published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

This theoretical-empirical thesis compares police interpreting theory with its practice. It has two aims: to establish to what degree court interpreters in the Czech Republic are aware of the theoretical principles and rules of court interpreting, and to determine how this theoretical knowledge is reflected in practice. The theoretical part of the thesis reviews specialised literature and ethical codes that concern court interpreting. Aside from an analysis and a thorough comparison of Czech and foreign ethical codes, this part of the thesis also presents scholarly works and research conducted in the field of court interpreting. The main focus is the role of the interpreter, which is crucial for the work of court interpreters but its definition it not always clear. The empirical part of the thesis takes the form of a qualitative-quantitative study. Two questionnaires were distributed to court interpreters and police officers in the Czech Republic. The questionnaire for interpreters aimed to verify whether, and to what degree, they are familiar with the theoretical principles of their profession and whether these principles apply in practice. This part of the questionnaire used mainly scenarios with open-ended questions, which were also accompanied by close-ended questions with responses based on a...

This theoretical-empirical thesis compares police interpreting theory with its practice. It has two aims: to establish to what degree court interpreters in the Czech Republic are aware of the theoretical principles and rules of court interpreting, and to determine how this theoretical knowledge is reflected in practice. The theoretical part of the thesis reviews specialised literature and ethical codes that concern court interpreting. Aside from an analysis and a thorough comparison of Czech and foreign ethical codes, this part of the thesis also presents scholarly works and research conducted in the field of court interpreting. The main focus is the role of the interpreter, which is crucial for the work of court interpreters but its definition it not always clear. The empirical part of the thesis takes the form of a qualitative-quantitative study. Two questionnaires were distributed to court interpreters and police officers in the Czech Republic. The questionnaire for interpreters aimed to verify whether, and to what degree, they are familiar with the theoretical principles of their profession and whether these principles apply in practice. This part of the questionnaire used mainly scenarios with open-ended questions, which were also accompanied by close-ended questions with responses based on a...

This study examines the historical and contemporary sociolinguistic status of three minority languages, namely Shangani, Kalanga and Tonga in Chiredzi, Plumtree and Binga respectively within the civil courts of Zimbabwe. This research problematizes the issue of language choice and usage in civil courtroom discourse by native speakers of the languages under study. The background to this research endeavor is the historical dominance of English, Shona and Ndebele in public institutions as media of communication even in areas where minority languages are dominant, a situation that has resulted in minority languages having a restricted functional space in public life. Respondents in this research included native speakers of the languages under study who have attended civil courtroom sessions either as accused persons or complainants, members of rural communities including community leaders, court interpreters stationed at Binga, Chiredzi and Plumtree magistrates‟ courts and members of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). Data was also collected from minority language advocacy groups including Tonga Language and Cultural Committee (TOLACCO), Shangani Promotion Trust (SPAT) and Kalanga Language and Culture Development (KLCDA) using semi-structured interviews. In addition, participant observation of civil courtroom proceedings involving native speakers of Kalanga, Tonga and Shangani was done. Documentary analysis of colonial and postcolonial language policies in Zimbabwe was also done. Data was analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Ecology of Language theories. The findings for this research revealed that historically, language policy making in Zimbabwe has impacted negatively on the functional roles of Shangani, Tonga and Kalanga in civil courtroom communication because of the lack of implementation clauses in national constitutions. Furthermore, language attitudes that were analyzed in conjunction with a number of factors including age, demographics, naming of provinces, awareness of constitutional provisions on language and language-in-education policies were found to be key determinant factors influencing the sociolinguistic status of Kalanga, Tonga and Shangani in civil courtroom discourse. Court interpreting and initiatives by language advocacy groups also impacted on the sociolinguistic status of the languages under study in civil courtroom interaction. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Phil. (Language, Linguistics and Literature)

In South Africa there is no legislation defining the role of court interpreters. This has resulted in legal officials (magistrates and judges) forming their own opinions as to what the role of court interpreters is. As such court interpreters find themselves performing tasks that are outside their scope of duties, for example acting as magistrates, in turn compromising their own tasks in the process. The aim of this study therefore is to determine the degree to which the lack of a definition of the role of court interpreters affects the quality of court interpreting. In the study, the researcher was guided by the Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) approach. The research procedures that were followed in the study combined the top-down and bottom-up approaches. In the top-down approach, two legislations, namely, “The Magistrates’ Court Act 44 of 1944 (as amended)” and “The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 93 of 1996 (as amended)”, were examined in order to determine whether the role of court interpreters is defined and, if so, to what extent. In the bottom-up approach, examples of court proceedings were studied in order to determine specific roles that are played by court interpreters during trials. Extracts from transcripts of mechanically-recorded court proceedings were also analysed to establish whether magistrates made any references to the role of court interpreters in these trials. It is hoped that this study will shed more light on the role of court interpreters which could lead to better quality interpreting. / Linguistics / M.A. (Linguistics (Translation studies))

