1887
Volume 10, Issue 3
  • ISSN 2210-4119
  • E-ISSN: 2210-4127
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigates the extent to which mostly untrained interpreters render accurately the voices of participants in Ghanaian district courts, and how the participants orient to shortcomings in the interpretations. Based on 7.5 hours of audio-recordings, we found that 91% of interpretations were accurate. The 9% of interpretations that were inaccurate were of five types: non-equivalence in propositional content, omissions, elaborations, incorrect grammatical forms and literal translations. We also found that on some occasions, inaccurate interpretations are corrected by other court participants, making the interpreting activity a collaborative effort. Judges were the most likely to intervene when an interpretation went wrong, perhaps a reflection of the sense of responsibility felt by them for anything that happens in their courtroom.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ld.00076.amu
2020-12-04
2025-02-10
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Angelelli, Claudia
    2004Medical Interpreting and Cross-cultural Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511486616
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486616 [Google Scholar]
  2. Angermeyer, Philipp
    2006 “Speak English or what?” Codeswitching and Interpreter Use in New York Small Claims Court. PhD dissertation: New York University.
  3. 2008 “Creating monolingualism in the multilingual courtroom.” Sociolinguistic Studies2(3): 385–404. 10.1558/sols.v2i3.385
    https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v2i3.385 [Google Scholar]
  4. 2009 “Translation Style and Participant Roles in Court Interpreting.” Journal of Sociolinguistics13(1): 3–28. 10.1111/j.1467‑9841.2008.00394.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2008.00394.x [Google Scholar]
  5. Bassnett, Susan
    2002Translation Studies, third edition. London: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Berk-Seligson, Susan
    1990The Bilingual Courtroom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. 2009Coerced Confessions: The Discourse of Bilingual Police Interrogations. Berlin/New York: Mouton. 10.1515/9783110213492
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110213492 [Google Scholar]
  8. Bröring, Herman and Eric Mijts
    2017 “Language Planning and Policy, Law and (Post)Colonial Relations in Small Island States: A Case Study.” Social Inclusion5(4): 29–37. 10.17645/si.v5i4.1134
    https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v5i4.1134 [Google Scholar]
  9. Cheung, Andrew
    2012 “The Use of Reported Speech by Court Interpreters in Hong Kong.” Interpreting14 (1): 73–91. 10.1075/intp.14.1.04che
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.14.1.04che [Google Scholar]
  10. 2014 “The Use of Reported Speech and the Perceived Neutrality of Court Interpreters.” Interpreting16 (2): 191–208. 10.1075/intp.16.2.03che
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.16.2.03che [Google Scholar]
  11. Comrie, Bernard
    1976Aspect. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Dako, Kari and Millicent Quarcoo
    2017 “Attitudes towards English in Ghana.” Legon Journal of the Humanities20–30. 10.4314/ljh.v28i1.3
    https://doi.org/10.4314/ljh.v28i1.3 [Google Scholar]
  13. Dakubu, Mary Esther Kropp
    1988The Languages of Ghana. London: KPI Ltd.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Du, Biyu (Jade)
    2019 “Multilingualism in Legal Space: The Issue of Mutual Understanding in ELF Communication between Defendants and Interpreters.” International Journal of Multilingualism16(3): 317–335. 10.1080/14790718.2018.1455687
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2018.1455687 [Google Scholar]
  15. Du Bois, John W., Stephan Schuetze-Coburn, Susanna Cumming, and Danae Paolino
    1993 “Outline of discourse transcription.” Talking data: Transcription and Coding in Discourse Research, ed. byJane A. Edwards and Martin D. Lampert. 45–89. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Dubslaff, Friedel and Bodil Martinsen
    2005 “Exploring Untrained Interpreters’ Use of Direct versus Indirect Speech.” Interpreting7(2): 211–236. 10.1075/intp.7.2.05dub
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.7.2.05dub [Google Scholar]
  17. Dzameshie, Alex
    1988 “Language Policy and the Common Language Controversy in Ghana.” Research Review4(2): 16–27.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Eades, Diana
