The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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prisoners would be on the receiving end of interpreters' renditions. I managed to squeeze myself into the tiny courtroom next to the prisoner, taking care to be out of camera shot of the main court. The process was enlightening. There was very little sense of being in a courtroom, as you couldn't see the different levels of seating, which denote the relative status of the various court actors. Worse still, it was difficult to work out who was who, especially as the court clerks kept forgetting to introduce each participant to the defendant by name and status, as they are required to do. I might see the top of someone's head, or the side of a face, but rarely did any of the participants look the defendant in the eye, which might have helped us to identify who they were: clerk, judge, crown prosecutor, defence advocate, usher, magistrate or, 10 The Linguist Vol/55 No/5 2016 www.ciol.org.uk FEATURES transforms from being almost invisible to being highly visible. Somebody in the court service has decided that the interpreter should sit next to the defence advocate (to maintain the appearance of neutrality), who sits at the front bench – a highly privileged position, directly under the noses of the magistrates or judges. Interpreters no longer have to strain to hear what is being said; and since they are now highly visible, the Bench can't ignore them so easily (although they do have to share the advocate's microphone). The protagonists can hear and see when the interpreter is about to start or finish a rendition and, in theory at least, can accommodate them more readily. What the prisoner sees and hears But what about the prisoner, many miles away in their remote prison courtroom? How does it all come across to them? I decided to undergo the experience for myself, and after negotiating a series of protracted security procedures, I attended Wormwood Scrubs prison courtroom in London, where indeed, interpreter. When the court clerks did introduce staff individually it made a tremendous difference. And when the speakers occasionally glanced at the camera, it was much easier to work out their roles. Still, there were often problems understanding what was happening in court, because the prisoner and I could hear not only the sound of the interpreter's voice, but also every sound in the courtroom, magnified to interfere with the interpreter's renditions: papers rustling, advocates writing notes, seats creaking, people whispering. The technology used is often obsolete and requires urgent updating. Since court staff (and researchers) rarely, if ever, venture into the remote prison courtroom, they are completely unaware of how they are perceived and how simple techniques, such as formal introductions and gazing directly at the camera, can help an already disadvantaged defendant to orientate him/herself in the proceedings. It is fortunate that in the criminal justice system these remote video hearings are mostly restricted to case reviews and interim hearings, but more recently defendants have been sentenced by video link without their consent. And there are many other contexts where video link is used; one example is the immigration tribunals, where the courtroom has a very different configuration. It is disturbing that so few of the interpreters I came across had a real understanding of the importance of such matters as note- taking, prompting the court to take the interpreter's oath, and reading out a prepared translation of it for the prisoner. They often did not know where to sit in court, nor understand the significance of seating positions with regard to defendants. Since there is no specific court interpreting examination, this situation seems likely to continue. A half day's training for the judiciary and other court staff would go a long way to reducing the disadvantage that defendants already suffer by not speaking the language of the court and, of course, proper and extensive training for interpreters working in the courts would serve the same end. 1 Notes 1 For more recommendations, see http://eprints .aston.ac.uk/19442/1/Studentthesis-2013.pdf IN ISOLATION From prison (below), it is very difficult for the defendant to work out who's who in court IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK