The term court interpreter refers to interpreters who have been generally certified to do so by the president of a court. Depending on the federal state of Germany, a state-approved interpreter is also referred to by the court as a liaison interpreter, sworn interpreter, authorized interpreter, publicly appointed interpreter or generally sworn interpreter.
The reform of German penal law is intended to standardize the entry requirements for court-licensed interpreters at the federal level and to introduce a uniform designation for court-licensed interpreters. Accordingly, as part of the implementation of the new regulations of the Law on Court Interpreters, or GDolG, a new designation for court interpreters will be introduced, which will be legally protected: Court Interpreter.
Whenever not everyone in a court case speaks the same language, witnesses or defendants are not sufficiently proficient in German, court interpreters are used. The Professional Association of Interpreters and Translators in Germany estimates that this is the case in every fifth court case.
The job of a court interpreter is to convey the testimony of witnesses and defendants as accurately as possible. This is not limited exclusively to the choice of words, but the emotions must also be relayed. This is particularly important, for example, when distinguishing first or second degree murder, felony murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.
In addition, prosecutors, some judges and others involved in the proceedings often use technical termsthat witnesses or defendants might not immediately understand in their native language. Here, it is sometimes necessary not only to translate word for word, but also to explain and mediate.
This is where the court interpreter’s skills come into play: they must evaluate the client’s educational level and convey what is being said in a way that is understandable and allows for a seamless court session. In doing so, a court interpreter remains impartial, of course. They also have to keep up with the speaking speed of the parties to the proceedings.
A special feature of court interpreters is the interpreting technique. If simultaneous interpretation is required, the court interpreter can only interpret for one party at a time. They interpret what is being said simultaneously with the speaker. In consecutive interpreting, the interpreter uses the note-taking technique and interprets what has been said section by section on the basis of his notes with a time delay to the speaker. This type of interpretation is time-consuming, which is why it is recommended to use simultaneous interpreters in court proceedings.
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