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Interpreting for court for the first time
Thread poster: Zeen
Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
English to Polish
+ ...
Agency May 7, 2012

I believe it was you who mentioned 'agency' first, and also Suzie who mentioned the 'situation'.

I wanted to alert Zeen to the possibility of having his time in court disturbed by what is currently happening.

I have no cause to promote.

But I do want to be able to work without unnecessary incidents, as I believe is my right.

And I thought it would be fair to warn Zeen that apart from first time nerves he might experience additional attract
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I believe it was you who mentioned 'agency' first, and also Suzie who mentioned the 'situation'.

I wanted to alert Zeen to the possibility of having his time in court disturbed by what is currently happening.

I have no cause to promote.

But I do want to be able to work without unnecessary incidents, as I believe is my right.

And I thought it would be fair to warn Zeen that apart from first time nerves he might experience additional attractions when he gets there. End of.
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Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
Swedish to English
+ ...
Legal terminology May 7, 2012

Ania Heasley wrote:

After one such incident, observed by a listings officer, she asked me if I wanted to make a complaint, because the person who approached me is 'a pain in the neck'. Her words, not mine.


I really feel confidence in our legal system when a court official thinks someone being 'a pain in the neck' is a justification for making a complaint...

On another note, I'm curious as to why you find legitimate questions such as 'who they work for, what language they work in, what previous experience they have had' to constitute 'bullying/harrassing/intimidating'.

Please note that I'm a translator, not an interpreter, and therefore I can honestly say that 'I have no cause to promote' in the 'the current court interpreting situation'.



[Edited at 2012-05-07 09:25 GMT]


 
Rolf Keller
Rolf Keller
Germany
Local time: 03:21
English to German
Visit public proceedings May 7, 2012

Zeen wrote:
I'm a qualified DPSi interpreter with very, very limited experience, actually consider none.


Why not visit some public proceedings and see what's going on there?


 
Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
English to Polish
+ ...
Being approached May 7, 2012

Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:

I'm curious as to why you find legitimate questions such as 'who they work for, what language they work in, what previous experience they have had' to constitute 'bullying/harrassing/intimidating'.



The way these questions are asked, the tone, the attitude, the arrogance, the smirking, ironic smiles, the implied superiority, and above of all the vigilante-like self-righteousness of the asker all add up to this experience having the markings of bullying/harrassment/intimidating.

The fact that court officials who witness such incidents, without even understanding the language of the exchange see it as such and are offering to follow complaints procedure should give you further idea of what really occurs.

It is a real shame that this goes on, putting young interpreters, starting up in the field, off interpreting by the very people who claim to uphold the highest standards of the profession.

Personally, when I see a vigilante type at court it triggers no more than a 'yawn, not again reaction' these days, but I saw instances of leaving less hard skinned interpreters in tears. Very unpleasant.


 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
Hebrew to English
Picking up on a few things May 7, 2012

Ok, just to pick up on a few things:

Ania wrote:
I have no cause to promote.


I think we both know that isn't true, since you work for the agency who shall not be named.

Ania wrote:
he might experience additional attractions


Yes, I often find people fighting for a just cause quite attractive.

[Edited at 2012-05-07 10:21 GMT]



[Edited at 2012-05-07 14:30 GMT]


 
Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
English to Polish
+ ...
Attack May 7, 2012

I am the one who is on the receiving end of the attack when I attend courts.
Here I merely describe my experiences. For the benefit of others, who might be exposed to similar attacks. Forewarned is forearmed.


 
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Yelena.
Yelena.  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
English to Russian
+ ...
Are you a competent court interpreter? May 7, 2012

Interpreting in court is a serious matter and, in my humble opinion, if you are not confident or competent to interpret in court you may be breaching the Interpreter's Oath and may well be held responsible for contempt of court. Interpreting for people who found themselves accountable in court is not a joke and one mistake may cost you dear.

Everyone has to start somewhere, but people train for years rather than just go and do it and learn on the job. Think about it.


 
Susanna Garcia
Susanna Garcia  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:21
Italian to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Fun? May 7, 2012

Ania said
"All this can be a lot of fun and very rewarding if you know what you are doing."

Personally, I fail to see how Crown Court interpreting can be a lot of fun but perhaps I'm missing the joke.
I do agree however that it is very rewarding and agree again with the statement "if you know what you're doing". And here we come to the heart of the matter. The reason you have been called is because the agency charged by the Ministry of Justice with the supply of interp
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Ania said
"All this can be a lot of fun and very rewarding if you know what you are doing."

Personally, I fail to see how Crown Court interpreting can be a lot of fun but perhaps I'm missing the joke.
I do agree however that it is very rewarding and agree again with the statement "if you know what you're doing". And here we come to the heart of the matter. The reason you have been called is because the agency charged by the Ministry of Justice with the supply of interpreters is presumably unable to fulfil its obligation and therefore the Court has switched to Plan B, where they have permission to contact interpreters directly. A significant number of interpreters on the National register are refusing to work for the agency due to unacceptable terms and conditions and are also refusing to take direct bookings from courts as this is just plugging the holes and allowing the agency to take its time in finding appropriate interpreters.

This situation is very tense and many cases are observed on an informal basis by highly experienced, professional interpreters who are reporting cases of incompetence on sites such as those previously mentioned. Much support has been shown by court officials, barristers, solicitors, judges and magistrates who are also contributing to collecting evidence, rather than treating any intervention as being inconvenient.

Good luck whatever your decision.
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Marina Khonina
Marina Khonina  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 19:21
Russian to English
+ ...
Reminder: please stay on topic May 7, 2012

Just a friendly reminder to all contributors to this tread. Please remember that personal remarks are in violation of ProZ.com site rules and that it's important that we keep the conversation on topic.

Zeen wrote:

Shall I just send a colleague instead or go for it anyway. I suppose what I'm looking for is some advice, anything to calm myself down would be helpful. Anything to read, your personal experience from the first ever interpreting job?


Thanks a lot for your co-operation!

Marina
ProZ.com Moderator


 
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Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:21
English to Polish
+ ...
Breach of Interpreters Oath May 8, 2012

For the breach to take place an interpreter would have to DELIBERATELY misinterpret what is being said.

As long as they interpret TO THE BEST OF THEIR SKILL AND UNDERSTANDING no breach takes place.

Everybody makes mistakes.


 
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