PROTEUSrhe Nationat arsortono#i y;lryffi"trpreterc

and rmnstatorc

Vol. 7, No. 2 Spring 1992 New York, NY

MILWAI]KEE WATCII

Few Interpreters, Low WasesClenk Says Change Must Come Fiom State

Legislature

NAJfT member Rick Kissell sent a s0ory from the-Shepherd lxpress-" _puly ll, 19911 dqdribing the

Milwaukee County's 'fasi-paced, often chaotic" Eourtlyst_em and its reliance on only one staff and threefreelance Spanish interpreters io cover its caseload.Compensation is far below national nonns: the staffinterpreter is classified as a Clerk III- Bilingual;earning an annual salary of $22,008, while- thefreelancers receive $35 per half-day. Ai these ratesit is a wonder that the few experienied in0emreters inthe area continue to be availible to the couits.

While Circuit Judge William D. Gardneracknowledged that more inleqpreters at a higher ra0eof compensation are sorely needed, Clerk oT CircuitCoud Gary.J. Barczak iieclared that 'the systemseems to be intact' and, in a letter to the newspapereditor, remarked tartly that 'the current statirs ofcourt inlerpreter needs-has not brought the system 0oa grinding hdt.' The Clerk stressed- that any changel" the statute, which expressly prorido f;in- lerpreter fees at $35 per-halfitay, must comethrough the sta0e legislature.

In response to the Clerk, Kissell wrote a letter tothe editor to point out that the Clerk had taken noinitiative t9 lobby the state legislature, raise themat0er with the state

-Supreme Court or requestincremental increases from the County Board^ forbudgeting interpreting fees. What the'Clerk did dowas instruct the staff interpreter to refrain in thefuture froq speaking to reporters.

The problems no doubt are far from over. Absenta total breakdown of the sysiem or an explicit requestfor action from the Chidf Judge, the 'Clerk is'notprgp3red !o bring-the issue beforl a higher authority.

What can be done? Some follow-ip is clearly'inthe interest of NAJIT members. The ictions tqAffcould take include organizing a workshop in theMilwaukee area and writing to the Bar Association,the_ Chief Judgg and the stale legislature.

It may be time for NAJIT Griously to considerhiring a lobbyist who could make our Loncerns wellknown to sta0e legislatures. Individual in0erpreters

( co*inucd on page 9 )

SU MMARY INTERPRETATI ONIEADS TO MISTRIAL

A case heard in the Federal District Court for theSouthern District of New York resulted in a mistrialinJanuary ofthis year after thejudge learned that aninierpreter hired b-y the prosecu-ior-to intemret for agovernment witness had summafized som6 answersinstead of giving a complete rendition of thetestimony.

Trial minutes show thatJudge Robert p. patterson,in deglan4g a mistrial in U:S. v. Huang, et al.,agreed r?th " defense attorney that -summaryinterpretation denied the defendanis full exercise oftheir right to confront the wihess.

Four other- interpreters called by the Judge tocomment on the matter agreed that the intemriter inquestion had given incomplele renditions. '-At timeshe sort of digested and su-mmarized, but most of themain- point points were touched upon,n said one,Another stated, nWhen the witness

-testified in short

sentences, I_think he [the interpreter] did a very goodjob. But when he talked in a-few sentences, i l6owfor a fact that he summarized. n

The interpreter's shoricuts first became knownwhen the witness complained to the courtroomdeputy. The judge did not think it was the witness'sprerogative !o judge the in0erpretation and took noaction until the other court interpreters, hired by theIn0e-rpreters Oflce to do the simultaneous, rep6rtedto the office and then to the judge that the interpreteron the witness stand was impropedy zummarizing thetestimony. The inquiry whi:chiollirwed showed'howlittle the parties understood about inierpreting andhow the word 'certified" can be used to'one's ownadvantage. According to the prosecutor, thelnQryretel, -when

questioned as to his qualifications,had stated that he 'took a test for certification in thefederal courts and never received the rqsults.' Infact, there is no federal certification lest in Chineseand there has never been one.

This trial shows that courts are becoming moreaware-of the_interprelers and of the importfot rolethey play. While it may not cause the intemreter inthis case to learn io interpret faithfuily andaccurate.ly., it may ensure that he will riot besummarizing again on the witness stand in theSouthern District of New York.

2 PROTEUS

MESSAGE TROM TIIE BOARI)

NAJIT got off to a good year with an excellentnewsletter. Our appreciation to Dagoberto Orrantieand Nancy Festinger, who with the help of MirtaHess, Daniel Sherr, Mirte Videl end Chris Walkerdid r super job. We ere getting a good responsefrom the rembership. Many heve dready sent intheir rembership renewal. Those who heve notmrild in their $50.00 rembership dues, please do sonow so you can be included in the 1992 MembershipDirectory.

News from the legal front: on Ianuary 8 of thisyesr, the Federal fraals Commission issued asubpo€nr duces tecum to NAJIT, calling for us tozubmit many documents, listed in ten specifications,regerding the sssocirtion's rctivities between Janeuryt, L987 and the preseirt tire. The mein inquiryreletes to ntes for translation or interpretationservices. Hundreds of hours hsve be€,n devoted todiggng up documents in response to the FTC'srequest for informetion. NAJIT has retained theservices of New Yort atlorney Daniel J. Ratner toassist us in rcsponding to the subpoena by the March7 deadline.

We rmderstand thet the American Society ofInterpreters (ASI), the American Associetion ofI-enguege Specidists CIAAIJ), and the AmericenTransletors Associetion (ATA) have roceived similarrequests from the FTC. We will keep themembership posted on this new hun of events.

