This study demonstrates that self-interpretation does indeed occur in Kenyan courtroom
proceedings, a situation that necessitates the use of a language other than the regular and official
languages of Kenyan courts. Such language use rendered mostly in terms of self-interpretation
has far-reaching ramifications on the content, facts, style, and meaning predispositions of a
witness’s testimony. Most studies in courtroom communicative interactions, language, and speech
manifestations, have been largely and dominantly sociolinguistic in approach and there is so
much that has been asserted in that dimension. However, this study’s point of departure is that
it seeks to adopt a Translation Studies approach to analyze self-interpreted presentations made
by four witnesses in selected criminal cases at Kisii Law Courts in Kenya. Their self-interpreted
testimonies which constitute the data used in this discussion were collected between October 2020
and June 2021. The testimonies rendered constituted: one murder case in the high court, one rape
case, and two assault cases in the magistrate court. The overarching aim of this study is an attempt
to show that, bilingual litigants, who have habitually and for a long time been regarded as persons
of limited language competence, can in practical renditions be astute self-interpreting persons
in testimony presentation. However, the confrontational experience they undergo throughout
has adversarial effects on the facts of the case and the eventual outcomes of such cases, the
disadvantages of their competence in L2 (the official language of the court) notwithstanding.
Consequently, a translation studies approach, as applied in this paper, offers a framework of
reference through which it is possible to analyze the encumbrances of comprehending legal
procedures, terminology, and propriety which litigants undergo to accentuate meaning shifts,
stem contextual meaning deviations besides the overall factual misrepresentations which emerge
during and as a result of self-interpreted renditions as constrained by the contextual imperatives
of traditional courtroom language.
Nyangeri, A., Omboga, Z , Habwe, J , o'Nyangeri, A , Omboga, Z , Habwe, J , o'Nyangeri, A , Omboga, Z , Habwe, J & o'Nyangeri, A (2024). 2022 - Converting a Litigant Into a Court Interpreter. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/2022-converting-a-litigant-into-a-court-interpreter
Nyangeri, Akungah, et. al. "2022 - Converting a Litigant Into a Court Interpreter" Afribary. Afribary, 10 May. 2024, https://afribary.com/works/2022-converting-a-litigant-into-a-court-interpreter. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Nyangeri, Akungah, Zaja Omboga , John Habwe , Akungah O'Nyangeri , Zaja Omboga , John Habwe , Akungah O'Nyangeri , Zaja Omboga , John Habwe and Akungah O'Nyangeri . "2022 - Converting a Litigant Into a Court Interpreter". Afribary, Afribary, 10 May. 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/2022-converting-a-litigant-into-a-court-interpreter >.
Nyangeri, Akungah, Zaja Omboga , John Habwe , Akungah O'Nyangeri , Zaja Omboga , John Habwe , Akungah O'Nyangeri , Zaja Omboga , John Habwe and Akungah O'Nyangeri . "2022 - Converting a Litigant Into a Court Interpreter" Afribary (2024). Accessed December 21, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/2022-converting-a-litigant-into-a-court-interpreter