10 Tips for working with court interpreters

與法庭口譯員打交道要知道的十件事

By Carmel A. Capati, Wisconsin Court Interpreter Program Manager

卡梅爾 A 卡帕蒂，威斯康星州法庭口譯項目經理

The demographics of Wisconsin are changing. Immigrants from Somalia and Latin America can be found working in turkey processing plants in Barron and in dairy farms in rural Buffalo County. Wisconsin ranks third in the nation for its Hmong population, while refugees from Bhutan, Myanmar, and Iraq are the most recent arrivals to our state. Given this population shift, the legal system has seen a dramatic increase in the need for interpreter services. Below are 10 recommendations for practicing attorneys to consider when working with court interpreters.

威斯康星州的人口結構正在發生變化。你可以看到來自索馬里和拉美的移民在巴隆的火雞加工廠或是布法羅鄉村的奶牛場工作。威斯康星州擁有的苗族人口數量在美國排名第三，而來自不丹，緬甸和伊拉克的難民是最近前來定居的人士。鑒于這種人口轉變，法律系統對翻譯服務的需求急劇增加。以下是執業律師與法庭口譯員打交道時需要知道的10件事：

1. Being bilingual is not enough to ensure the quality of a court interpreter. Don’t make the common mistake of assuming because someone asserts he’s bilingual that he’s qualified to be a court interpreter. Interpreting is difficult. Legal interpreting is even more difficult and requires continuous practice combined with experience and training. Attorneys should inquire about an interpreter’s educational background, courtroom experience, training, or certification she may hold. The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Director of State Courts Office established a Court Interpreter Program six years ago, which has overseen certification of interpreters throughout the state. Whenever possible, try to use a certified interpreter if one is available. Certified interpreters have demonstrated their interpreting and language skills by passing a rigorous oral examination used by almost 40 states around the country.

1、掌握雙語并不意味著就可以勝任法庭口譯員的工作。不要想當然的認為，因為有人聲稱掌握兩門語言就有資格成為法庭口譯員。口譯不是件容易的事，法律口譯更是難上加難，需要不斷的實踐，并將經驗和訓練相結合。律師應當詢問口譯員的教育背景，法庭經驗，培訓情況，以及持有的資格證書情況。威斯康星州最高法院的辦公室主任6年前成立了法庭口譯項目，用以監督整個州的口譯員資格。只要有可能，盡量雇傭經過認證的翻譯。認證譯員可以確保合格的口譯與語言技能，因為他們都通過了在美國近40個州舉行的一項嚴格的口語測試。

2. Attorneys don’t have to rely on personal referrals to locate court interpreters. The Court Interpreter Program maintains a roster of interpreters, available on the court’s Web site, for more than 25 different languages. The roster has certified interpreters in the following languages: Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL), German, Deaf ASL, Russian, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Hmong, Lao and French.

2、律師不必通過個人推薦去找法庭傳譯員。法院口譯項目擁有一個口譯員名冊，在法院的網站上即可查到超過25種不同語言的譯員名單。名冊包括以下語言：西班牙語，美國手語，德語，聾人手語，俄語，越南語，中文普通話，苗語，老撾語和法語。

3. Don’t ask interpreters to provide “word-for-word” interpretation. Interpreters interpret meanings and concepts. They do not provide word-for-word or literal interpretation, nor do you want them to do so. An interpreter told me the story of when he was asked to interpret during a deposition. When he arrived, opposing counsel ordered the interpreter to “translate all the words directly.” The interpreter responded that he normally interprets the meaning of what is said, to which the attorney retorted, “No! I want the exact meaning of the words!” so the interpreter agreed. A question was asked, “What were you doing in the parking lot?” The interpreter rendered the question into Spanish, and the non-English speaking deponent answered, “Estaba manejando mi mueble.” The interpreter said, “I was driving my furniture.” Irritated, the attorney asked what furniture meant. The interpreter told him the speaker meant, “I was driving my old junker.” People from Mexico use the word “mueble” (which has a l

iteral translation of “furniture”) to mean “junker” or “old car.” But since the interpreter was instructed to interpret the exact meaning of the word, he interpreted the word literally and not in the context the word was used.

3、不要要求口譯員提供“字詞到字詞”的口譯。口譯員翻譯的是意思和概念。他們不提供字詞到字詞或字面上的翻譯，你也不想讓他們這樣做。一名口譯員曾對我講過他被要求口譯證詞的事。當他到達時，對方律師要求口譯員“直接翻譯所有的字詞?！笨谧g員回答說，他通常翻譯的是意思，對方律師反駁說：“不！我想要每個詞的確切含義！”于是譯員同意了。有人問：“你在停車場干了什么？”譯員將問題翻譯成了西班牙語，不會講英語的證人回答說：“Estaba manejando mi mueble”。翻譯說，“我在開著我的家具?！睂Ψ铰蓭煇琅饋?，詢問“家具”是什么意思。譯員告訴他發言者的意思是：“我在駕駛我的老爺車。”墨西哥人用“mueble”這個詞來表示“老爺車”，但它的字面意思卻是“家具”。但由于口譯員被要求翻譯每個詞的確切含義，他只好使用字詞到字詞的形式，而沒有按上下文來進行翻譯。

4. Court interpreters should abide by the Code of Ethics for Court Interpreters. If you are working with an interpreter who is unfamiliar with SCR Chapter 63 the Code of Ethics for Court Interpreters, you should be concerned this person has not been properly trained. Qualified court interpreters are professionals who will follow this Code, which includes keeping privileged communication confidential, representing their qualifications accurately, and maintaining neutrality.