The aim of the present theoretical-empirical thesis is to present the topic of court interpreting for non-native speakers, focusing on criminal proceedings in the Czech Republic. At first, the study looks into the context of Czech court interpreting, taking into account interpreters' tasks in individual stages of criminal proceedings and concentrating on communication situations in which non-native speakers take part. The topic of the second chapter is interpreting for non- native speakers in general. This chapter consists of findings and conclusions of studies published by Michaela Albl-Mikasa as well as other authors who address the topic of conference interpreting through lingua franca. The third chapter looks into interpreting for non- native speakers in the area of court interpreting. It is based on an analysis of findings obtained by lingua franca research in the field of conference interpreting against the background of general court interpreting theories. The empirical part provides a description of research based on hypotheses of a survey carried out by Michaela Albl-Mikasa transferred into the context of Czech court interpreting in criminal proceedings. The aim is to find whether interpreters, judges, state prosecutors, police officers and lawyers use different strategies when...

The aim of this study is to contribute to the existing knowledge about court interpreting in the Czech Republic, focusing on court interpreting as a communication process. The study brings an overview of findings on court interpreting in both the international and Czech context, particularly regarding the definition of court interpreting, its professionalization, institutionalisation, academisation and the fields of research. It subsequently details the specific issues regarding court interpreting in the Czech Republic, i.e. the entities connected with court interpreting, formal conditions of working as a court interpreter, the relevant legislation and ethical codex in the field of court interpreting, the court interpreter's job in practice and a focus on interpreting during criminal trials. Furthermore, the study looks into communicative situations, forms of interpreting, the process of the trial in criminal procedures and the participants in communicative events. The core part of the study includes three case studies conducted on the basis of authentic recordings and the transcription of relevant parts of the interpreted trials in criminal procedures. Each case study consists of a communicative situation analysis, contrastive structural analysis and pragmatic and interaction analysis. These...

This thesis focuses on the process of interpreting and the difficulties faced by interpreters in the Magistrates' Court in Grahamstown, South Africa. More particularly, the thesis seeks to establish whether the constitutional guarantee of language equity can be applied to the courts - given the numerous problems with interpreting. Respondents from different spheres of the legal profession were interviewed in order to ascertain their perspectives on the state of interpreting, problems that are encountered by interpreters and attitudes displayed by other members of the legal profession towards interpreters. The methodology used in the thesis is that of a critical ethnography. As such, the research also has a critical focus, seeking to determine the ideologies and interests of different ):articipants in the legal process. On the basis of the data collected, a number of conclusions are drawn. The first is that interpreting in South Africa is in trouble. The system of interpreting is beset by a number of different problems. This study describes four different types of problems that are faced by interpreters: linguistic problems, environmental problems, training and administrative issues, and poor status in the eyes of the other participants in the legal process. Together the cumulative effect of these problems is the undermining of the principle of equity in the justice system. Finally, the thesis provides various practical and achievable solutions to the problems outlined above, specifically those faced by interpreters. The researcher also critically evaluates the efforts and motives of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

In South Africa there is no legislation defining the role of court interpreters. This has resulted in legal officials (magistrates and judges) forming their own opinions as to what the role of court interpreters is. As such court interpreters find themselves performing tasks that are outside their scope of duties, for example acting as magistrates, in turn compromising their own tasks in the process. The aim of this study therefore is to determine the degree to which the lack of a definition of the role of court interpreters affects the quality of court interpreting. In the study, the researcher was guided by the Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) approach. The research procedures that were followed in the study combined the top-down and bottom-up approaches. In the top-down approach, two legislations, namely, “The Magistrates’ Court Act 44 of 1944 (as amended)” and “The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 93 of 1996 (as amended)”, were examined in order to determine whether the role of court interpreters is defined and, if so, to what extent. In the bottom-up approach, examples of court proceedings were studied in order to determine specific roles that are played by court interpreters during trials. Extracts from transcripts of mechanically-recorded court proceedings were also analysed to establish whether magistrates made any references to the role of court interpreters in these trials. It is hoped that this study will shed more light on the role of court interpreters which could lead to better quality interpreting. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Linguistics (Translation studies))

The masterʼs thesis, divided into theoretical and empirical parts, deals with court interpreting for children and minors. After a short introduction to history, it describes the characteristic of court interpreting with the emphasis on children and minors involved in judicial proceedings. Following chapters focus on court interpreting in the Czech republic, expanding on its description, the related legal framework, required qualification and training of court interpreters. Subsequently, the thesis draws a comparison with training and education of other professionals taking part in proceedings with minors. Furthermore, the state of the art in the Czech republic is also compared to the situation in Belgium where the project CO-Minor-IN/ QUEST was launched and carried out. To our knowledge, it is the first international project on cooperation among major professionals involved in interpreted criminal proceedings with minor participants. The thesis presents a summary of findings concerning communication with children and minors, laying stress on particular patterns of behaviour and conduct that are likely to occur in little and school-age children. The information provided is considered in the context of court interpreting. The thesis puts emphasis on the most significant differences between court...