The h$lic Relations and Shsred ConcernsCommittoe hss zubmitted an article entitled JudiciaryIntrprctfury: A Demandirry Task for Profcssionals0o Ber publicrtions in Nevada, New Mexico endNorth Caroline. lVe received a favoreble rcsponsefrom the editore of those publications. We lookforward to e M8rch or April publicetion dete.

The article was a trial balloon to see if legd andjudicid are willing to accept articles onjudiciary interpreting and translating. It does appeerthrt there is keen interest in these types of erticles.

The Boerd of Directors hes chosen T\rcson,Arizonr for NAJIT'o next annual meeting onFebruary 12, 13 and 14, 1993. The Boerd decidedon those dat€s in order to avoid ovedep with theATA and CCIA meetings, usually held in November.

KUDOS

Fifty-four of the three hmdred and ninetycandidates who took the oral portion of the federelcertificetion exam (Spanish-English) were informedby the University of Arizona, the test administrator,thet they pessed the test -- grven last year for theseventh time since 1980 -- and ere now certified tointerpret from English to Spanish and viee versa inthe federal courts.

For the rmsuccessful candidates, the biggeststumbling block in the test, which included sighttransletion and consecutive and simultaneousinterpretation, wes conservetion of register.

The nemes of those who passed heve now beensdded io e listwhich the Administretive Office of theU.S. Courts circulates to all District and BankruptcyCourt judges, U.S. Magistralas, Executives andClerks, Fderal public and commtmity defenders andChief Probation and Pretrial Sewices officers.

The first phase, thet is, the written portion of thenext Spanish/English federal court interpreterscertification exam is scheduled 0o be held in thespring of 1993.

CERTIFICATION IN NAVAJO AND CREOLE

The certificetion prograrn w8s expanded h 1990 0oinclude Navqio and Haitian Cneole.

The University of Arizone hes ennounced thst thewritten portion of the certificstion exam for IlaitianCreole will be on Saturday, llflay 23, IWL ttlocations in Boston, Brooklyn and Miami. Interestedporsons should contact the Federal Court Project,Modern I.nguages Buildi.g, Room 445, Universityof Arizona, Tbcson, AZ 8572L.

TRANSLATION AND TI{E LAW

The Arerican Transla0ors Association plansio publish a volume in its scholarly monograph serieson the zubject of Translation and ttrc Law. Thiscollection, which must go to press in early 1994, isexpected to include scholarly and professionelessessrents of curre,nt issues, practical pspers on thetraining and experience of legd translaiore andinterpreters and thmreticel pap€rs on the linguisticdifiEculties which arise when different legel traditionscore iato contact. Proposals for contributionsto thisvolume, zuggestions of topics and particularly narnesof persons with expert knowledge in these and relatedaf,ees are welcome. Contact Marshdl Morris,Translation Program, University of Puerto Rico, Box22613, UPR Station, Rfo Piedras, PR 00931; (809)7564093; FAX (809) 758-8693.

A. Samuel AdeloCheirman

Spring 1992

REAL TIME TRANSLATION:A NBW TOOL FOR

TIIE COI]RT INTERPRETER

Four monitors were spread around the court -- onein front of the plaintffi, onc in front of thedefendants, one infront of the judge, one infront ofthe interpraer. The lawyer squared off with thewitness. 'Mr. Jones,' he bellowed, 'do you notremember haing testified, just ten minutes ago, inthis verlt court, '.........'?' He then read fiveminutes of testimorry off his screen into the record.

The interpraer did not l.et this faze her. Shescrolled back on her screen and rendered a verbatimtranslation of the lawyer's words.

This system, called RTT, or Real TimeTranslation, allows trial participants instant accqss tothe stenographic record. Ironically, this newtechnological breakthrough in court reporting comesat a time when some courtrooms are trying toeliminate ssurt reporters altogether, and replace lhemwith tape recorders. I had the chance to evaluate thesystem, now in use in about 20 stale and federalcourtrooms throughout the country, as it was appliedin a recent trial. Actually, as will be seen, RTT wasonly one aspect of a trial in which inlelpreters tookseveral precautions to insure translation accuracy.

In January 1992, the case of Honeywell vs.Minolta Camera Company Ltd. and Minolta CameraCorporation went to trial in Federal District Court inNewark, New Jersey. According to some estimates,as meny as a dozen witnesses testified in Japanese,and one wibress was on the stand for seven days.Because of the tecbnical nature of the case and ihetremendous volume of intelpreted testimony, theattorneys requested 'real time.'

The task fell to Chades McGuire, the only courtreporter in the area who had the necessary hardware,software and dictionary prepared for the task. JudgeAlfred M. Wolin's courtroom was equipped with fourmonitors -- one for the judge, one for each of thelitigants and one for the interpreler. As McGuiretyped the proceedings, they were cabled to a host PCin an adjoining room, where scopist SusanCrapanzrno edi0ed the testimony as it appeared. Thetext appeared on the courtroom screens about threewords behind the actual speaker virtuallysimultaneously. By the end of the day, the tex[,hryqg been edited as it was uttered, was ready forprinting.

