Opinion ID: 2633125
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Incorrect and Insufficient Interpretation

Text: The audio recording and the testimony from the suppression hearing indicate that, as the trial court found, Abyei did not adequately translate Redgebol's Miranda rights to him because of her own lack of understanding of the meaning of the rights. Abyei's performance as a translator was also flawed because she interrupted Redgebol, improperly summarized his responses, and did not always effectively explain instructions to him. Abyei, like Redgebol, is an immigrant from Sudan, a country with a legal system that differs greatly from our own. Although Abyei had received training in hospital translations, she testified that she had received no training in police translations, let alone in the particular specifics of Miranda rights. The result was that she too was unfamiliar with the American criminal justice system and the meaning of the Miranda advisement. In the first exchange heard on the audio recording, Abyei said, He's asking if you are an advocate or something? I don't know what it is.  (emphasis added). Abyei's statement of I don't know what it is appears to reflect her own confusion and lack of understanding of the situation faced by Redgebol. At this point, she was not translating something Redgebol had said; rather, the translator here was so unfamiliar with our legal system that she knew neither what a lawyer was nor how that role differed from that of a police officer. Abyei's confusion about the Miranda rights persisted throughout the questioning and was exhibited later at the suppression hearing. During the audio recording, Abyei usually translated Detective Frederickson's statements promptly after he finished speaking in English. However, when Detective Frederickson stated that anything Redgebol said could and would be used against him in a court of law, Abyei paused for the first time in the questioning before translating the officer's statement. After pausing for several seconds, Abyei then said, Ah . . . before finally beginning to translate the advisement to Redgebol. We cannot know for certain why Abyei paused before translating this statement when she translated others without hesitation, but it appears that she herself was struggling to understand the concept of self-incrimination. At the suppression hearing, Abyei still seemed unfamiliar with the Miranda rights. When Redgebol's counsel questioned Abyei about the Miranda right to have a lawyer provided and present during police questioning, Abyei asked in response, That day, a lawyer that very day? and Outside of court anytime, or that very day? In addition, Abyei testified that, like the detective in Aguilar-Ramos, she changed certain words and concepts when she translated the Miranda advisement into Dinka and Arabic. For example, Redgebol was told he could bring a lawyer, rather than that he had a right to have a lawyer present, and that a lawyer would be found for him, rather than appointed, if he could not afford one. Elsewhere, Frederickson asked Redgebol to initial the advisement, and after hearing the translation from Abyei, Redgebol instead wrote out his full first name, implying either that Abyei did not understand this term or that she failed to explain it properly to Redgebol such that he could understand the instruction. Later, Frederickson simply asked Redgebol to sign all the rest of the lines. The audio recording of the police questioning and testimony from the suppression hearing also indicate that Abyei, like the translator in Mejia-Mendoza, did not translate Redgebol's responses verbatim and often interrupted Redgebol while he was talking. Abyei testified at the suppression hearing that she raised her hand at several points to interrupt Redgebol, although with only an audio recording we cannot tell with any certainty when that occurred. However, the audio recording demonstrates that at least once Abyei was not translating all of Redgebol's statements verbatim into English: Frederickson: Okay, so you're willing to talk to me? Redgebol: Yes, I would like. [translation begins while Redgebol is talking and Redgebol continues to speak after Abyei completes her translation] Based on the fact that Redgebol was still speaking during and after Abyei's translation, it is reasonable to conclude that Abyei's statement of Yes, I would like was not a verbatim translation of what Redgebol was saying. Therefore, Abyei did not meet our standard from Mejia-Mendoza that, as a translator, she be sufficiently capable of expressing the substance of the suspect's rights. See 965 P.2d at 781.