Interpreting Wiretapped Conversations in the Judicial Setting: Descriptive Analysis and Operating Methodology

Abstract

The task of an interpreter of wiretapped conversations is hard and complex from various standpoints. Without entering into considerations about the current legal framework or deontological reflections on interpreting in judicial settings, in this paper we will focus on purely methodological features which characterise this kind of assignment, such as the hybridisation of operating modes, the constant variability of the parties involved, the diversification of tasks or the consequent readjustment of the interpreter to goals that are set during the investigation and which impose continuous changes in his/her working strategy. We will present some introspective considerations which result from the analysis of the interpreter’s role during wiretapped conversations. Starting from our professional experience, the goals of this study are: identifying the interpreting procedures applied during wiretapped conversations, analysing the extra- and intra-contextual elements of this communicative situation, examining the parties involved, their tasks and functions and, finally, suggesting some methodological recommendations meant to assist interpreters involved in this difficult task.