In lhis technical trial, which dealtwithphoto opticsand electrical engineering, the ability to have instantaccess to the court record via RTT benefitted allparties - the judge, the lawyers and the interpreter.The software comes equipped with a search function,so that if a lawyer wants to confront a witness withprevious lestimony from that day on cross-examination or on redirect ( In your testimony, didn't

you say, Mr. X, that .....? ), he only need search fora key word to find the exact words uttered by thewitness. Says Judge Wolin, "This eliminates twoconstant objections we see: 1) inaccura0e portrayal ofthe testimony, and 2) characterizing the testimony.We find these type of objections are both time- andresourcedepleting, and should be eliminated to thegreatest extent possible. "

If a pady requests that a questionbe read back, thelawyer has the question right in front of him on thescr@n. No need for the court reporter to flipthrough his hard copy, find the question, and read itback. "As reporters,' said McGuire, 'we try !o givea question readback as little emotion as possible, andjust read it in flat fashion." With Real Time, alawyer can read back his own question using thesame intonation as when he asked it originally.

Judge Wolin feels that RTT is especially suited 0othe 'highly complex or the scientifically oriented flowof evidence.' In the Minolta cas€, he said, 'I believethat the lawyers had to educate themselves in order topresent the case. So the questions were lengthy andoften difficult to follow. Without the screen, I wouldhave missed part of the question, and potentially,wouldn't have understood the answer.'

Indeed, it was the very length and comFlexity ofthe questions that made the screen such an importanttool for the interpreters working on the case. Thescr@n was an invaluable aid to the in0erpretertranslating the lawyers' questions from English intoJapanese. 'I don't think the interpreters could haveas effectively performed their interpreting functionwithout being able to read the English on the screenand transla0e that to Japanese, because the questionswere so long and complex," said Judge Wolin.'They needed those screens, and I am sure thatalthough the jury and the court found the proceduretook an exceedingly long period of time as it was, itwould have been much longer, much more frustratingto everyone without scr@ns.'

( continucd on pagc 7 )

4 PROTBAS

DON'T BOGART THAT MIKE

Microphone etiquette among interpreters, whiletaken for granted by some, remains a mystery toothers. Are there really 'rules"? Who set them?Where are they written down?

There are no absolute rules, but common sense andexperience have yielded certain practices which ease

transitions and obviate the need to re-negotiate termsevery time you work with a new partner.

In the interest of promoting good coordinationamong inlerpreters who work in tandem, somesuggestions are outlined below. Both neophyte andseasoned interpreters would do well to review themas a matter of principle.

1. Ftrrry-FurrY The idea is for each interpreter towork equal shifts. No one likes to feel useless. Whentwo interpreters are assigrred to a case, two shouldwork, evenly dividing the workload between them.

2. HALF AND HALF In simultaneous interpreting,half-hour shifts are the basic unit. There is ahistorical reason for this: studies conducted ofUnitedNations interpreters have shown that accuracy andmental agility greatly decrease after 30 minutes ofsimultaneous interpreting. United Nation interpretersfought hard !o esiablish this norm, and courtinterpreiers have followed it.

No rule is hard and fast. You can decide to do 45minute shifts if you wish. Occasionally, you mayhave to continue in a trial for an hour or more alonebecause your partner has been pulled out to coveranother case.

When discourse is complex or technical, such as inlegal argument or a charge to the jury, interpretersoften agree beforehand to switch every 15-20 minutesbecause they know the material will prove mentallytaxing.

3. rnae-KEppER Each interpreter should keep trackof the shift's duration. If you tend to lose track oftime, wrile down the time when you begin and lookat your watch every once in a while after that. Eyecontact with your partner is effective andunobtrusive. A simple nod will signal to the reliefinterpreler that it is time to switch.

If it is your turn to take over and your colleagueseertrs unaware of the time, wait an extra fewminutes, try to establish eye contact and signal thattime is up; if the mike is still not forthcoming, afriendly tap on the shoulder may be called for.

4. pAss rHE BAToN The person on the mike isresponsible for passing it. If the relief interpreter isa distance away, the first inGlpreter should approachand hand over the microphone discreetly, preferablynot in mid-sentence. Olympic runners know at whatplace in the road the flame will be passed;interpreters, too, should know when their part in the

( continued on page 8 )

HA]R]D R]ESEA]RCH AND HIGH STANDA]RDS

To the Editor:I quiie agrer with the standpoint voiced in the

'Research Update' column I Winter, 1992 | callingfor more 'hardn research on court interpreting.However, in my professional and personal view, anindividual would be hard pressed to design a researchinstrument to tap the skills of an interpreter on site,where subtletiei of performance do not translateeasily to pen and paper.

PrbficGncy in two or more languages in and ofitself does not suffice to make a good, reliableinterpreter. Poor judgment, the failure to adhere tothe narrow and well defined parameters of the role,irresponsibility regarding time deadlines and othervariibles can severely compromise the integrity of atranslation rendered by a linguistically competentindividual. It is such behavior that I find mostdisturbing in the profession. Those most likely to actin a way that compromises their performance areleast likely to be revealed by self reporting ormeasurements of their linguistic abilities.Unprofessionalismof any kind by one member of ourcommunity reflects poody on all of us. Sometimesan interpr6ter is advised 6y the judge to do nothingmore nor less than interpret what is said. Whyshould it be necessary to state the obvious, unless abad precedent has been set?

I applaud Varela-Ibarra's cogent review ofrelevantreseaiih and agree that the arbitrary complexity oflegal language at times impedes comprehcnsion bythose involved. Linguistic complexity is often furtherexacerbated by farticipants' inexperience with'timing' when testifying through an interpreter.Complexly phrased questions or answers aresometimes sta0ed without reasonable pauses.Interpretations are intemrptedby attorneys' questions,or by witnesses who attempt to respond beforehearing the complete interpretation. These combineto complicate the task of accurate inlerpretation.Increasing the awareness of those less experiencedwith the interpretation process regarding the need forsimplifiedphrlsing and timing would certainly benefitus all. LAURIE KUSLANSKY

New York

NEIIIMORK]N$G

To the Editor:As a newly certified interpreter, I found all issues

in your articles very interesting, especially 'Items ofInferest' and 'Networking'. I would like to attendcourses geared to professional advancement, andProteus is a perfect source of information.

