Phraseological and lexical difficulties Spanish-speaking witnesses' testimonies: A descriptive study of court interpreter performance.

摘要

Although numerous research studies have been conducted on the accuracy of interpreters' performance during legal proceedings, the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic aspects that might represent difficulties in the cognitive process of interpretation have not been well explored. Beyond pure linguistic skills, technical competence, and mental ability, court interpreters should also possess a thorough knowledge of the two cultures in which their working languages exist, including political, social, and ethnic differences. In order to perform adequately, and therefore guarantee equal access to the judicial system for Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals, court interpreters must be competent in understanding and managing the cultural and linguistic context that permeates through the communicative event. This paper presents the results of a descriptive, empirical study of Spanish-speaking witnesses' testimonies in domestic violence cases at the New Jersey Supreme Court. Drawing on an analysis of the discourse of Spanish-speaking witnesses and the interpreters' rendering of phraseological and lexical units such as idioms, slang, and collocations, this paper argues that the lack of cross-cultural competence on the part of the interpreter may hinder the production of an accurate and faithful interpretation of such expressions, which convey cultural and linguistic notions that are complicated to transfer from the source to the target language.