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Police interpreting: The facts sheet

  • Muhammad Y Gamal EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 19, 2017

Abstract

Interpreting for the police is the backbone of legal interpreting. Yet it is grossly overshadowed by the more visible and more public court interpreting. This paper describes the setting of police interpreting, highlighting some of the major issues and challenges in the field that place a lot more than linguistic pressure on the interpreter. It examines the task of interpreters working within the Australian police setting and casts light on three prevailing practices that tend to challenge the interpreter. The practices relate to the selection, briefing, and training of interpreters working for law enforcement investigations. The paper argues that the current training, instructions, and perception of the role of the police interpreter are inadequate. It further argues that for police interpreting to become professional, formal training in the context of police investigations and pre-committal proceedings is required.

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Published Online: 2017-4-19
Published in Print: 2017-5-24

© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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