Research on the language use of lawyers in court and interpreter-induced alterations and their impact on courtroom communication

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370514
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Kinjo Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: MIZUNO Makiko 金城学院大学, 文学部, 教授 (90388687)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 司法通訳 / 法廷尋問 / 法廷ディスコース / ガイドライン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For interpreter-mediated trials to be fair, equivalence between the original speech and its translation must be guaranteed. The purpose of this study was to analyze how linguistic expressions used by lawyers during court examinations are altered by interpreters and what effects such alterations can have on courtroom communication. Through a questionnaire survey with lawyers and several meetings for discussion with experienced court interpreters and lawyers who deal with many criminal cases, several interpreter-related issues and solutions for some issues surfaced. The findings of this study were compiled into a booklet as guidelines for questioning in court.

Free Research Field

法言語学