Lost in Translation
The mis-translation of ‘playing mah-jong’ in Chinese, as ‘collecting money’ in English, could have sent a man to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Fortunately, Chinese-speaking lawyer and University of Technology Sydney academic, Thomas Chiu, heard the tape of the recorded interview and corrected the translation. The magistrate eventually discharged the man and no conviction was recorded. This case drove Dr Thomas Chiu and his colleague Ian Dobinson to advocate for an overhaul of the system for translation in New South Wales criminal courts. The academics are arguing for increased resources to interpreter services as well as upgraded training and accreditation. Courtroom interpreters are currently required to have Level 3 Professional Accreditation. While there are pamphlets in multiple languages and interpreters readily available in the district courts, there are problems in the local courts. Elissar Mukhtar spoke to, Ian Dobinson, a Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney, and Mr Ba Cang Doan an interpretor for the Vietnamese community.
University of Technology Sydney