Training in video-mediated interpreting in legal proceedings: Modules for interpreting students, legal interpreters, and legal practitioners

In the area of legal interpreting, the use of videoconference technology is now being widely considered as a potential solution for gaining cost-effective and timely access to qualified legal interpreters. The Stockholm programme, the Procedural Rights Roadmap and the Directive on the right to translation and interpreting in criminal proceedings make explicit reference to videoconferencing as a means of gaining access to remotely located interpreters (‘remote interpreting’). Equally importantly, the increasing use of videoconferencing in criminal proceedings, especially cross-border proceedings, furthermore requires interpreters to work in videoconference situations in which the participants are distributed across two or more sites (‘videoconference interpreting’). The questions arising are how the technological mediation through videoconference affects the quality of interpreting; how this is related to the actual videoconference setting and locations of participants and interpreter; whether the emerging forms of video-mediated interpreting are reliable enough for achieving the specific goals of legal communication, and ultimately; what can be done to mitigate potential problems. Against this backdrop, this presentation will report the main findings of the AVIDICUS I project (2008-2011, co-funded by the DG Justice), which was set up to investigate the current extent and quality of video-mediated interpreting in criminal proceedings and with the wider aim of developing specific training (for interpreters and legal practitioners) and formulating initial recommendations for the use of video-mediated interpreting in criminal proceedings. The main findings of the project will be presented as a rationale for the recommendations, which will be subsequently explained.

ISBN:978-1-78068-097-2

Publication year:2012