    2010Sociolinguistics and the Legal Process. Bristol: MPG Books Group. 10.21832/9781847692559
    https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847692559 [Google Scholar]
  19. Eberhard, David, Gary Simons and Charles Fennig
    (eds.) 2019Ethnologue: Languages of Ghana. 22nd edition. Dallas: SIL International.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Ghana Statistical Service
    Ghana Statistical Service 20132010 Population and Housing Census: National Analytic Report.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Ginori, Luciano and Ezio Scimone
    1995Introduction to Interpreting. Sydney: Lantern.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Gocking, Roger
    2005The History of Ghana. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Goffman, Erving
    1981Forms of Talk. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Hale, Sandra
    2004The Discourse of Court Interpreting. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/btl.52
    https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.52 [Google Scholar]
  25. Hale, Sandra, Ignacio Garcia, Jim Hlavac, Mira Kim, Barry Turner, and Helen Slatyer
    2012Improvements to NAATI Testing: Development of a Conceptual Overview for a New Model for NAATI Standards, Testing and Assessment. Sydney: The University of New South Wales.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Hatim, Basil and Ian Mason
    1990Discourse and the Translator. London: Longman.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Krystallidou, Demi
    2016 “Investigating the Interpreter’s Role(s): The A.R.T. Framework”. Interpreting18(2): 172–197. 10.1075/intp.18.2.02kry
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.18.2.02kry [Google Scholar]
  28. loL Education Trust
    loL Education Trust 2017Diploma in Public Service Interpreting: Handbook for Candidateshttps://www.ciol.org.uk/sites/default/files/Handbook-DPSI.pdfAccessed on13 June 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Major, George and Jemina Napier
    2012 “Interpreting and Knowledge Mediation in the Healthcare Setting: What Do We Really Mean by ‘Accuracy’?” Linguistica Antverpiensia11(11): 207–225.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Martinsen, Bodil and Friedel Dubslaff
    2010 “The Cooperative Courtroom: A Case Study of Interpreting Gone Wrong.” Interpreting12(1): 21–59. 10.1075/intp.12.1.02mar
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.12.1.02mar [Google Scholar]
  31. Metzger, Melanie
    1995 The Paradox of Neutrality: A Comparison of Interpreters’ Goals with the Realities of Interactive Discourse. PhD dissertation. Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
  32. Moeketsi, Rosemary and Kim Wallmach
    2005 “From Sphaza to Makoya!: A BA Degree for Court Interpreters in South Africa.” International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law12(1): 77–108. 10.1558/sll.2005.12.1.77
    https://doi.org/10.1558/sll.2005.12.1.77 [Google Scholar]
  33. Morris, Ruth
    1995 “The Moral Dilemmas of Court Interpreting.” The Translator1(1): 25–46. 10.1080/13556509.1995.10798948
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.1995.10798948 [Google Scholar]
  34. 2008 “Missing Stitches: An Overview of Judicial Attitudes to Interlingual Interpreting in the Criminal Justice Systems of Canada and Israel.” Interpreting10 (1): 34–64. 10.1075/intp.10.1.04mor
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.10.1.04mor [Google Scholar]
  35. Myer, Bernd, Kristin Bührig, Ortrun Kliche and Birte Pawlack
    2010 “Nurses as Interpreters?: Aspects of Interpreter Training for Bilingual Medical Employees.” InMultilingualism at Work, ed. byBernd Myer and Birgit Apfelbaum. 163–184. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hsm.9.09mey
    https://doi.org/10.1075/hsm.9.09mey [Google Scholar]
  36. Niranjana, Tejaswini
    1992Siting Translation: History, Post-Structuralism and the Colonial Context. Berkeley: University of California Press. 10.1525/9780520911369
    https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520911369 [Google Scholar]
  37. Niska, Helge
    1999 Status Quaestionis: “Community Interpreting in Sweden.”InLiaison Interpreting in the Community, ed. byMabel Erasmus. 138–142. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Ozolins, Uldis
    2016 “The Myth of the Myth of Invisibility?” Interpreting18 (2): 273–284. 10.1075/intp.18.2.06ozo