As to 'Networking', all points were excellent. Iwould like to contact colleagues, starting with theones in my area. Please send me names of suchcertified interpreters. MARIA LONGLEY

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

5s-;-p 7992

RESEARCH UPDATEand how they respond. The authors describe themedical interview as "a moment-to-momentbattle that mirrors and largely sustains theinstitutional authority and status-of doctors andthe reality of genders." How does the medicallnte1p_reQr fit in? What part does she play in thebattle? Do we have any research that adilressesthe issue?

Test takers or interpreter trainers may beinterested in "l anguage anxiety: its relatioishipto other anxieties and to proces-sing in native andgeconq I an_guqges, _which app ear &, in Lan gua g eI4aming | 41, 4 @ec. 1991), 513-534 l.- Andfor trainers wishing to go deeper into linguisticissues Iazguage ru,entlv published "A discourseexplanation of the grammar of relative clauses inEnglish Conversation," [ , 2 (June 1990) ]which may or may not make life dasier for us.But it is Language Teaching, "theinternational abstractfirg Jorrrnal for'ianguageteachers and applied linguists" (are translato-rsand .interpreters to be considered appliedlinguists?), a joint endeavor of The Centii forInformation on Language Teaching and Researchand The British Council, that I'd suggest youlobby your library for a subscription or spbndyour hard-earned dollars on. Members oi ttreeditorial board scan some 400 journals fromTTV cgol4es_, and Valerie Kinsella [ 63 LongAshton Road, Long Ashton, Bristol BSIS 9HWEngland ] compiles and edits the entries.Published by eambridge University press,Language Teaching is divided into four mainsubject areas: 1) language learning andteaching, Beory and practice; 2) teachingparticular languagas; 3) research in thesupporting sciences; and 4) language descriptionand use. Sections three and fouiare the mostvaluable for translators, interpreters and trainers.Recent abstracts include: "11e role of memoryIr -teach!n-g- liaison interpreting' by ChristoplZ_?\ny I Multilingua (Amsterd-am) g, I (tq90),297-3ll l; "Readei, text, trans-iitioi, ariiinterpretative potentials' by'Cay Dollerui andg.$er-s I same-issue of tttuitilinfiua, Zltie+ y"Eyalqa$ng sludent translatiorft by discourseanalysis" by Marsha Bensoussan

-and Iudith

Bgf.Sgur.gj Babel @udapest), 35,2 (1990),65-84 ]; "Thematisation icro3s michine uitihuman translation: Elrglish to French, by Bettylgu-PqUoiil IRAL (Ileidelberg), U, t (t99}i,F{! 1; 'The not'so hardESSdruOgiry oifinding translation equivalents' by -n.' X.Hartmann, Language and Communiiation

( contirured on pagc 6 )

TRIIISLATIO}I STUDTBSAIID DISCOT'RsE PROCESSE8

If you enjoyed Almoddvar's film Atatne,Atame I the title was translat&, u Tte me LIp!Tie me Down!1, you'll understand whv if lockidin a library I'd be disposed to tell therir to throw_away the key. A library is paradise to lovers oflanguage--of the word,- which was, is and willbe-and language is not only the "toy" that someof us "rely on most frequeiflv to alfer our statesof consciousnass,-" as Ellis aird Donohue mightconclude I see below ]; it is ille "tool" that mostof us reading this publication use to earn ourdaily bread.

. But before you -rush to the library to scan the

journals for the latest research in translationstudies-the field includes interpreting-- youo_gght first to familiarize yburselT riiftContemporary Issues in l-anguagi and DiscourseProcesses by Donald G. Ellis -and William A.Donohue, published in 1986 bv Lawrence[rlbagm Asssliates [ 365 Broadwa:y, Hillsdale,New Jersey 076/12l. If the termin6l'osv is newto yoy, thg.rqferegges at the end of thd chaptersmay be of help. If not, read an introducti6n todiscourse-an4ylis. One such introductory book,in Spanish, is Introduccidn a la lingats,hca deltgxlo by- !-^y!qu-e_Bgrnqr{ez I Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 19821. Much of the research vou'lifindin journals these. days is written in the languageot olscourse analvsls.

Of the four journals that I scanned for thiscolumn - and I only looked at a few recent,representative issues- - Language in Society',Language l*arning, A Journal of ApplibdLin guistic s, Langryage, qnd I4n guage fe dching,it was the latter that I found most vduable f6itranslators_and interpreters, in spite of its title.One can find worthwhile articles in all fourpublications, however. Some examDles follow.

^ If.you are interested in medical interpreting,

for instance, you'll- want to read "Accbuntfiiprqctjct in medical interviews,', by S. Fisheigd S..n-^Qrgcs,-[_Ianguage in Society, lg,2(June 1990) ,225-250l. 'Accountingn reTers tothe accounts that both doctors and pitients offer

6 PROTEUS

RESEARCH UPDATE( conrtnuedtrom page 5 )

(Oxford), 10, 1(1990),47-55l; and "Cognitiveaspects of the translation process" by WolframWilss I same issue of Language andCommunication, 19-36 l.

