No puedes hablar ahora: Voice in an interpreter-mediated court meeting

Abstract

In interpreter-mediated encounters, one participant's contributions are multivoiced, other participants' contributions are collectively produced, as the interpreter mediates their words. It is interesting what mediation does to their voice, and even more relevant if participants speak in ways deviating from local norms. This paper offers a case study of an interpreter-mediated court meeting. I discuss how a courtroom interpreter handles the accused's contributions, what consequences the interpreter's choices have, and what it adds to our understanding of voice. I argue that speaking and being heard “in one's own terms” is not necessarily the most beneficial to less powerful institutional participants.