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Practical Exercises in Court Interpreting
developed by
Holly Mikkelson
with editing assistance from
Jim Willis &
Norma Alvarez
Third Edition: 1995
ACEBO
P.O. Box 7485
Spreckels, CA 93962
The Interpreter's Companion--ACEBO, 1993 [Note: recently replaced by The Interpreter's Companion, Third Edition, (c) 1996]
The Interpreter's Edge, Turbo Supplement--ACEBO, 1993
The Interpreter's Edge, Generic Edition--ACEBO, 1993
(available with Generic, and language-specific tape sets)
The Interpreter's Rx--ACEBO, 1994
Fundamentals of Court Interpretation--Carolina Academic
Press, 1991
(with Gonzalez and Vasquez)
ISBN 1-880594-13-7
Copyright (c) 1995 ACEBO. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or translated without the prior written consent of ACEBO. No part of this publication may be stored or transmitted in any electronic form without the prior written consent of ACEBO.
Tape copyright (c) 1995 ACEBO. It is a violation of federal copyright law to copy the audio tapes included with this book, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of ACEBO.
First Printing: September, 1995
Printed in the USA.
Introduction
Simultaneous Interpretation
Consecutive Interpretation
Sight Translation
This Edition of The Interpreter's Edge is intended for
use by students, instructors, and persons engaged in self study.
The three chapters of The Interpreter's Edge cover the
three modes of interpreting that court interpreters are required
to master:
Each of these modes is defined and discussed in detail in the
Introduction to the corresponding chapter.
The chapters on simultaneous and consecutive interpretation are
accompanied by tapes containing recordings of the relevant exercises.
Each of the three chapters contains a section of notes on the
texts in that chapter. These notes contain suggested solutions
to the problems posed in the texts: synonyms and phrases in the
case of the paraphrasing exercises, and translations in the case
of the interpreting exercises. They also include comments on the
linguistic or ethical problems that are illustrated in the exercises.
The terms or phrases are listed in the order in which they appear
in the texts. Terms that appear repeatedly are usually noted only
on their first occurrence, unless the translation changes in different
contexts.
Note that these are suggested solutions to the problems;
many acceptable translations are not included for lack of space.
Wherever a potential for mistranslation exists because of false
cognates or common errors, the student is cautioned against using
the incorrect term (e.g., criminal offense: delito, not
ofensa). Alternative translations are separated by a slash
(/), (e.g., defendant: acusado / procesado); and
phrases that are optional are enclosed in parentheses (e.g., a
Colt .45 revolver: un revólver (de calibre) .45 (de
marca) Colt).
No notes are provided for some of the material in the Simultaneous
Interpretation chapter, for the reasons given below:
Use the three chapters of The Interpreter's Edge simultaneously;
that is, begin with Simultaneous Lesson 1, Memory Exercise 1,
and Sight Text 1 on the same day. The next time you use the book,
go on to Simultaneous Lesson 2, Memory Exercise 2, and Sight Text
2, and so on. You may find that you need to repeat one of the
lessons more often than the others, so you will not always be
working on identically numbered lessons in each chapter. For example,
if you have more trouble acquiring the skills you need for simultaneous
interpretation than for sight translation, you will progress faster
through Chapter 3 than through Chapter 1. That's perfectly normal;
progress at a pace you feel comfortable with.
Interpreting is not a skill that can be developed overnight. Don't
try to move through the lessons too quickly, or you won't acquire
the mastery you'll need to practice the profession of court interpreting.
Because interpreting is so mentally taxing, you'll reach a point
of diminishing returns after about 20 minutes spent on a given
exercise. Therefore, we recommend that you work on each mode of
interpreting for 20 minutes, for a total of one hour each practice
session. You can practice twice a day if you want, provided that
you allow a long enough interval between sessions.