Abstract sources come from a number oflanguages other than English. "Ddcrire desdiscours produits dans des situationsprofassionnelles" by Sophie Moirand I Frangaisdans le monde (Paris) Aug/Sep 1990, 5242 |focuses on the idea that "language is notnormally used simply to inform, but to exercisepower and to cause the addressee to act in acertain way."

Again, the question for us is: how does theinterpreter or translator fit in? We can be asethical as our association wants us to be, but wemust remember that our users (who may or maynot be our clients) want to win and will use usfor that purpose. In non-judicial situations theclient's intent is more obvious. Last year whilein Barbados I was hired by a South Americanclient to be his interpreter. After our first

outing it was clear from his debriefing that hedid not want an interpreter but a salesman. Notinterested in a third career, I stopped workingfor him.

In addition to abstracts, Language Teachingincludes a section on books received, a veryvaluable report on current research projects and,every lanuary, a full list of all journals scanned.

I los6 Varela-Ibarra ]

The author is editor of Difference. Journal of theNAIIT. He welcomes aniclcs reporting both sofi andhard research, review and opinion articles, bookreviews, letters and other tuts. He also appreciatesreceiving copies of relcvarx aniclcs publishedelsewhere, references, books and other materialsforrevian, and information on research in translailonard interpreting in general ard the judiciary cont&in panicular. Address all correspondence to Dr.Jos€ Varela-Ibarra, University of Tetas atBrownsvillc, 1614 Ridgely Road, Brownsville Tqas78520, or fat to (512) 9824115.

For your copy, send $49.95,plub $3.50 for shipping &

handling to:

ACEBOP.O. Box 7485

Spreckels, CA 93962(408) 455-1507

(California residents, pleaseinclude sales tax ol $3.87.)

The lnteryreter's Edge is also available inc/ass-seb - all or write for Pries.

Also irguire abut ACEBO's poPularlntetpretir's Companion, a allection of

Spanish-English & English-Spanishglossaries of particular interest to

@uftintetpreterc.

B@B %@EE@ B@BProudly Announces

The Interpreter's EdgeThe !nterpreter's Edge is a full-semester Spanish-Englishcourt intehreting course in a single volume. lt contains texts,audio casiettes-(8), and instruct6r's notes tor 62lessons inthe following essential subjea areas:

. Simultaneous lnterpretation (20 lessons)

. Consecutive lnterpretation (18 lessons)

. Sight Translation (24 lessons)

The lnterpreter's Edge is ideally suited to any of the followingapplications:

. As the primary text in any existing court interpreting program.

. As the nucleus around which a court interpreting programcan be built. -.

. As a self-study @urse for individuals studying to Pass stateand federalexams for entry into the profession of courtinterpreting.

. As askil!-development and skil!-maintenance toof forwoking court interpreters.

Sping 1992

REAL TIME( continucdtrom page 3 )

Judge Wolin directed that at all times there be a'primary" and a 'checking' interpreter (one hired byHoneywell, the other by Minolta), who wouldalterna0e at regular in0ervals. 'lhe primaryinterpre0er would interpret, and we evolved the nrlethat if there was a material mistranslation, then theobjecting or checking inlerpreter would conzult theprimsry interpreter, and the primary interpreter hadthe responsibility for sying, 'Judge, the translationis correct,' or for de0ermining that she would reviseher interpretation in accordance with the checkinginterpre&er's zuggestion. I would say that the systemworked, because I would estimate that the primaryinterpreters changed their translations 50% of thetime, after consultation with the checkinginterpreter.'

'So,' concluded Judge Wolin, 'they didn't standon their high horse, and they weren't oMurate, andthey didn't develop the attitude of 'How dare youchallenge my translation?' They realized that it wasa difficult task, and they were looking for all the helpthey could get. And sometimes I Irerson who wasconcentrating on the question, and taking notes inJapanase, ant a person who was just lis0ening, mightpick up different nuarces."

How would RTT work in a criminal case? Thiswriter had the opportunity 0o work with the systemon a Spanish-language dmg case in federal court.Reliance on the screen with no note-taking is moretime-cousuming, may further intemrpt 1fos slamininglawyer's rhythm, and may result in a less smoothrendering into Spanish. However, if the interpreteris taking notes and has the question retained in short-term memory, except for maybe a key date, time, orsome other bit of information, a glance at the screencan fill in the gaps and provides for a much morefluid translation. (e.g., Mr. GonzClez, when you leftCookie's Bar at 9:00 PM on the night of the 29th,were you alone, or were you with el Pato and elTigre? Any one of these missing scraps ofinformation could be supplied by a quick look at themonitor.)

The Honeywell vs. Minolta case featured twointerpreter-related safeguards in the event of appellatescrutiny: 1) there were two interpreters prasent incourt at all times, each lis0ening attentively to theother; and 2) all tastimony and translation thereofwere tape-recorded. Did Judge Wolin believe thiswould be good practice for any foreign{anguagecase?

'There is so much Spanish and English spoken inthe United States end there are so many -ttispanic

members of our society, that I don't inint'tnerewould be much disagreement in translation unless itwere a particular facet of the Spanish language,' heremarked. 'If there are people in the courtroom whoare knowledgeable in the foreign language, and theybelieve that the translation is suqrect, it is their

obligation 0o call it 0o the attention of the court, andin th&t situation, the court would probably call for achecking interpre0er. I have never had any objectionoccur in any other language than Japanase, wheresomeone said the intelpreter was not interpreting withfidelity to the language.'

