Language and power
Discursive strategies employed by interpreters in Ghanaian district courts
This article investigates the power dynamics at play in interpreter-mediated discourse interactions in the
district courts in Ghana. Using audio recordings of authentic courtroom proceedings, we analyzed the discursive practices
performed by court actors, especially interpreters, and the ways in which these practices signal their power or the lack thereof.
We also examine the way language is employed by dominant actors to intrude on the liberty of less dominant actors in the courtroom
and how this is sometimes resisted by the latter actors. We couch our analyses in Fairclough’s theory of language and power and
Obeng’s theory of language and liberty. Our analysis shows that interpreters in Ghanaian courts are tacitly imbued with an
inordinate amount of power, which is exercised in the service of the courts. The interpreters in our study employ speech acts such
as questioning, scolding and persuading to control the discursive behavior of lay court users (e.g., litigants, witnesses) in
order to ensure efficient court proceedings. These acts impinge on the liberty of litigants as they are not free to engage the
court in a manner suitable to them. This study raises questions about the interpreter’s neutrality and professionalism and its
findings could be useful to those entities interested in improving legal interpreting standards.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Courtroom interpreting
- 2.1Language and the courts in Ghana
- 2.2Literature review
- 3.Theory and methodology
- 3.1Key concepts
- 3.2Data collection
- 3.3Data analysis
- 4.Analysis
- 4.1Judges co-opt interpreters to help manage and control litigants’ interactional output and tempo
- 4.2Interpreters maintain order in the courtroom
- 4.3Interpreters scold litigants for communicative infractions
- 4.4Interpreters educate lay court users on court protocols and acceptable behavior
- 4.5Interpreters engage in turn initiation and repair
- 4.6Interpreters promote court services to court users
- 5.Discussion and conclusions
- Note
-
References
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Cited by (1)
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Obeng, Samuel Gyasi & Akua Asantewaa Campbell
2024.
Repair in Ghanaian judicial discourse.
International Journal of Legal Discourse 9:1
► pp. 33 ff.
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