Lots of Misses!

Lots of Misses

by Irene Radillo-Díaz

CA and Federally Certified Court Interpreter

What do all of these terms have in common when found in a legal context?

Trial Appropriation

Direction Construe

Lead (verb) Adventure

Characterize Represent

State Quote

Place Interpretation

Calculation Understanding

Conduct (noun) Handling

Heard Identification

Place (verb) Behave

And so many more!

All of these are terms in either their noun or verb form, that can come up in court but importantly for us interpreters, with the prefix “mis-“: mistrial, misdirection, misquote, etc.

You have to be clear on how to interpret the above terms before you add the prefix. And when you do add it, are they easily interpreted into your B language to express wrongly, badly, incorrectly or mistakenly? Is there a rule you can follow to make it easy? Can you come up with additional words that fit this pattern and are heard in court? Share them with us!

(And kudos to our colleague Anabel C. for pointing out this interesting pattern)

Let us know how if you’ve faced others, and how you would tackle these. Share your experiences, and don’t forget to check out our Free Resources and other materials at:

TheConfidentInterpreter.com

Feel free to re-post but make sure you give us credit!

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