The Bilingual Courtroom

Court Interpreters in the Judicial Process, Second Edition

Susan Berk-Seligson

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780226329161, 9780226329338
• eBook ISBN: 9780226329475
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Courts
• Index: Law

A groundbreaking study of the work of court interpreters that shows how they can influence the outcome of cases

Susan Berk-Seligson's groundbreaking book draws on more than one hundred hours of audio recordings of Spanish/English court proceedings in federal, state, and municipal courts—along with a number of psycholinguistic experiments involving mock juror reactions to interpreted testimony—to present a systematic study of court interpreters that raises some alarming, vitally important  concerns. Contrary to the assumption that interpreters do not affect the dynamics of court proceedings, Berk-Seligson shows that interpreters could potentially make the difference between a defendant being found guilty or not guilty of a crime.

This second edition of the The Bilingual Courtroom includes a fully updated review of both theoretical and policy-oriented research relevant to the use of interpreters in legal settings, particularly from the standpoint of linguistic pragmatics. It provides new insights into interpreting in quasi-judicial, informal, and specialized judicial settings, such as small claims court, jails, and prisons; updates trends in interpreter certification and credentialing, both in the United States and abroad; explores remote interpreting (for example, by telephone) and interpreter training programs; looks at political trials and tribunals to add to our awareness of international perspectives on court interpreting; and expands upon cross-cultural issues. Also featuring a new preface by Berk-Seligson, this second edition not only highlights the impact of the previous versions of The Bilingual Courtroom, but also draws attention to the continued need for critical study of interpreting in our ever diversifying society.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Tables and Figures
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Law and Language
• Chapter 3: The Bilingual American Courtroom: A Legal Raison d’Être
• Chapter 4: Fieldwork Procedures
• Chapter 5: The Ethnography of the Bilingual Courtroom
• Chapter 6: Interpreter-Induced Alternation in Pragmatic Blame Avoidance Mechanisms
• Chapter 7: The Intersection of Testimony Styles in Interpreted Judicial Proceedings: Pragmatics and the Lengthening of Testimony
• Chapter 8: The Impact of the Interpreter on Mock Juror Evaluations of Witnesses
• Chapter 9: An Appellate View of Interpreting Issues
• Chapter 10: Recent Developments in the Field of Legal Interpreting
• Appendix 1: State Legislation Regarding Rights to Court Interpreting
• Appendix 2: Public Law 95–539, Court Interpreters Act
• Appendix 3: Suggested Interpreter’s Written Oath
• Appendix 4: Standards of Professional Conduct and Responsibilities for Members of the Judiciary Interpreters Association of Texas
• Appendix 5: Code of Professional Responsibility for Court Interpreters and Legal Translators
• Appendix 6: National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibilities
• Appendix 7: Text of Experimental Tape Recordings
• Notes
• References
• Name Index
• Subject Index