Abstract:
This paper discusses the importance of language rights issues in court interpreter practice in Kenyan courts. It is argued that often the role of the interpreter is mainly to help maintain a smooth legal process rather than to provide a good understanding of the proceedings for non-English speaking litigants or to guarantee their ‘equitable access to justice’. It is therefore incumbent upon the court interpreter to understand issues related to language rights in courtroom situation. By bringing up examples of the realities that exist in actual practice in the courtroom, the major issues of language rights are explicated. The implication of discussion in this paper is that the court interpreter should be aware of the importance of language rights in courtroom interpretation.
