A Lawyer's Guide to Cross-Cultural Depositions
Copyright © 2003 by Nina Ivanichvili, CEO, All Language Alliance, Inc.
Determine Deponent's Language and Dialect
Counsel should determine the language or dialect the deponent speaks. In selecting an interpreter, it may be necessary to take into account the deponent's national origin. For example, Arabic interpreters sometimes are automatically called to interpret for deponents from anywhere in the Arab world. However, if a deponent is from North Africa, he or she may be more comfortable with a French interpreter. Amharic, Tigrinya, and Oromo are the three languages most widely spoken by Ethiopian immigrants residing in Colorado. Instead of requesting an "Ethiopian" interpreter, it is important to advise the translation company in which language the witness from Ethiopia is fluent.
A professional interpreter may be fluent in a foreign language without knowing all of the dialectal differences within the language. For instance, it is not enough to request a "Chinese" interpreter. There are eight dialects in China, and one Chinese dialect may be practically unintelligible to someone who speaks another dialect. Mandarin is spoken in northern China (Beijing), Taiwan, and Singapore; Cantonese is used in Southern China and Hong Kong and is spoken by many Chinese immigrants to the United States. Knowing in advance the language or dialect in which the deponent is fluent before hiring an interpreter can prevent confusion and delays.
