

Last week it was learned that during initial testing about 40 per cent of the province's court interpreters had failed a new government proficiency test.

About 225 of Ontario's 600 court interpreters have been tested so far.

The Ministry of the Attorney General says it is recruiting new interpreters to help fill holes.

Paul Burstein. president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, says an inquiry should be held to identify possible miscarriages of justice.

"Obviously this current round of tests shows that what's been happening for the past five years has been far less than adequate — and that raises a real concern about how many people who have had criminal trials which have depended on accurate court interpretation, have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice," said Burstein.

In 2005 a judge criticized the province's translation operation. That prompted the ministry to come up with the new proficiency test.

Burstein said Monday the province should make every effort to track down any possible miscarriages of justice caused by inadequate translation.