Using Temporary Interpreters in Mock Forensic Interviews

Abstract

This study investigated the use of temporary interpreters in forensic interviews. Chinese–Japanese proficient bilinguals (N = 30) were asked to interpret a victim statement (Chinese to Japanese) and then attend a mock suspect interview where the investigator’s utterances (Japanese to Chinese) and suspect’s utterances (Chinese to Japanese) were interpreted. The cognitive load of interpreting (the length of utterances) and workload of interpreting (comparing one-interpreter and two-interpreter conditions) were investigated. In addition, the categories of information (time, place, agent, object, and action) were analyzed. Results indicated that the longer the utterances, the more often omissions occurred; however, no differences were found between one-interpreter and two-interpreter conditions, suggesting that the cognitive load is responsible for omission during interpreting. In addition, orienting information (i.e., time and place) was more likely to be omitted than other kinds of information. Problems encountered when using temporary interpreters are discussed.