One of the most common proceedings I interpret is the vehicular accident deposition. The line of questioning is pretty standard. The responses are a bit more varied. But here is one response that I have heard three times now. And every time I hear it, I smile quietly to myself.
Question: What street were you driving on when the impact occurred?
Response: XYZ Street.
Question: How many lanes are there on XYZ Street?
Response: Two. One in each direction.
Question: What lane were you driving in?
Response: The middle one.
I was interpreting at the court last week, the boy on trial had a very good English, so I was there only if any clarification would be needed, and for two witnesses. Everything was fine until the prosecutor started… Very tough woman… As you can imagine. At one point she said something and he answered in a way that I could see he didn’t understand. But he didn’t know he didn’t understand. I did and I couldn’t help myself – I raised my hand and said to him – she meant this… Oh my, you should see the prosecutor! I apologized immediately, but she was furious! Luckily the judge was a very calm and understanding person, softly telling me I should only speak when I am asked, so it was ok, but the prosecutor definitely wasn’t happy! Oh well, I know now… Sometimes a human being comes before a professional.. Veronika Opočenská Freelance Interpreter Czech and Slovak to English