Learning from practice: Interpreting at the 11M terrorist attack trial

Abstract

The March 11, 2004 terrorist attack at Madrid's central railway station in Spain led to one of the largest criminal trials of any European country. The attack, known as 11M, had national and international repercussions. One hundred and ninety-two people died and more than one thousand were injured. The trial was complicated because of the vast number of defendants, lay and expert witnesses, and others who participated in the proceedings. Our aim here is to highlight and analyse certain linguistic, cultural, and other extra-linguistic difficulties experienced by the translators and interpreters involved in the 11M trial proceedings. These difficulties included media influence, the intense emotions evoked by the attack and its consequences, and particular technical difficulties in the courtroom. The solutions that were ultimately implemented in order to overcome these difficulties will also be discussed and their effectiveness evaluated. The paper begins by discussing the legal significance of the 11M trial, it then describes the data and methodology used in our analysis, and finally presents some conclusions on this trial's implications for the role interpreters play in Spain's various administrative settings