From the Classroom to the Courtroom: A Guide to Interpreting in the US Justice System by Elena M. de Jongh (review)

From the Classroom to the Courtroom: A Guide to Interpreting in the US Justice System by Elena M. de Jongh is a valuable tool for teachers and students who wish to increase their understanding of the complexities of court interpreting. While legal interpreting is perhaps one of the most challenging areas of interpretation, due to fundamental differences between the US and other world justice systems, this book prepares students to identify and confront difficulties in this field by providing vital information pertaining to the structure and protocol of US court systems as well as the role of interpreters in these systems.

Whereas de Jongh’s book An Introduction to Court Interpreting: Theory and Practice (1992) focuses on interdisciplinary aspects of interpretation theory as well as practice materials, her most recent book highlights systematic legal differences in addition to authentic practice scenarios specifically selected for aspiring court interpreters. The first two chapters of this book serve as an introduction to professional interpreting and an overview of the US court system. In chapter 1, de Jongh explains the importance of linguistic presence in the courtroom as she underlines landmark legislation, such as US ex rel. Negron v. State of New York and the Court Interpreters Act of 1978 that has mandated the use of competent certified court interpreters. This chapter also includes brief segments on the modes of interpreting used in the court and aspects of US legal language. While the first chapter details the conventions and history of legal interpretation, chapter 2 is dedicated to an overview of the structure of the court systems, specifically the differences between federal and state courts. At the end of this chapter the first of several listening activities is introduced.

The audio activities, which are marked by a headset icon and can be found online, may be adapted for interpreting practice. The 11 audio recordings referred to throughout the book range from 4–12 minutes in length and are accompanied by written transcriptions. While most of the recordings are in English, there are two examples of direct and cross-examinations with Spanish speaking witnesses.

The last three chapters of the book are a guide for learning about pretrial hearings, trials, and post judgment proceedings in criminal cases. The authentic documents and transcripts provided in these chapters are designed so students can practice sight, consecutive, and simultaneous interpretation skills. Helpful flow charts and lists that illustrate court proceedings found throughout the second half of the book are useful tools for students to understand complicated details of the US legal system. For example, chapter 3 offers a variety of authentic documents, such as a warrant for arrest, affidavits, and indictments, which can be used for practicing sight translation. These activities are accompanied by a self-evaluation rubric that requires students to record and rate their progress, according to a 1–5 point scale, in categories such as accuracy, comprehensibility, completeness, and delivery.

Suggestions for improvement regarding this text include more explicit rubrics that define student progress at each level on the 1–5 scale, as well as video/audio examples of professional court interpreters. Furthermore, although chapters 3–5 provide numerous activities and audio recordings designed for student practice, the text lacks information on specialized legal terminology. For example, in the first chapter of the book de Jongh points out characteristics of spoken “legalese,” such as archaic language usage, doublets and triplets (“aid and abet”; “possession, custody and control”), and Latin phrases, but there are no follow up activities or vocabulary lists that specifically address these linguistic nuances. The omission of specialized legal terminology guides becomes more problematic when considering the limitations of the glossary that comes at the end of the book. Given the book’s abbreviated legal glossary, the author does provide a bibliography of selected dictionaries and references that are suggested for further...