When you do each lesson, try to interpret it by yourself first,
solving the problems as best you can, and then consult the notes
at the end of the chapter. In the simultaneous and consecutive
sections, don't read along in the text while you're playing the
tape; consult it afterwards. When you are interpreting the consecutive
testimony, you should have your finger poised above the pause
button on your tape player so that you can stop the recording
as soon as the question or answer ends. In the case of a long
answer, you will want to stop the tape as soon as you have reached
the point at which your short-term memory is saturated. Make sure
you don't stop the tape in the middle of a thought, however. Learning
to use the tapes in this way will give you valuable practice in
determining where it is appropriate to intervene when you are
actually interpreting in the courtroom; if you interrupt a witness
before he has completed an idea, he will lose his train of thought
and will not be able to pick up where he left off. Try not to
abuse your ability to stop the tape; push your memory to the limits
to expand your retention capacity as much as possible.
You may find it useful to go back and repeat some of the earlier
lessons after you've progressed well into the book, just to refresh
some of the basic skills. Even after you've begun working in the
courts, it's a good idea to come back to these exercises occasionally.
Courtroom interpreting can be very repetitive and monotonous,
and if you are permanently assigned to the arraignments court,
for example, you may find that your consecutive skills will deteriorate
for lack of use, or that your memory of drug or weapons terminology
will fade.
The best way to learn and retain terminology is to use it in context
repeatedly. Trying to memorize lists of words is an exercise in
futility. The texts presented in The Interpreter's Edge
contain a representative sample of the terms that are likely to
come up in various court proceedings. Additional terminology is
contained in The Interpreter's Companion, a compilation
of glossaries for court interpreters available from ACEBO. We
also highly recommend Butterworth's English/Spanish Legal Dictionary
by Cabanellas de las Cuevas and Hoague (Butterworth Legal Publishers,
1991), and the Bilingual Dictionary of Criminal Justice Terms
(English/Spanish) by Benmaman, Connolly and Loos (Gould Publications,
1991). Of course, you should also have a comprehensive, up-to-date,
general bilingual dictionary.
The Interpreter's Edge is flexible enough that you should
be able to use it in almost any type of course, whether it's a
semester course that meets once or twice a week, a series of weekend
workshops, or an intensive course lasting several weeks. You may
want to teach sight translation in one course, consecutive interpreting
in another, and simultaneous in a third; or you may want to offer
an introductory course covering all three modes of interpreting,
using the first half of each chapter, and then an advanced course
using the remainder of the book.
You will undoubtedly want to supplement The Interpreter's Edge
with other works that deal with the criminal justice system and
ethical issues. Two recommended books are Fundamentals of Court
Interpretation: Theory, Policy and Practice, by Gonzalez,
Vasquez, and Mikkelson (Carolina Academic Press, 1992); and The
Bilingual Courtroom: Court Interpreters in the Judicial Process,
by Berk-Seligson (The University of Chicago Press, 1990). It is
also helpful to have guest speakers address the class on fields
related to court interpreting (law enforcement, forensic pathology,
drug and alcohol abuse, criminal procedure, etc.).
When you are using The Interpreter's Edge in class, you
may want to have your book open to the notes for the lesson the
class is working on, so that you can have those notes handy when
you are discussing possible translations or phrasings. You may
find that a term suggested in the notes is not the one you prefer
to use. Differences of opinion regarding terms can be the subject
of fruitful discussions with the class to illustrate the idea
that there are usually many acceptable ways to translate a given
term, and that the court interpreter must be open-minded about
language usage, while always being aware of correct or standard
Spanish usage.
The tapes that accompany The Interpreter's Edge can be
used in a variety of ways, depending on the resources available
to you and on your preferences. If you have access to a language
lab for your simultaneous interpreting classes, you can use your
simultaneous tapes as the master for the students to work from;
their individual tapes will then be used for their practice sessions
at home. If you do not have a language lab, you can play your
tape for the entire class to interpret out loud in the classroom,
or you can have the students bring tape players to class and play
their own tapes individually. If you choose the latter option,
you will have to work out a system whereby they all start and
stop at the same time, so that you will all be working on the
same passage at once. Obviously, it is preferable to have a language
lab so that you can monitor the students individually, and to
avoid the cacophony that may result if all students are playing
their tapes at once.
