Translation and Interpreting Studies · 2010 · 55 citations · 0 references
Language StudiesJurisprudenceCriminal ProcedureInterpreting StudiesLegal InterpretationCourt InterpretingInterpreter CompetenceInterpreter ResponsibilitiesInterpreter RolesInterpreter TrainingLegal InterpretingCourt Interpreter TrainingCourt Records AccessInterpreter BiasInterpreter ProfessionalismInterpreter-witness InteractionInterpreting For DefendantsTrial InterpretingWitness Interpreting
Legal systems expect interpreters to act as neutral, faceless voices, yet evidence shows they increasingly view their role beyond mere translation. The article contends that interpreters’ influence on courtroom proceedings reciprocally shapes how those proceedings affect the interpreters. Using court records, including a seventeenth‑century murder trial, the study examines how judges, clerks, and defendants perceive interpreters. Recent cases reveal a shift toward valuing interpreter competency and a broader role, while a rare instance of an interpreter reporting on a case illustrates that interpreters remain actively engaged rather than detached.
Today’s legal system generally demands that the interpreter function as a “faceless voice,” a conduit, that is, in a “neutral” and non-intrusive way. However, research has shown that in practice this is not the case, and interpreters themselves are increasingly coming to see their role as going beyond the narrow linguistic one. This article argues that inevitably, as interpreters exert influence on the proceedings in which they perform, these proceedings have a greater or lesser impact on the interpreters. The researcher often has little if any direct access to the recipients or the providers of interpreting services, and hence court records are generally used as a source of information on attitudes toward interpreters and interpreted events. A seventeenth-century murder trial in England provides valuable insights into views on interpreting on the part of the bench, the clerk of the court, and the accused. In addition, several modern cases are discussed, indicating a gradual change in attitudes, with an increasing emphasis on competency rather than availability, and a greater acceptance of a more comprehensive role for the interpreter. Finally, this article examines a rare case of an interpreter reporting on an interpreted event at which he worked, indicating that the interpreter does not “check his humanity” at the courtroom door.