Fundamentals of Court Interpretation: Theory, Policy and Practice

by Roseann Dueñas González, Victoria F. Vásquez, Holly Mikkelson

This volume explores court interpreting from legal, linguistic, and pragmatic vantages. It standardizes practice among court interpreters by providing useful guidelines for the judiciary, attorneys, and other court personnel. Because of the growing use of interpreters, there is an increasing demand for guidelines on the proper utilizations of court interpreters. This book has become the standard reference book worldwide.

1612 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 1991

Reviews

[Tom Law]

To say that this volume is comprehensive is an understatement. The authors have done a masterful job of covering the entire spectrum revolving around court interpretation. This not only includes those elements which are particularly germane to the field, but the backstory, tangential elements, and possible areas of improvement. As such the book is overwhelming.

Anyone who picks up the book to read it from cover to cover is doing the book a disservice. That is not its designed purpose. It is a reference book for anyone who is remotely connected to the legal system and, in particular, to the interpreting world within that system. Each chapter, and some sections, are designed as stand-alone treatises on the subject matter covered. This allows the student, interpreter, or legal system employee to find and understand a particular area of interest without having to wade through hundreds of pages of superfluous, to their particular issue, material. (The Table of Contents is massive for easy access to particular subject matter.)

As such is should be in every legal library and at the fingertips of anyone who works in the legal system, especially those related to the area of interpreting.

Although designed for the world of interpreting within the legal system, given its comprehensive nature it is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the field of interpreting in general. The authors systematically explain the various methods, elements, and venues of the interpreting world. They analyze the issues most critical to each of these areas and contrast them with the needs of the legal system. In doing so, they create a tremendous base for those who are interested in interpreting, not just interpreting in the court system.

Therefore, even those who are interpret or intend to interpret in other venues should strongly consider having this resource available for their perusal as needed – and it will be needed.