Abstract:
The role of the court interpreter stirs controversies
anytime it is mentioned especially in legal interpreting. This
study sought to examine the perceptions of legal professionals
towards court interpreters as language rights practitioners.
Language rights in this parlance indicates the interpreter is not
merely seen as a conduit but as one who speaks for the persons
who do not speak English in court. The study used a total of 68
questionnaires distributed to the lawyers, magistrates and
prosecutors in selected subordinate courts in Kisumu County. A
frequency and percentage rating were used to determine the
perception of the legal professionals towards the court
interpreter as language rights practitioners. The parameters
used to gauge language rights were language combination
proficiency, accuracy, omission, interruptions and impartiality.
The study found out that the legal professionals have varied
perceptions on the parameters constituting the language rights
practitioner role of the interpreter.
