Posted by Elena
The Phnom Penh Post.blogs
After writing my blog post about translation at the tribunal last week, I received a copy of this piece written by Kok-Thay Eng from the Documentation Center of Cambodia. He raises some good points that, given my lack of translation experience, I would not have considered. I've pasted his thoughts below:
I have had some experience translating the Khmer Rouge historical and legal documents at DC-Cam. With so much pressure, the interpretation/translation team at the ECCC has been hard at work doing their jobs.
Translation/interpretation can only be as good as the original statement. My experience in translating interview transcripts suggests that speech in Khmer tend to be incomplete or missing information, especially speech by villagers and traumatized victims. Only people who are familiar with their stories can follow. When a translator tries to replicate this in the target language, listeners might feel it is a translation mistake when in fact that was how it is stated in the original. In addition, as much as Cambodia is going through political and social transitions, Khmer language is also being transformed through trade, the media, civil society interactions and international politics. New ideas and concepts are everywhere in Cambodia , which are not settling down. Both translators and readers are trying to catch up. In Khmer language there is no consensus on legal terminology. I believe that in English, there is such consensus since modern laws have been widely practiced and concepts are written, discussed and used in many formats over and over. Therefore interpreting legal speech from Khmer to English can be daunting because original language might not be clear enough. Interpretation from English to Khmer can also be difficult because the listeners in Khmer might not understand interpreted legal concepts. Of course there are law dictionaries but in special cases confusions can happen.
However, having said that there are a few ways that interpretation at the ECCC might be improved. The interpreters at the ECCC should study speech patterns of people who speak often at the ECCC. They should also study those people's views, positions and their frequently used terminologies. For example, they should study Duch's case file, his biography, the way he speaks, the prison system and related legal terminologies for his particular case. Different interpreters should specialize in different people. Interpreters should also try to anticipate court discussions. In addition, one should also recognize that beyond a certain period of simultaneous/consecutive interpretation, the interpreter can get confused. At this point shift should be made. As much as the interpreters are trying their best to help the communication within the courtroom, legal personnel in the court should also simplify their speech and be as precise as possible.
The translation issues at the ECCC highlight the vital role of the translation/interpretation works for the functioning of the court. It should be treated as a very important element in the court process. Translator/interpreter also needs trainings as much as other personnel at the court do. There are always mistakes in the interpretation/translation if we try to find them.
I have had some experience translating the Khmer Rouge historical and legal documents at DC-Cam. With so much pressure, the interpretation/translation team at the ECCC has been hard at work doing their jobs.
Translation/interpretation can only be as good as the original statement. My experience in translating interview transcripts suggests that speech in Khmer tend to be incomplete or missing information, especially speech by villagers and traumatized victims. Only people who are familiar with their stories can follow. When a translator tries to replicate this in the target language, listeners might feel it is a translation mistake when in fact that was how it is stated in the original. In addition, as much as Cambodia is going through political and social transitions, Khmer language is also being transformed through trade, the media, civil society interactions and international politics. New ideas and concepts are everywhere in Cambodia , which are not settling down. Both translators and readers are trying to catch up. In Khmer language there is no consensus on legal terminology. I believe that in English, there is such consensus since modern laws have been widely practiced and concepts are written, discussed and used in many formats over and over. Therefore interpreting legal speech from Khmer to English can be daunting because original language might not be clear enough. Interpretation from English to Khmer can also be difficult because the listeners in Khmer might not understand interpreted legal concepts. Of course there are law dictionaries but in special cases confusions can happen.
However, having said that there are a few ways that interpretation at the ECCC might be improved. The interpreters at the ECCC should study speech patterns of people who speak often at the ECCC. They should also study those people's views, positions and their frequently used terminologies. For example, they should study Duch's case file, his biography, the way he speaks, the prison system and related legal terminologies for his particular case. Different interpreters should specialize in different people. Interpreters should also try to anticipate court discussions. In addition, one should also recognize that beyond a certain period of simultaneous/consecutive interpretation, the interpreter can get confused. At this point shift should be made. As much as the interpreters are trying their best to help the communication within the courtroom, legal personnel in the court should also simplify their speech and be as precise as possible.
The translation issues at the ECCC highlight the vital role of the translation/interpretation works for the functioning of the court. It should be treated as a very important element in the court process. Translator/interpreter also needs trainings as much as other personnel at the court do. There are always mistakes in the interpretation/translation if we try to find them.
6 comments:
The translation is the worst of all time.There are plenty of khmer people who can speak perfectly English and khmer with no accent whatsoever.Why not employing those people ?
This is not our tribunal, therefroe they did not use the "Khmer" descents.
I watched one of Duch's session in the ECCC court, this Cambodian lawyer questioned Duch. She spoke in Khmer real fast like she's in a rush and no time left for her she even forgot to breath and her questions really long……I found it difficult to understand her in Khmer…..and the interpreter was really struggling…….the lawyers should talk clearly and at a speed that people can understand……I've seen a few Khmer lawyers which when they talk I find it hard to understand what they are trying to explain.
Judge Lovell, the French judge…….he understands and speaks slowly when he questions and always keeps his questions short. This is what it should be.
And yes they should find a more qualified interpreters....
I received a copy of this piece written by Kok-Thay Eng from the Documentation Center of Cambodia.
I'm wonderring about Kok-Thay Eng is he related to Kok Tay Ky? I used to go to school with him at Lycee Yukanthor and he left the country to France before Khmer krahorm took over our country.
People who speak both English and Khmer well, could not always translate from one language to another accurately. This skill need to be trained and the interpreter has to understand well the context he/she is working with. Translation from European languages to Khmer is a big challenge. We can see this in Hollywood movie dubbed in Khmer.
So to be effective the ECCC has to find skillful interpreters, not only people who can speak English.
Translating is hard for me, period. And I think I am capable of going in and out fluidly from English to Khmer and Khmer to English vice versa. Since I speak Khmer naturally with Battambang speech standard, I always feel confident with my ability of using Khmer. I make sure that I read Khmer-language Newspapers as much as I can to develop vocabulary. To be s better speaker of English, I took accent-reduction class and studied English grammar, vocabulary from books and read as much as I can in English.
However, when I was asked to translate something "official", I was really nervous and my fear of not being correct overtook me while my common sense thinking ability just ran out the door. For example, I was asked to translate at a discussion group from Khmer into English one time. I got so nervous, and everything was said so rapidly. I didn't jot down the key words fast enough and misinterpreted many things just to hide my incompetency. I still remember that day until now. This is like over a decade ago. I remember how the speakers of English was looking at me and at one point asked me for a clarification because so many words were spoken in Khmer, while I only translated the statement into English using only very few words. I was so sweaty and nervously explained that I summarized the original statement for easy communication purposes. Actually, the spoke Khmer was so fast that I was actually didn't even understand what was the intended main message. I think a translator should not be fearful to ask the speaker to repeat. In closing, I just want to say that translating job is not that easy to some people. However, gifted bilingual/multilingual people can handle it with ease.
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