COURT INTERPRETING
Louisiana Judicial College
Fall Conference
October 7, 2013
DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY
INTERPRETATION: The unrehearsed transmission of the spoken word or message
from one language to another. Three modes of interpreting are used in court:
simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting, and sight translation.
TRANSLATION: The conversion of a written test from one language into written text in
another language.
CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING: The rendering of an interpretation after the speaker
has stopped speaking, usually in short utterances.
SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING: The rendering of an interpretation for a party.
Interpretation at the same time someone is speaking, usually heard only by the person
receiving the interpretation; may be accomplished using equipment especially
designed for such purpose.
SIGHT TRANSLATION: The reading of a written text of one language, translated orally
into another language.
WHAT IS THIS SESSION ABOUT?
The difference between being a
bilingual person
(…even a highly educated one…)
and being a court interpreter
COGNITIVE AND MOTOR SKILLS
What the Interpreter does…
1. Listen
2. Comprehend
3. Abstract the message from the words and word
order.
4. Store ideas
5. Search for the conceptual and semantic matches.
6. Reconstruct the message in the other language.
7. WHILE…speaking and listening for the next chunk
of language to process.
8. AND…monitoring your own output.
LINGUISTIC OBSTACLES
Japanese verb comes AFTER subject
Kenji sushi ate
not
Kenji ate sushi
Kenji than taller
not
taller than Kenji
Kenji eat did?
not
Did Kenji eat?
WORD ORDER IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English: The brown house is very big.
Hopi: Brown house very big.
Vietnamese: The house color brown is very big.
Farsi: The house brown very big is.
Noun and Adjective Position
“The long, hard, rocky
road to success.”
__________________________
“El camino largo, duro y
accidentado hacia el exito.”
PASSIVE – ACTIVE VOICE
“Golpearon a la puerta.”\
Incorrect:
“They knocked at the door.”
Correct:
“There was a knock at the door.”
“Me dijeron eso.”
Incorrect:
“They told me that.”
Correct:
“I was told that.”
LEGALESE AND ELLIPTICAL LANGUAGE
“To violate a defendant”
(8 syllables)
Correct Spanish:
“Acusar de una infraccion a un accusado bajo
libertad condicional.”
(24 syllables)
Verbatim (Incorrect) Spanish:
“Violar a un acusado”
(Rape a defendant)
Experience/Qualifications
• Staff court interpreter: 12 years experience
– Overall test score: 29%
• Staff court interpreter: 38 years experience
– Overall test score: 44%
• Staff court interpreter: 22 years experience
– Overall test score: 36%
• Lawyer and staff court interpreter: 12 years experience
– Overall test score: (took test twice): 41% and 41%
TEST RESPONSES
“Now, Mrs. Peña….
ATTY Question:
Now, Mrs. Peña, you indicated that you live in East Orange at
5681 Grand Street.
INTERPRETER VERSIONS:
#1:
You say that you live in East Orange.
#2:
You told me that you lived in the west of Orange, at 56
Grand Street.
#3:
Now, you told me that you lived at 4581
East Orange.
#4:
Em, em, I live at 58 on, on, Hunt Street.
TEST RESPONSES
“Now, Mrs. Peña…..(short version)
ATTY Question:
Now, Mrs. Peña, you indicated that you live in East
Orange at 5681 Grand Street.
INTERPRETER VERSIONS:
You indicated earlier that you lived at 5681 Grant
Avenue in East Orange. Is that right? *
* This examinee had 38 years of experience and had passed an
Executive Branch Civil Service test.
You say that you were eating an orange?