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Interpreter's Information for Judges

Before the interpreter can interpret, she must first hear and understand what counsel, the court, and witnesses are saying. We have some but not total control over our ability to hear and understand what is said. Hearing and comprehension improve with case preparation. We obviously comprehend technical and scientific words and names better when we know or believe they will be used, and have prepared for them.


Physical hearing can be improved by our placement in the courtroom, sitting, standing or moving around, depending on the direction of the sound. If sitting we may also use an amplifier to pick up the sound. Speed of speech, however, also affects our comprehension. First there is speech that is very fast which interpreters can interpret well, if they switch off every twenty minutes instead of every thirty, but which, when interpreted, will still be too fast for the defendant to understand. A more serious situation is created by speed that is so great that the interpreter can neither understand nor interpret it fully. The interpreter's first step is to ask the judge to slow down, or to ask the judge to ask counsel to slow down. When the interpreter asks the judge to intervene, the judge becomes involved and has a stake in helping the interpreter do a better job. One may also approach the judge in chambers beforehand as well and ask him to speak at a reasonable pace and to have the lawyers do so also. In certain circumstances an interpreter may request but receive no real cooperation from the court. This can happen when the judge speaks very quickly and cannot easily slow down his speech.


Interpreters swear to fully and faithfully interpret all that is said, but if the speakers go too fast to be understood, even with the good preparation the interpreter has already done, then the interpretation will be neither full nor accurate. The real danger of excess speed is that it is possible to interpret half an hour of speech and still miss the real meaning and not transmit it to the defendant.

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