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The Silenced Interpreter: A Case Study of Language and Ideology in the Chinese Criminal Court

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Abstract

Language-related right in the legal proceedings is mostly associated with access to interpreting. Literature on the bilingual courtroom primarily centres on the role of interpreters in the intercultural communication. This paper, drawing on discourse analysis of a case study in a Chinese criminal court, investigates the atypical role played by an interpreter when she ceases to be an active participant in the bilingual interaction. It discusses how language ideology underlying the judicial practice could transform the role of the interpreter and convert the bilingual arterial into a monolingual one. Situating the analysis in the wider social and legal context of Chinese criminal justice system, this paper attempts to explain and interpret the judicial behaviour to keep the interpreter silent and the impact on the language rights enjoyed by the minority-language-speaking defendants.

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Notes

  1. Specificities related to the trial are adapted for the purpose of maintaining anonymity.

  2. Interpretation is provided to Hakka-speaking defendants in other cases as well.

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Dr. Janny Leung and Prof. Chris Hutton for their valuable comments on the draft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, No. 2 Baiyun Avenue North, Guangzhou, 510420, China

    Biyu Du

  2. School of English, The University of Hong Kong, Room 735, Run Run Shaw Tower, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China

    Biyu Du

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  1. Biyu Du
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Correspondence to Biyu Du.

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Du, B. The Silenced Interpreter: A Case Study of Language and Ideology in the Chinese Criminal Court. Int J Semiot Law 28, 507–524 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-015-9431-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-015-9431-z

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