During the initial simultaneous lessons, when the students are
not yet interpreting, it is a good idea to stop the class periodically
throughout the exercises and ask factual questions about the text,
to make sure students are paying attention to what they are saying.
Focusing on content in this manner helps them avoid falling into
the habit of "parroting," which encourages a word-for-word
approach rather than an effort to convey meaning.
Another useful exercise is to assign students to make extemporaneous
speeches on different subjects, and to have the rest of the class
shadow, paraphrase, or interpret them. This exercise helps students
improve their public speaking skills and gives them a chance to
interpret a variety of speaking styles and accents.
Once the students begin interpreting, if there is a passage they
are having particular difficulty with, you may want to have them
just listen to it first, to make sure they understand it, and
then interpret it on the second repetition. You may find that
it is necessary to repeat a lesson several times; there is no
harm in this, especially considering that the language of the
courtroom is itself repetitive and formulaic. The more repetitions,
the better.
In your consecutive classes, you may want to play the tapes of
the memory exercises, or you may prefer to read the texts yourself
or have a student read them (reading aloud is excellent for developing
public speaking skills). Another way to help the students develop
their memory skills is to assign them to give extemporaneous speeches
for the class to give back. As in the simultaneous segment, this
exercise helps the students become accustomed to interpreting
speakers with different delivery styles and accents.
The best way to practice consecutive interpretation of testimony
is to have the students play the different roles, reading from
the scripts. One student will then play the role of the interpreter,
and will not look at the script. Other students who are neither
playing parts nor interpreting can practice their note-taking
skills and interpret silently to themselves. Reading the scripts
gives the students a chance to work on their public speaking skills,
and it is a more realistic situation for the student interpreter.
It is also easier to repeat portions of the testimony if it is
read in person. If the students are reading from scripts, however,
they are not practicing their interpreting skills. In a large
class, the students can take turns reading the parts, and everyone
will have a chance to practice interpreting. If you only have
a few students, you may prefer to play the tapes in class.
In the sight translation section, you should emphasize public
speaking as much as possible. Have the students perform at a podium,
and give them constructive criticism about their delivery. Many
students are not aware of facial expressions and other body language
(shrugs of the shoulders, for example) that detract from their
performance and undermine the audience's confidence in them. Videotaping
is a good way to help students improve their delivery. You should
also emphasize pacing; many inexperienced interpreters race through
the easy parts of a passage and slow to a snail's pace during
the difficult parts, sending a clear signal to their audience
that they are unsure of themselves. Always remind the students that they must keep the listener in mind while
they are interpreting.
Many of the texts presented in this book are drawn from actual
documents and court cases, but the names used are fictitious and
are not those of any actual persons involved in any actual court
cases.
Some of the texts included in this book carry a political content
or are otherwise controversial. This is by design. The inclusion
of such texts is intended to provide you with much needed practice
interpreting material with which you may not agree. These texts
should not be taken as representing the views of the author or
of ACEBO.
The Interpreter's Edge includes eight 60-minute audio cassettes
of the material in chapters 1 and 2.
