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Article published In: Interpreting
Vol. 26:1 (2024) ► pp.55–79

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Language and power

Discursive strategies employed by interpreters in Ghanaian district courts

 | University of Ghana
 | Indiana University
Published online: 24 November 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.00099.cam
Abstract
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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2025. Linguistic Politics and Nation-Building in Contemporary Ghana: Re-engaging the Debate on African Literary Writings. In Shifting Sociolinguistic Terrains in Postcolonial Anglophone African Literary Writings [African Histories and Modernities, ], ► pp. 245 ff. DOI logo
Obeng, Samuel Gyasi & Akua Asantewaa Campbell
2024. Repair in Ghanaian judicial discourse. International Journal of Legal Discourse 9:1 ► pp. 33 ff. DOI logo

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