What is it about?
This study examines how Hong Kong court interpreters use Cantonese particles like "gam" and "na" to manage interactions, control turn-taking, and adjust tone during trials. It highlights interpreters’ strategic use of language to ensure clear and effective courtroom communication.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because it highlights the critical role of interpreters in ensuring fair and effective communication in bilingual courtrooms. By examining the strategic use of Cantonese utterance particles, it reveals how interpreters manage interactions, assert authority, and adapt the tone of exchanges during trials. These findings deepen our understanding of the intersection between language and law, emphasizing the significance of linguistic strategies in maintaining clarity, fairness, and efficiency in legal proceedings. This knowledge is vital for improving interpreter training and fostering equitable multilingual legal systems.
Perspectives
This publication holds special significance for me because it bridges my interests in linguistics, culture, and justice. While working on this study, I was struck by how something as subtle as utterance particles can have such a profound impact on courtroom communication and fairness. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the skill and strategy interpreters employ to navigate high-stakes legal settings, often under immense pressure. This research has inspired me to continue exploring how language functions in complex, multilingual environments and to contribute to improving linguistic equity in legal systems.
CECILIA WONG
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Corpus-driven study of interpreters’ use of Cantonese utterance particles in sentence-initial position in
bilingual courtroom discourse, Babel Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation / Revista Internacional de Traducción, February 2025, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/babel.24130.won.
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