How A Court Interpreter Can Help You In A Legal Situation

Juliet D'cruz

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When you are in a foreign country, comprehending what people are saying can be quite challenging. This can prove especially true in the court system. When you need legal assistance and don’t understand the terms or process, how will someone explain it to you if they can’t do it in your own language?

Having a court interpreter to translate for you would be an excellent option to help you get through the stress of understanding, especially since more and more people from other countries are moving to the United States.

It’s difficult for foreigners who have little knowledge of the English language to be in court since some of them don’t know how to express themselves in a way that everyone can understand. As such, a court interpreter’s job is to translate the messages conveyed from one to another. The most important thing about having one is it will help you communicate and speak for yourself. 

Luckily, you can use language translation services – Asian Americans Justice Los Angeles or other similar organizations that can assist you in ensuring flawless translations.

 In this article, we will take a look at how a court interpreter can help you in a legal situation, should you need to find one in the unfortunate event that you do have to visit the courts:

  • Translating Documents

Legal documentation would most likely be issued in the primary language spoken in the country, which will be English if you are in the USA.

The terms and instructions may be more than a foreign language, but adding the language barrier becomes an incredible frustration. To prevent you from signing documents, you should review them first. Explaining what is expected from you and guiding you through the questions would be some of the interpreter’s duties.

Interpreters are trained to accurately translate these legal documents so the person receiving them can understand what they all mean in their own language.

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  • Courtroom Proceedings

Should you find yourself in a court of law for any reason, you would want to understand all that is said and also convey your side of the story to ensure you are heard. But how can this be done when you do not speak English fluently?

Court interpreters will translate the proceedings to you in real-time to be constantly aware of what is said. This is called a simultaneous translation of the information being conveyed.

When you need to testify or give your account of events, you can rest easy knowing the sworn-in court interpreter will accurately convey your facts to the judge, jury, and other courtroom officials. Being cross-examined could be highly stressful, and if you don’t understand what they ask of you or feel that they won’t understand your explanation, instead ask for the assistance of an interpreter.

  • Jury Selection

Although interpreters can’t choose the jury members themselves, they could play a massive role in selecting them.

When jury members are selected, they are interviewed, and they would need to understand what is expected of them. If they too have language barriers that make it difficult to understand, they would need the services of an interpreter as well.

During your trial, you would like to have a jury that will understand everything said in court and all the evidence they are presented with. If they do not understand, you may have a different outcome for your verdict. 

The court will then make sure that any jury member that needs the interpreter to assist them will have one available. This could mean the difference between winning or losing a lawsuit.

  • Translation For The Other Party

It may sometimes happen that you don’t need an interpreter for yourself, but the other party may need one.

This is crucial for the party to understand what you or your lawyer says during cross-examination. If the other person does not understand, they cannot give an accurate answer, and then the facts may become construed.

Having an interpreter on hand to explain to the other party would definitely be a great help during any proceedings or legal meetings between you and them.

To Conclude

Legal or court interpreters are an essential part of the legal system for anyone who needs assistance.

From understanding the documentation to jury selection to courtroom proceedings—these professionals can accurately translate everything into your native language for better understanding. They can accurately guide you through each step in the process.

Without these valuable team members, you may not receive the outcome you hoped for. Make sure to choose a qualified interpreter fluent in your native language to ensure no misunderstandings during any part of the legal process.

This may make all the difference to your case—win or lose.

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