After 20 years of experience as an interpreter, I thought I had seen it all. I was so wrong about that. Enter Respondent John Doe, his partner of 20 years and 4 of the most beautiful children I have ever seen, all teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16 years old. At first, I thought, “wow, what a beautiful family.” I would soon realize nothing could be further from the truth!
The male respondent was there for his final hearing and was visually upset. He kept interrupting me, the judge, the government attorney and his own attorney. The judge had begun to go through the exhibits and the respondent didn’t recognize some of the terminology. Additionally, his attorney had mentioned that the respondent was not legally married but that he had been in a relationship with his partner of almost 20 years. John Doe went off on his attorney about that very fact. In his view, they were “legally” married and there was no challenging that very fact. The judge, whose patience was already being tested by John Doe’s behavior, began to lose his patience because of the respondent’s demeanor in the courtroom. Luckily, the defense attorney quickly addressed the court and explained that his client had been a victim of a gunshot to his head years before, was prone to these outbursts, but meant no disrespect to the court.
The court took a recess in order to have John Doe calm down. The defense attorney looked like he wanted to cry! I’ll never forget the way those children looked at their father. I felt so sad and helpless!
Interpreters often face these types of situations in the courtroom. Therefore, it is extremely important that we are able to identify mental health issues, if at all possible. In this case, the defense attorney was able to save the day by effectively presenting his case after a brief postponement, during which he was able to control his client.
After doing a little research about mental health in the courtroom, I found some very interesting facts. If at all possible, the following points will help communication flow more effectively.
- Pre-session is often necessary, if allowed
- Complete focus without interruption (no distractions, i.e. phones ringing)
- Consecutive vs Simultaneous
- Flow management required from the interpreter
- Cross-cultural knowledge
- Post-session desired, if allowed
If you are a mental health interpreter, or a community or court interpreter for that matter, then I recommend a great read: Challenges and Complexities of Mental Health Interpreting, June 1st, 2011, presented by Anita Coelho Diabate, Vice President, International Medical Interpreters Association. In our world, you never know when you may need some guidance and information.
Until next time, be safe, be well, be happy!
The Traveling Interpreter 