What if there is no one in the courtroom be.sidesthe interpreter who is knowledgeable in the foreignlanguage? "You must remember," cautioned JudgeWolin, 'that before any in0erpreter testifies before acourt of compelent jurisdiction, there is a voir direexamination of the interpreter as to credentials, andthat the interpreter takes an oath to interpretaccura0ely and without embellishment what thewitness says. I have not found that to be a problem.'

In the meantime, RTT continues to gain converts.Court interpre0ers would do well 0o become

acquain0ed with this increasingly important part of thejudiciary landscape.

Real Time is for real.

I Daniel Sherr ]

Nada del Otro Muttdo

Diccionario Esencial Santillanade la Lengua EspafiolaSergio Sdnchez CeremMadrid: Santillana, 1360 pp.

Con el tftulo de Diccionario Esencial sali6 a la luzun nuevo l6xico de nuestra lengua digno decomentarse. Llama la atenci6n antes que nade zuoriginal formato: mide apenas nueve pulgadas de dtopor seis de ancho y dos de grueso, y es bien liviano.Sus 1360 piginas, a dos columnas las primeras 1325,son de f6cil lectura. Es un libro c6modo de manejar.

Para una obra tan compacta, los elementos de susentradas son numerosos y valiosos: el lema, suca0egor(a gramatical, tdrminos compuestos en quefigura el vocablo, observaci6n gramatical cuando esdel caso, sin6nimos, ant6nimos y hom6nimos,adem6s de conjugaci6n de las formas irregulares. Enla mayoria de los artfculos se da la etimologfa de lapalabra. Contiene asimismo americanismos de usomds frequente, algunos tdrminos de la jerga,neologismos y extranjerismos. I:s entradas estdnalfabetizadas, pero la ch y la ll estdn incluidas en lac y la l, respectivamente, lxrr no considerarse letrasindependientes.

Anteceden al l6xico un pr6logo de GregorioSalvador, acad6mico de la RAE, r'nas indicacionessobre el uso de la obra, una lista de los elemenlos delas entradas, las abreviaturas empleadas y un fndicede las ilustraciones, las cuales pasan de cien. Alfinal contiene un apdndice de utilidad diddctica:gramCtica del espafrol, ortografia, dudas frecuentes

( continued on page I )

I PROTEUS

NADA DEL OTRO MUNDO( co*iruedtrom pagc I )

del espaffol, tanto de car6cter ortogrdfico comogramatical, y tres tablss de conjugaci6n de los verbosregulares.

Es sin duda un libro titil para los estudiantes ym8estros de nuestra lengua y para todos losinteresados en ella. Como herramienta de traductorese inldrpretes adolece de la misma limitaci6n quecualquier otro repertorio lingufstico: ninguno escompleto. -Sin restarle zu m6rito, para los intdrpretesde hibrmales y traductores de materia legal no esnada_del.otro mllndo, pero es correcto en conceptosy definiciones. Veamos algunos ejemplos tomsd6s alfl71r:

CORTE: Como tribunal de justicia, lo calificaatinedamente de americanismo.

-

EVIDENCIA: No tiene absolutamente el sentido depnreba en lo jur(dico. I-a locuci6n adverbial eneridencia srgmfica en ridfculo, jamds en la acepci6nde- _prueba admitidt de la exprasi6n inglairr inevidence.

BUFETE: Despacho y clientela de un abogado.

AUTO: Resoluci6n judicial, fundad8, que decidesobre cuestiones parciales o secundarias, para las queno se requiere sentencia: auto de prisi6n, auto-deprocessmi€nto.ll Pl. Conjunlo de las partes que

una cause criminil o un pleito civil. -

NIEZ: Al igu&l que el diccionario de la Academia, elPequefio I-arousse y el de Marfa Moliner, no registrael femenino de *ta voz, barbarismo usado poralgunos. T as acelrciones que da de esta palabra en sury{ido jurfdico no soll tantas como las que sehallarfan en un l6xico especializado

Tampoco ha de esperarse muchas voces del argotde las drogas e,n este reper0orio, tales como bazuca,haquetear, caleta, caletero, tula, y muchlsimos misde uso frecuente entre los traficantes de narc6ticos.Huelge repetir: no se trata de un diccionarioaspecializado, como t8mpoco lo es tocante losamericanismos.

En viste del somero andlisis que antecede, €bpregtmtar:^;Debe el intdrprete de tribunales adquirireste libro? Para el intdrpre0e, como pari eltraductor, todos los diccionarios son ritiles-ya queningrrno es complelo. La perfecci6n es un iiteat, amenudo distanciada de la realidad, si no divorciadade la misma. Pera mf, todos los diccionarios sonprovechosos y ya iengo otro nuevo en mi atiborradocuarto de soflar.

MICROPHONE ETIQAETTE( continucdfiom pagc 4 )

relay ends snd someone else's begins.

5. pox'rsocARTTHArMrKE, My FRJEND HumphreyBogart was knonm for smoking his cigaretie dovm tothe butt. Thus, the verb "!o bogart.' In the '70s apo?ular song lyric was, "Don't bogart that joint, myfriend, pass it over to me.' Likewise, it is bad formfor an interpre0er to bogart the mike. No one like.s tobeg for a mirrophone thet is not willfullyrelinquished. If a relief interpreter approaches, donot wsve him or her away with e gesture that isvisible to everyone in the courtroom. -

6. rulcnopnoNg posmroN It is inadvisable io croon,kiss the mike or hold it too close !o your lips. If itis less than an inch from your lips, itls too close forthe hygienic comfort of your colleagues and mey alsocause extraneous noise for the listener.

