Globalization has increased the number of individuals in criminal proceedings who are unable to
understand the language of the courtroom and as a result the number of court interpreters has
also increased. But unsupervised interpreters can severely undermine the fairness of a criminal
proceeding. In this innovative and methodological new study Dingfelder Stone comprehensively
examines the multitudes of mistakes made by interpreters and explores the resultant legal and
practical implications. Whilst scholars of interpreting studies have researched the prevalence
of interpreter error for decades the effect of these mistakes on criminal proceedings has
largely gone unanalyzed by legal scholars. Drawing upon both interpreting studies research and
legal scholarship alike this engaging and timely study analyzes the impact of court
interpreters on the right to a fair trial under international law which forms the minimum
baseline standard for national systems.
