Interpreting, translating or investigating? Framing the competences of a hybrid translational field: intercept interpreting.

When monitoring suspected criminals' communications by bugging telephones, apartments or cars, the police collect information for ongoing investigations and the later proceedings in court. If foreign-language-speaking suspects are involved, intercept interpreters are indispensable for police work. I...

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Published in:Perspectives: Studies in Translatology Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 615 - 634
Main Authors: Griebel, Cornelia, Havelka, Ivana
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jun2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        10.1080/0907676X.2024.2305376
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      aug:
        au:
          Griebel, Cornelia
          Havelka, Ivana
        affil: Faculty of law, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
      su:
        Wiretapping
        Law enforcement
        Telephones
        Police
        Semi-structured interviews
      sug:
        subj:
          Wiretapping
          Law enforcement
          Telephones
          Police
          Semi-structured interviews
      keyword:
        communication surveillance
        competence model
        Intercept interpreters
        interpreting competence
        legal wiretapping
        translation competence
      ab: When monitoring suspected criminals' communications by bugging telephones, apartments or cars, the police collect information for ongoing investigations and the later proceedings in court. If foreign-language-speaking suspects are involved, intercept interpreters are indispensable for police work. Intercept interpreting is a hybrid translational activity that encompasses elements of interpreting and translation. This article explores the competences and skills required for this activity. It is based on 24 semi-structured interviews with intercept interpreters and police officers and on an observational study conducted in a Swiss police department. Core elements of translation and interpreting competence models are combined to reflect the hybrid nature of the activity. In a qualitative data analysis, we deductively identified typical translation and interpreting sub-competences, while a concurrent inductive analysis allowed us to extend the competence framework by new, specific elements of intercept interpreting. The results show that intercept interpreters not only exhibit special investigative and forensic skills, but that they also have many mental and emotional skills that enable them to carry out their demanding activity.
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    language: English
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      custom: Copyright of Perspectives: Studies in Translatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
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