Translation services for foreign accused and witnesses in Tayside and Fife are costing the public purse £147,000 a year.
An investigation has revealed the cost of translation services in Courier Country courts has shot up by nearly £60,000 in the past year.
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service blamed the rise on increased reporting and detection of crimes and additional business following court mergers.
Figures obtained by The Courier found that the figures in Dundee, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Perth went up from £87,987 in 2013/14.
North East Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said: “No one doubts that there will always be a need for translators within our courts system.
“Cases should be heard in a correct and fair way, so victims of crime are not made to suffer and the accused are brought to justice.
“With the justice system already bursting at the seams, costly translation services are putting an enormous strain on our courts system.
“The figures also suggest the SNP Government need to be doing more to support migrants to learn English.
“Most law-abiding Scots will be shocked that the need for interpreters has increased so much in recent years under the Nationalist government.”
In Dundee there was a rise from £22,396 to £35,330 last year and in Dunfermline the cost of translation went up from £11,648 to £16,289.
In Forfar the figure went up from just £7,465 to £27,305; Kirkcaldy rose from £15,371 to £22,604; and Perth £31,106 to £45,680.
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Servicesaid: “It should be noted that courts have in the last year and a half experienced an increase in volume of business as a result of increased reporting and detection of crimes. In addition Dundee and Forfar programme business which would previously have been heard at Cupar and Arbroath courts which closed in May 2014.”
Dundee and Forfar sheriff courts have taken on extra business since the closure of the courts in Cupar and Arbroath.
A Law Society spokesman said: “The right to a fair trial is a fundamental legal right for anyone accused of a crime.
“This is the case for any European citizen and applies to foreign nationals living in the UK as much as any UK citizens living elsewhere within the EU. Anyone accused of a crime is legally entitled to the services of an interpreter if needed.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Additional funding of £1.455 million has been allocated to local authorities to support English for Speakers of Other Languages provision for 2015-16.”