Court Interpreters View of Language Use in Subordinate Courts in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Abstract

This paper presents the views of the court interpreters about language use in courts in Kenya. Kenya is a multilingual country with over 42 languages. In such a heterogeneous society, language issues in official communication become intricate as those who do not understand the languages designated as official are discriminated against. In the legal sphere, the policy is that English and Kiswahili are the official languages of courtroom communication while interpreters are provided for those who do not understand English. Hence the courts are multilingual in nature and it is against this background of the use of various languages that this paper examines the views of the court interpreter on the various languages used in courtroom communication. A survey design was used in this study. The study population comprised court interpreters from selected subordinate courts in Nyanza province, Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to elect the court interpreters. Data for the study was generated through questionnaire administered to the court interpreters.