The voices of the following people are heard on the tapes:
Norma Alvarez
The contents of each tape are listed below:
Contents
How to Use The Interpreter's Edge
For Self-Study
For Instructors
Disclaimers
About the Tapes
Introduction
Lesson 1: El mundo interdependiente & The Right to Competent
Counsel
Lesson 2: La pena de muerte & Language Acquisition
Lesson 3: Los jurados en Puerto Rico & Sample Voir Dire Questions
Lesson 4: Declaración Jurada & Witness Testimony: Burglary
Lesson 5: Libertad provisional, vigilada, y preparatoria &
O.R. Motion
Lesson 6: Derechos de los acusados, number practice, & Advisement
of Rights
Lesson 7: Garantías de los acusados & Advisement of
Rights
Lesson 8: Notas Policiales & Opening Statement
Lesson 9: La función del traductor e intérprete
público en el orden judicial & Standards for Interpreted
Proceedings
Lesson 10: Alcohol, number practice, & Expert Witness Testimony
Lesson 11: De Los Delitos Contra la Inviolabilidad del Domicilio
& Motion to Suppress--Points and Authorities
Lesson 12: Levantamiento de huellas dactilares & Examination
of Fingerprint Expert
Lesson 13: number practice & Sentencing
Lesson 14: Estatuto Nacional de Estupefacientes & Reading
of the Complaint--Drug Possession
Lesson 15: Informe final & Closing Argument
Lesson 16: Instrucciones al jurado & General Instructions
Lesson 17: Indicio & Direct and Circumstancial Evidence
Lesson 18: De las lesiones, Allanamiento de morada, Assault &
Burglary
Lesson 19: Delitos sexuales, Rape of Non-Spouse, Rape of Spouse
& Lewd Act with Child
Lesson 20: Homicidio, Definición de premeditación
y alevosía & Excerpt from California Jury Instructions
Expert Witness Testimony: Firearms
Expert Witness Testimony: Forensic Pathologist
Miscellaneous Court Proceedings
Jury Instructions
Notes on the Simultaneous Texts
Introduction
Memory Lesson 1: Main Idea
Memory Lesson 2: Controversial Content
Memory Lesson 3: Writing Key Words
Memory Lesson 4: Visualization
Memory Lesson 5: Detailed Information
Memory Lesson 6: Verbatim Recall of Testimony
Lesson 1: Purse Snatching
Lesson 2: Robbery
Lesson 3: Hit and Run
Lesson 4: Shoplifting
Lesson 5: Alien Smuggling
Lesson 6: Murder Defendant
Lesson 7: Burglary
Lesson 8: Battered Wife
Lesson 9: Administrative Hearing, Department of Motor Vehicles
Lesson 10: Administrative Hearing, Unemployment
Lesson 11: Juvenile Court--Gangs, Chicano Slang
Lesson 12: Murder Witness
Lesson 13: Drug Smuggling
Lesson 14: Medical Deposition
Lesson 15: Knife Murder
Lesson 16: Rape Victim
Lesson 17: Cross-Examination of Drug Defendant
Lesson 18: Money Laundering
Notes on the Consecutive Texts
Introduction
Sight Text # 1: Rights Concern Misplaced
Sight Text # 2: Evitar los accidentes de bicicletas
Sight Text # 3: Hearing Procedures
Sight Text # 4: Libertad Condicional
Sight Text # 5: General Waiver and Plea
Sight Text # 6: hand-written letter
Sight Text # 7: Supplementary Report
Sight Text # 8: type-written letter
Sight Text # 9: Arrest Report (DUI)
Sight Text # 10: Declaración Jurada
Sight Text # 11: Probation Report
Sight Text # 12: Declaración Jurada
Sight Text # 13: Arrest Report
Sight Text # 14: La policía captura un alijo de armas
Sight Text # 15: Complaint
Sight Text # 16: Servicio de Información, Equipo de Investigación
y Atestados
Sight Text # 17: Complaint
Sight Text # 18: Sentencia Nunc Pro Tunc
Sight Text # 19: Advice of Rights
Sight Text # 20: Sentencia
Sight Text # 21: Autopsy Report
Sight Text # 22: Informe de autopsia
Sight Text # 23: Poder Especial
Sight Text # 24: Power of Attorney
Notes on the Sight Texts
Introduction
How to Use The Interpreter's Edge
For Self-Study
For Instructors
Disclaimers
About the Tapes
Adrián Delgado
Holly Mikkelson
Gahan Willis
Jim Willis
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