7. rnrB oFF = TItraE our? On the half-hour that isnot your turn, you are theoretically free !o leave thecourtroom and make a phone call, look somethingup, or arurwer a call of nature.

If your partner remains close by, this does notmean he-is waiting for your first slip of the tongue.It is preferable for both interpreters to remain ilthecourtroom, not only to follow the case but because itis good form to be on hand to assist and back upyour partner. It may be necessary to help with0erminology, sight translations or, in multidefendantcases, with attomey-client communications. Help isespecially appreciated if one intelpreter feels

-ill,insecure, or for other reasons is having a bad day; ifcomplex argument will be coming up; or if a defensewitness is about to take the stand and one interpreteris more familiar with the facts of the case.

8. SREAIG - Do rHEy couNr? Most triels have amid-morning and mid-afternoon break of five tofifteen minutes. Some inierpreiers prefer !o counttheir helf hour as thirty minutas of talking, and if abreak interferes, they will continue on the mike untiltheir actual talk time is up. Decisions of this sort aremade between partners in a few words, or in a note.

If yo-u havejust returned to the courtroom to beginyoul shift and your partner says, 'We just hail abreak; I'll do 15 more minutes,' it is impolite toinsist otherwise. Hand signals also help tr5 siguifyhow many minutes remein until the shiflchange.

8. swrrcumc oNTHEwrrNEss srAND Relief is justry ioportant on the witness stand as duiingsimultaneous interpretation. The only difference i6that one's concentration lasts longer in consecutive.Hence, in0elprelers will agree between themselveswhen !o switch, depending on the length and

( continucd on pagc 9 )I CCndido A. Valderrama ]

Spring 1992 9

MICROPHONE ETIQAETTE( continuedtrom page 8)

difficulty of the 0estimony.If the testimony will be brief, i.e., under one hour,

no relief is usually necessary , and the sameinterpreter will do both the direct and the cross-examination, and redirect, if any. However, withlengthy lestimony, it is a good idea to switch everyhour, or at a convenient breaking point: during asidebar conference, during the transition from directexamination to cross, after a recess.

While a colleague is in0erpreting on the witnessstand you should be prasent not only to hear thetestimony, but to be available for consultation: (1) ifthe primary interpreter is unsure of a giventranslation; (2) if the primary interpreter makes anerror of ma0erial fact that needs to be correrted; or(3) if the attorneys or judge question theinlerpretation of a particular word or phrase.

General Pointers

Always check your equipment before the proceedingstarts. Make sure the transmitter is plugged in,functioning and conveniently located. Test theheadphones to see if they are in working order.Keep some extra headphones handy in case thebatteries run low during the proceeding.

Talk to your parbrer. Some negotiation always takesplace: who starts in the morning, who will start witha witness on the stand, etc. It is always best toaccomodate your partner's preferences, ifit makes nodifference to you.

Never grab a microphone out of someone else'shands.

Be prepared for the rare occasion when the mike maybe passed to you unexpectedly. This will happen ifyour partner has a coughing fit or any other physicalsymptom requiring immediate attention.

When you talk to your partner during breaks, be sureto cover the microphone with your hands so thedefendants are not privy to your personalconversations.

The microphone is a tool to assist the interpreter: useit to your full advantage. It is a great improvementover whispering, an inconvenience that Can impairboth your posture and your health. With a mobilemicrophone, the interpreter can move closer to.thesource of sound, which promotes a smooth andconcentrated delivery.

MILWAAKEE WATCH( continuedJrom page I )

do not always have the time or experience toapproach legislators effectively. Monitoringconditions in various states could well become a full-time job for NAJIT cornmitiee members.

It is the editors' view that we will not seesignificant changes in fee structures until 1)interpre0ers are not available for these courts, ot 2) atireless campaign is undertaken to raise the judges'consciousness regarding the highly specialized workand ethical integrity required of court interpreters.Otherwise, judges will continue to rely on'in0erpreters' who tell the court, as reported in thearticle, 'Oh boy, this is going to be fun. I haven'tspoken Spanish since high school.' If this is fun inAmerican courts, when is it time to get serious?

LONG, LONGER, LONGEST?

Interpre0ers at the witness stand usually try to exertsome control over the length of utterances that theyhave to inlerpret consecutively. At times, however,lawyers' cant or plain muddleheadedness prevent theinterpreter from knowing just where the question isgoing or where it will end. This can lead toexchanges such as the following, which was heardrecently in the trial of U.S. v. Prada, et al.

Q: Isn't it true that on November -- that onSeptember 10, 1991 , inyour conversationwithAgentMandrafina in relation to this case, you told him thatyou were met at the Macy's stores in Queens, fromwhere you drove to a row house in the middle of theblack where you met Pillsbury, his wife and childrenand some other unknown individuals, that Plinio thenarrived, that you all tall<cd, the money was krt andarrangements were madc to get the cocaine, and acouple of weel<s later the product anived, beingdelivered by Skinny and an individual btown to youas Tiberio in qn oA Voil<swagen, isn't it true thuthat's what you rcA Agent Mandrafina about yourtrip to New York at Maqt's and your deal withfrberio -- with Pillsbury and Plinio?

A: Excuse me, you confased me. CouA you sqy thatagain?

