Legal professionals, spoken language and signed language interpreters: What can we learn
from each other?

Karin Banna
Sydney, Australia

Literature regarding legal interpreting discusses the differences in
perception between legal practitioners and interpreters about the role of the interpreter in the courtroom. This paper will discuss the results of a pilot study that examines the perceptions of nine professionals regarding the role of the interpreter in courtrooms in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Interviews were conducted with three Australian Sign Language (Auslan) interpreters, three spoken language interpreters and three legal professionals. The results from the interviews were compared to case law and literature regarding the role of the interpreter and challenges of courtroom interpreting in order to draw attention to the different ways that legal professionals and interpreters perceive the role of the interpreter. The results also highlight some differences in perception of role and between Auslan interpreters and spoken language interpreters. This paper aims to
analyse and compare the differing views and concerns of legal professionals, spoken language interpreters and Auslan interpreters. Finally this paper emphasises the need for discussion between these three groups of professionals as a means of addressing some of the differences in expectations and as an educative process to prepare legal professionals and interpreters for working together in the courtroom.