Maslovskaya E.V. Legal Translation: Professional Activities at the Periphery of the Juridical Field. Russian Journal of Legal Studies (Moscow). 2022. Vol. 9. No. 2. Pp. 65-74. Doi: 10.17816 ...

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://journals.eco-vector.com/2410-7522/article/view/105185/pdf (дата обращения 19.08.2022)

Abstract

The relevance of this topic is defined by growing involvement of legal interpreters in legal proceedings. The aim of the article is to study the peculiarities of professional activities of interpreters in criminal legal proceedings involving migrants from post-Soviet states. The article analyzes the main characteristics of the field of legal translation, reveals the peculiarities of recruitment of legal interpreters and their interaction with the procedural parties in courts of different jurisdiction. The theoretical framework of the study is a composition of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theory, including his analysis of the juridical field, and contemporary approaches of anthropology of professions. The main empirical methods include semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation. In the article a conclusion is made about weak structuring of the field of legal translation and predominance of precarious employment of actors of this field. The article singles out the criteria of stratification of legal interpreters. According to the results of the study, legal interpreters follow informal rules which have been formed in the process of their everyday interaction with their main clients – law enforcement bodies. It is demonstrated how the institutional and sociocultural contexts influence professional activities of interpreters. The author analyzes forms of interaction of interpreters with procedural parties and the judge demonstrating the costs of communication between interpreters and different actors of the juridical field. The study revealed structural and epistemic disagreements between jurists and interpreters. Research data demonstrate that in fact interpreters are not full-fledged actors of the juridical field but they fulfill a technical function within that field. The revealed problems could be solved as a result of institutionalization of the expert position of court interpreters and special training for jurists for working in cases involving interpreters.

Content (in russ)