Supreme Court case continues despite more than 200 interpreter errors

 

Supreme Court case continues despite more than 200 interpreter errors

• DP Singh Bhullar Wade Stephens

• ABC Mildura-Swan Hill

• dd

Sun 18 Jan

Experts warn there is a risk of burnout in the court interpreting profession. (Supplied: Pexels/Dpsinghbhullar

A Victorian Supreme Court trial is forging ahead with amended transcripts after an interpreter made more than 200 translation errors during a key witness's evidence.An Arabic-speaking witness gave evidence in court in 2024 through an interpreter in a case involving 12 charges against a man, including seven counts of aggravated servitude. After the evidence was heard, the accused engaged a different Arabic interpreter to review the transcripts.The second interpreter identified more than 200 errors in the original translation, including 100 alleged mistakes they believe created harm or prejudice.The interpreter who made the errors is an award-winning interpreter certified through the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

The court resolved to continue the hearing with an amended transcript showing the re-interpreted parts of testimony.

However, the process has raised questions about the efficacy and accuracy of interpretations in the legal system.

The judge ruled that the evidence would not be struck out due to its value in determining the outcome of the trial.

He ruled the value of the evidence in an amended state substantially outweighed any danger that it would be unfairly prejudicial, misleading or confusing, or result in undue waste of time.

Omissions will be incorporated into the transcript, additional words spoken by the interpreter will be identified as ignorable by the jury, and incorrect interpretations will be deleted and replaced with the agreed re-interpretation.

The judge ruled that an explanation can and should be given to the jury to assist their understanding of the need for an alternative interpretation.

The court determined that it can be achieved in a satisfactory way while remaining fair to the accused.

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