5. Evolving views of the court interpreter´s role: Between Scylla and Charybdis
Holly Mikkelson | Monterey Institute of International Studies
The role of the court interpreter in the United States, as in many other countries, has been defined by the legal profession in light of important precepts of the adversarial justice system. Interpreters, who are considered officers of the court, are strictly forbidden to give advice or provide explanations to clarify intended meaning, and are often instructed by judges to provide a “verbatim” interpretation. However, scholarly research on the role of the interpreter has revealed the shortcomings of the argument that interpreters are mere conduits transferring verbal messages from one language to another. This paper will examine the dichotomy between the need for interpreter neutrality in an adversarial setting and the limitations this imposes on their ability to convey the full meaning of culture-bound terms. It will conclude with some suggested guidelines for navigating the treacherous waters between the Scylla of literal interpretation and the Charybdis of active intervention in the communicative event.
2024. South African court interpreters’ perceptions of the phenomenon of interpreting. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 42:sup1
ERKAZANCI DURMUŞ, Hilal
2022. Türkiye’de Sağlık Çevirmenleri Üzerine Oluşturulan Söylemin Işığında “Interpreter of Maladies” Öyküsüne Bakış: Çevirmen mi, Dert Yorumcusu mu?. Çeviribilim ve Uygulamaları Dergisi 2022:33 ► pp. 78 ff.
Hu, Juan
2022. Literature Review. In Hedges in Chinese-English Conference Interpreting [SpringerBriefs in Linguistics, ], ► pp. 19 ff.
Hu, Juan
2022. Interpreters’ Role and Role Deviation as Perceived Through the Use of Hedges. In Hedges in Chinese-English Conference Interpreting [SpringerBriefs in Linguistics, ], ► pp. 35 ff.
2017. Pragmatic competence and interpreter-mediated police investigative interviews. The Translator 23:2 ► pp. 177 ff.
Karanasiou, Panagiota-Penny
2016. Public Service Interpreting and Business Negotiation Interpreting: Friends or Foes?. In Challenges and Opportunities in Public Service Interpreting, ► pp. 191 ff.
Nam, Won Jun
2016. T&I field training for undergraduate students: a case study of Korean undergraduate students’ peripheral participation into the community and their furthered understanding of the role of interpreters/translators. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 10:1 ► pp. 44 ff.
Monzó Nebot, Esther
2015. Understanding legal interpreter and translator training in times of change. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 9:2 ► pp. 129 ff.
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