Court Interpreter: Lawyer, Psychiatrist, Director or Actor?

Abstract

The significance of the interpreter's role in criminal proceedings is not only underlined by research-based approaches to interpreting, but also by provisions of international and European law. Yet there is not always a concurrent development of adequate training opportunities in court interpretation. The results of a field study conducted in a Viennese criminal court demonstrate that practising court interpreters face numerous challenges in their everyday professional life which they can manage only by means of improvisation. It therefore seems imperative that interpreter training curricula be designed which would take into account the high demands placed upon practicing court interpreters.