Q: I cannot say that again. I ask that it be read back,I Nancy Festinger ]

10 PROTEAS

mEI\'$ OF INTEREST

i0,f.ay 27-29, 1992. Montreal, Canada: ThirdCongress of the Regional Cenler for North America(RCNA) of the FIT, 'Translating in North America-A Communit5r of Interests.' To be held at Ho0elVel9i"l. Wo$shop on Courtlnterpreting, May 29,10:30-12:00; Translating and Interpreting NativeI:nguages, May 29, 1:30-3:00. For information,contact: ATA (703) 892-1500 or FAX (703) 892-1501

**,F

June 1-19, 1992. New York, IYY: Summer_hrtilulr in Judiciary- In0erpretation, Spanish/English.For information, write or call: Coordinator, SrrmmerInstitute in J_udiciary Interpretation, Foreign I:nguageDept., NYU School of Continuing Education, -2University Place, Rm. 55, NYC 10003; (212) 999-7o3o

,F,F{.

JuIy 3-7, 1992. Brormsville, Texas: SrrmmerInterpreters' Institute, U of Texas at Brownsville.Interpretin_g and telqinglogy development workshopswith U.S. certified court interpreiers. Fbrinformation, contact Josd Varela-Ibarra (see page 6).

:1.**

July 13-31, 1992. Tucson, AZ: Summer Instirulefor Court Interpretation at the University of Arizona.For admission requirements and other details,contect: Dr. Roseann Duefias GonzAlez, Director,Summer Institute for Court Inielpretation, ML # 67 ,Room 445, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.85721; (602) 621-3687

***

Angust 9-13, 1992. Cancfn, Mexico: 1992American Association of Teachers of Spanish andPortuguese Annual Meeting. The meeting includes asession on Translation and Intelpretation. Forinformation, contact: Anita Kulman, 10107 SnowdenRd.,I-aurel, MD 20708

***

September 5{, 1992. San Juan, PR: FirstSymposium on Translation of the Asociaci6nProfesional de Traductores e Int6rpretes de PuertoRico. _Ke;mo0e speakers: Peter Ne*mark (England)and Marina Orellana (Chile). Panels to iniluile "Eitraductor en la primera linea de defensa del idioma"(Angel Casares). Of particular interest will be thepanel 'El idioma, el traductor y la ley,' in whichtranslators and attorneys will discuss the implicationsof(1) Spanish as the official language ofPuerto Ricoand (2) a proposed bill to create a Colegio that would

establish an examiring board for translators. Forinformation: Janis Palma, Project Direc0or, PO Box324, Old San Juan, PR 00302 or FAX (809) 268-3818

{.{.,r.

Novernber 4-gr l92. San Diqo Princess Resort,San Diqo, CA: 33rd Annual Conference of theAmerican Translators Association,'Frontiers.' Forinformation, contacl ATA National Headquarters,1735 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suile 903, Arlington,Y4.22202; Qo3) 892-1500 or FAX (703) 892-1501.

***

Nearly one hundred in0erpreters, translators,at0orneys and judges attended the opening of TheIlelen Alvarez Library for Translatbrs andInterpreters in San Diego last December. Itsholdings include reference books, dictonaries anddocuments in several languages as well as tapes andlis0ening equipment for study and practice. Thevolun0eers who run it hope to add computers andcopiers. Money is being raised through weeklyluncheons, book sales, donations and rbntal of aconference room. The library is open to active andaspiring interpreters and translators. It is located at1140 Union Street, Suiie 213, San Diego, CA 92101.If you would like to contribute or receive moreinformation, call: Ruth Conrique at (619) 475-8586.

,trl.*

Computer hos Wanted

Proteus invites translators experienced in computertechnology and software 0o write articles aboutcomputer-aided translation with particular applicationto court interpreting. Write to Editors.

,t**

RECOMMENDED READING

Johnson, -George (1991). In the palaces of memory.New York: Vintage.

A fascinating exploration of recent neuroscientificresearch on what, why and how we remember.

-- Diverse ar-ticlas, somrc hard-to-find, focusing onliterary translation, collected under one cover by theeditors of The craft of translation.

, John (1992). Theories of

Spdns 192 11

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JUDICIARY INTERPRETERS AND TBANSLATORSPlaza l! Exccutive Ccntcr, !nc.125 Lincoln Avenuc, suitc 4OOSanta Fc, New Mexico 87501

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The object of the NAJIT is the advancsment of the profession of court inteprsting. All interested persons ar6encouraged to become members. Members receive free copies of the newslel1':el Prcteus, published four timosayeil, and have the dght to vot6 and prticipato in the activitios of tho Association. You are invited to join usthrough one of the following memberships: lndividual ($50), Student (S201, lnstitution (t125).

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Please mail this form with your check or mon6y order payable to NAJIT to:Sara Garcla-Rangel, 99 Harrison Avanuo, Montclair, NJ 07042

Pmtc*s is published four times a year by the National Association of Judiciary Interprcterr and Translalors, Inc. in the Spring, Summer, Falland Winter. Editors, D. Orrantia and N. Festinger, Proteus is mailed lvithout charge to all members of Sc:l{,ssociation, thl miiling address ofwhich is Plaza tr Executive Cenler, Inc., 125 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 400, Santa Fe, NM 87501. All editorial submissions for Prorens shouldbeaddressedtoDagobertoOrantia,Editor, Proteus,Dept.ofForeignl-anguages,IohnIayCollege,445West59Street,NewYork,NYl00lg.All zubmissions ere subject to ediorial review. Deadlines for submissions: Sping issue, March 1; Summer issue, Iune l; Fall issue, Septemberl; Winter issue, December 1.

NA'ITPlaza tr Executive Center, Inc.125 Lincoln AvenueSuite 400Santa Fe, NM 87501

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