4、法庭口譯員應遵守“法庭口譯員道德準則”。如果與你一同工作的翻譯對于最高法院第63章“法庭口譯員道德準則”不熟悉，你要認識到這個人應該沒有受過專業的培訓。合格的法庭口譯人會遵循這一準則，其中包括對特許交流通訊的保密，準確表現本職職責，以及保持中立等。

5. Don’t ask interpreters to be attorneys. Court interpreters do not “go over” legal documents or “explain” legal concepts. They interpret while the attorney reviews legal forms or explains the law. One interpreter reported an assistant district attorney asked her to go over the plea questionnaire and waiver of attorney form with several non-English speaking pro se defendants. He directed her to review the penalty charts so she could explain them. Interpreters are not attorneys. Asking them to engage in this type of work is unethical and unfair to both the non-English speaker and the interpreter.

5、不要讓口譯員做律師該干的工作。法庭口譯員不會“檢查”法律文件或“解釋”法律概念。他們在律師審查法律文本或解釋法律時做口譯的工作。一名口譯員報告說，有位助理地方律師讓她與幾個不會講英語的被告一起來審查辯護調查表和棄權書。他指示她閱讀處罰圖表以便可以清楚解釋?？谧g員不是律師。要求他們從事這類工作，對于非英語為母語者和口譯員本身都是不道德和不公平的。

6. Clarify abbreviations and minimize legal jargon. Legal proceedings are filled with abbreviations and jargon (PSIs, GALs, OARs and “probation holds”). While certified interpreters will likely be familiar with the terms, try not to use them, if possible, and say the entire phrase.

6、講清縮略語并減少法律術語。法律訴訟充滿了縮略語和術語（例如 PSIs, GALs, OARs 或“probation holds”）。盡管合格的譯員有可能了解這些術語，但盡量不要使用它們，如果可能的話，使用完整的表達形式。

7. Be mindful of how you pose questions through an interpreter. As a general rule, when talking through an interpreter, the more straightforward the question, the better. Leading questions and questions posed in the negative are challenging for an interpreter particularly for rarer languages. While it is impossible to eliminate this format of questioning, attorneys should strive for simplicity in speech when an interpreter is used.

7、要了解該如何通過口譯員來提出問題。作為一般規則，當通過口譯員講話時，問題越直接，效果越好。誘導問題和反面問題對于譯員來說都是一種挑戰，特別是對于罕見的語言來說。雖然無法完全避免使用這種質問形式，但律師應在使用口譯員時盡量讓自己的講話簡潔清楚。

8. Don’t ask interpreters not to interpret something.

8、不要禁止口譯員翻譯某些話。

Interpreters have informed me about attorneys who say something and then immediately instruct the interpreter, “Don’t interpret that.” Asking interpreters not to interpret something is asking them to violate their Code of Ethics. Interpreters are required to interpret everything. If you don’t want something interpreted, don’t say it.

一些口譯員告訴我，某些律師講了一些話，然后立即指示譯員“不要翻譯這些?！币罂谧g員不去翻譯某些話就是要求他們違反他們的道德準則，口譯員被要求應該翻譯全部內容，如果你不想某些話被翻譯出來，那就不要說出口。

9. Expect most interpretation during a court proceeding to occur simultaneously. Generally, simultaneous interpreting means the interpreter is talking at the same time as the speaker with some lag time. Expect most interpreters to simultaneously interpret during courtroom proceedings. During testimony of a non-English speaking witness, the interpreter will use the consecutive mode, whereby interpretation will occur after each question and answer.

9、了解法庭訴訟中經常會使用同聲傳譯。通常來說，同聲傳譯是指口譯員在發言人講話的同時將話翻譯出來。在法庭訴訟中大多數口譯員會采取同聲傳譯的形式。在非英語為母語的證人作證詞時，譯員將會使用連續傳譯，即譯員在每個提問和回答后進行翻譯。

10. Wisconsin statutes allow parties to object to an interpreter for good cause and take into consideration any delay arising from the inability to locate a qualified interpreter. If an attorney has valid concerns about an interpreter appointed by the court, alert the judge. Wis. Stat. section 885.38(6) allows a court to remove a qualified interpreter for good cause and section 885.36(7) states the delay resulting from the need to locate and appoint a qualified court interpreter may constitute good cause to toll time limits.

10、威斯康星州法規允許當事人以正當理由對口譯員提出異議，或因為不能找到合格的譯員而要求法庭延期。律師如果對法院指定的譯員有合理的關切，可以告知法官。威斯康星州第885.38（6）項規定允許法院以正當理由撤換律師，第885.36（7）項規定允許在規定時間范圍內以為尋找任命合格譯員而延期審理案件。