Boleng le seemo sa botšhomolodi mo Kgotlatshekelo ya Magiseterata wa Mmabatho mo Porofenseng ya Bokone-Bophirima ya Aforika Borwa : Patlisiso ya Tobiso

Abstract

In this dissertation the researcher offers a first qualitative case study of the state and quality of Court Interpreting (CI) at the Mmabatho Magistrate Court (MMC) situated in Mahikeng, North West Province, South Africa, making it an original contribution on this particular subject. The MMC is a typical South African magistrate court with jurisdiction to try all crimes except treason. It is also set in a language environment which, in the context of multilingual South Africa, can ill-afford to conduct proceedings in one language only (mainly English), as this would disadvantage defendants who are only fluent in their mother-tongue. In order to ensure fairness and justice in trials therefore, it is absolutely necessary to have quality court interpreting services in place. The study relies largely for its theoretical framework on several models proposed by Lebese (2015) for evaluating CI, mainly the Helper, Conduit and Communication Facilitator Models. Data to this end have been collected through interviews, questionnaires and actual court proceedings for observation purposes, and these have processed through the Atlas.ti analytical instrument. The study closes with recommendations with regard to training needs, qualification, experience as well as working conditions requirements for court interpreters to ensure quality services.