AN INTRODUCTION TO COURT INTERPRETING Theory & Practice Elena M. de Jongh UNIVERSITY PRESS OF AMERICA Lanham New York London
CONTENTS Acknowledgments Preface Introduction x xi xv PARTI THEORY CHAPTER 1: A Brief History of Court Interpreting in U.S. Courts Introduction 1 Nuremberg 2 Federal and State Courts 3 Right to an Interpreter 6 Court Interpreting Prior to 1978 7 Court Interpreters Act of 1978 11 Federal Court Interpreters Advisory Board 13 Judicial Improvements and Access to Justice Act of 1988 14 Need for Interpreters 17 CHAPTER 2: The Interpreting Process Introduction 25 Extralinguistic Knowledge and Understanding 26 Relevant Meaning 30 Memory 31 Listening vs. Hearing 32
vi AN INTRODUCTION TO COURT INTERPRETING CHAPTER 3: Deflning the Terms Translation vs. Interpretation 35 Modes of Interpretation 36 Sight Translation 37 Consecutive Mode 37 Note-Taking in Consecutive Interpretation 41 Simultaneous Mode 45 Shadowing 48 Summary Mode 49 Effects of Listening Conditions 49 Equipment 50 Number of Interpreters to Cover atrial 51 CHAPTER 4: Language and Culture Cross-Cultural Awareness 53 Nonverbal Communication 58 Biculturalism in Court Interpreting 59 Idiomatic Expressions 62 Cultural Miscommunication 62 The Interpreter as Bilingual 63 CHAPTER 5: Interpreting Nonstandard Language Language Variety 67 Nonstandard Spanish 68 Language Contact and "Spanglish" 71 Code-Switching 73 Deceptive Cognates 77 Drug-Related Language 79 Geographie Variation 81 Glossary of Nonstandard Spanish 83 Glossary of Drug-Related Language 84
CHAPTER 6: Interpreting in Court CONTENTS Introduction 87 Criminal Cases: From Offense to Sentencing 88 Apprehension 89 Charging Documents 89 Complaint 89 Information 89 Indictment 89 Initial Appearance 92 Preliminary Hearing 93 Arraignment 93 Pre-trial Motions 94 GuiltyPlea 95 Criminal Jury Trial 97 Jury Selection : 97 Opening Statements 98 Presentation of Evidence 99 Closing Arguments 100 Jury Instructions 100 Verdict 101 Sentencing 101 Civil Cases 102 Pre-trial 103 Trial 103 Interpreting in Immigration Proceedings 104 Functions of the EOIR Interpreter 104 Office of the Chief Immigration Judge 104 Types of Immigration Hearings 105 Uniform Docketing System and the Master Calendar 106 Potential Relief from Deportation 107 Individual Calendar 108 Glossary of Immigration-Related Terms (Spanish/English) 109 CHAPTER 7: Court Interpreting as a Profession Introduction 113 Accurate Interpretation 113 Legal Language 115 An Emerging Profession 118 General Rules of Conduct 120 Training 121 Federal Certification 122 Concluding Remarks 124 vii
viii AN INTRODUCTION TO COURT INTERPRETING PART II PRACTICE Preface 129 SECTION 1: Sight Translation 133 SECTION 2: Consecutive Interpretation 155 SECTION 3: Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpretation 177 SECTION 4: Simultaneous Interpretation 205 Appendix 1: Court Interpreter Ethics and Protocol Administrative Office of United States Courts 261 Appendix 2: Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Court Interpreters, National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAHT) 265 Appendix 3: List of Selected Professional Interpreter and Translator Organizations 271 Appendix 4: List of Selected Periodicals 275 Appendix 5: List of Selected References 279 Appendix 6: Glossary: Public Law 95-539 (October 28, 1978) Amended Public Law 100-702 (November 19,1988) 285 Introductory Spanish/English Glossary of Terms Used in Court Proceedings 291
CONTENTS Notes 311 Bibliography 325 Index 339 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Table 1.2 Fee Schedule for Court Interpreters in U.S. District Courts 17 Interpreter Use by Year, Reported by U.S. District Courts, 1980-1990 18 Table 1.3 Interpreter Use by Language, Calendar Year 1988, Reported by U.S. District Courts 19 Table 1.4 Table 1.5 Table 1.6 Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Interpreter Use in U.S. District Courts, Calendar Years 1980-1990, Spanish 20 Ten Most Frequently Interpreted Languages, Calendar Year 1990, As Reported by U.S. District Courts 21 Total Docketable Events Requiring Interpreters in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Language, Calendar Year 1988 22 Percentage Change in Hispanic Population in the United States Since 1980 70 Cocaine Seized in the U.S. from October 1987 to September 1988 79