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.18.2.06ozo [Google Scholar]
  39. Pöchhacker, Franz
    2004Introducing Interpreting Studies. London/New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203504802
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203504802 [Google Scholar]
  40. Powell, Richard
    2020Language Choice in Postcolonial Law: Lessons from Malaysia’s Bilingual Legal System. Singapore: Springer. 10.1007/978‑981‑15‑1173‑8
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1173-8 [Google Scholar]
  41. Quarcoo, Emmanuel
    1994 “The English Language as a Modern Ghanaian Artifact”. Journal of Black Studies24(3): 329–343. 10.1177/002193479402400307
    https://doi.org/10.1177/002193479402400307 [Google Scholar]
  42. Roberts, Roda
    2000 “Interpreter assessment tools for different settings.” Benjamins Translation Library, 31, 103–120. 10.1075/btl.31.13rob
    https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.31.13rob [Google Scholar]
  43. Roy, Cynthia
    2000Interpreting as a Discourse Process. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Rwezaura, Barthazara
    1994 “Constraining Factors to the Adoption of Kiswahili as a Language of the Law in Tanzania.” Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere: Schriftenreihe des Kölner Instituts für Afrikanistik37: 109–126.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Seleskovitch, Danica
    1978Interpreting for International Conferences: Problems of Language and Communication. Washington: Pen and Booth.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Spivak, Gayatri
    1993Outside in the Teaching Machine. New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. The Judiciary of Ghana
    The Judiciary of Ghana 2011Interpreters Handbook.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Thekiso, Elma
    2001 A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Communication Processes in a Bilingual Court of Law in Gaborone, Botswana. PhD dissertation: University of Warwick.
  49. Turner, Barry and Uldis Ozolins
    2007The Standards of Linguistic Competence in English and LOTE among NAATI Accredited Interpreters and Translators. Melbourne: RMIT University.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Turner, Barry, Miranda Lai, and Neng Huang
    2010 “Error Deduction and Descriptors: A Comparison of Two Methods of Translation Test Assessment”. Translation & Interpreting2(1): 11–23.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Turner, Graham
    2007 “Professionalisation of Interpreting with the Community.” InThe Critical Link 4: Professionalisation of Interpreting in the Community, Selected Papers from the 4th International Conference on Interpreting in Legal, Health and Social Service Settings, Stockholm, Sweden, 20–23 May 2004, ed. byCecilia Wadensjö, Birgitta Englund Dimitrova and Anna-Lena Nilsson. 181–192. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/btl.70.21tur
    https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.70.21tur [Google Scholar]
  52. Venuti, Lawrence
    2008The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation. 2nd edition. London: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Wadensjö, Cecilia
    1992Interpreting as Interaction. On Dialogue Interpreting in Immigration Hearings and Medical Encounters. Linkoping: Linkoping University.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. 1998Interpreting as Interaction. London and New York: Longman.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Wallmach, Kim
    2015 “Africa”. InRoutledge Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies, ed. byFranz Pöchhacker. 8–12. New York: Routledge
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Wang, Jihong and Jin Fang
    2019 “Accuracy in Telephone Interpreting and On-site Interpreting: A Comparative Study.” Interpreting21(1): 36–61. 10.1075/intp.00019.wan
    https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.00019.wan [Google Scholar]
  57. Yeboah, K. Y.
    1992 “The History of the Ghana Legal System: The Evolution of a Unified National System of Courts.” Review of Ghana Law18(1): 1–35.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/ld.00076.amu
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/ld.00076.amu
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): accuracy; courts; Ghana; interpreting; multilingualism; translation
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error