Court Opinion

ID: 9772701
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:27:13.256142+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:47.097164
License: Public Domain

YANEZ, Justice,
dissenting.
The right of an accused to have trial proceedings interpreted in a language he can understand is a part of the constitutional right of confrontation. U.S. Const, amend. VI; Tex. Const. art. 1, § 10; Baltierra v. State, 586 S.W.2d 553, 558 (Tex.Crim.App.1979).
By point of error two, appellant complains that he was denied a certified interpreter and he was denied a “word-by-word” translation during his trial. Appellant complains that his interpreter provided him inadequate translation. In this case, the trial court appointed the bailiff as appellant’s interpreter. Apparently, the regular interpreter was unavailable. Initially, the parties agreed that the bailiff was competent. Unfortunately, during the course of trial appellant realized that he did not understand all of the testimony. He, therefore, objected that the bailiff was not providing an adequate translation, and he asked the trial court to put the bailiff on the stand for questioning.
There is no indication in the record, however, that the trial court allowed appellant to question the bailiff or have a hearing on the interpreter’s adequacy. On two separate occasions, appellant again complained about the interpreter’s adequacy and asked for another to be appointed. The trial court denied the requests. The trial court stated on the record that the bailiff was bilingual and “he is competent and in my experience I think he’s able to communicate to the defendant what is happening in this trial.” The trial court, however, made this determination without hearing from appellant or the bailiff and without an inquiry of any kind.
Questions regarding the appointment and performance of translators are legal questions concerning rights guaranteed by the United States and Texas Constitutions— rights ensuring that an individual defendant has a fair trial. Garcia v. State, 887 S.W.2d 862, 875 (Tex.Crim.App.1994). As issues of law, these questions are reviewable by appellate courts. Id. The Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the appointment of interpreters. Tex.Code CRIM.PROcAnn. art. 38.30 *166(Vernon Supp.1995). Article 38.30 also provides that
[i]n the event that the only available interpreter is not considered to possess adequate interpreting skills for the particular situation or the interpreter is not familiar with the use of slang, the person charged or witness may be permitted by the court to nominate another person to act as intermediary between himself and the appointed interpreter during the proceedings.
Id. The statute does not, however, provide guidance as to how the trial court should determine competency or adequacy. It also does not provide a mechanism for removing an unacceptable translator. Yet, we must read the statutory provisions together with a defendant’s constitutional right to confrontation. Therefore, we must review whether appellant’s translator was adequate and whether appellant was properly afforded his right to confrontation.
We have previously held that the trial court has no duty to interrogate the interpreter to determine his qualifications. Montoya v. State, 811 S.W.2d 671, 673 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1991, no pet.). If there is a question concerning a translator’s qualifications, a defendant should object and make a record. Id. Here, appellant objected no fewer than three times, but was denied the opportunity to present his claim or make a record. We have also held that the question of a translator’s competence is a question for the court, and will be reversed only for an abuse of discretion. Montoya, 811 S.W.2d at 673.
Although during trial appellant was unable to question the bailiff about the translations, appellant did question him during his new trial hearing. Concerning his translations to appellant, the bailiff testified that “I tried my best, not word for word, but I tried my best for him to understand.” The bailiff also stated that there were times when appellant told him that he did not understand, but that he translated the “essence” of the testimony. The bailiff also conceded that sometimes his translations were “not accurate,” but that he would “summarize” what the witnesses were saying. The bailiff stated that this occurred because the witnesses spoke too fast. Appellant also testified that he did not always understand what was being translated.
The majority agrees that criminal defendants are entitled to simultaneous translation of court proceedings, but finds that no error was preserved in this case. I disagree. Appellant clearly objected to the translator’s inadequacy and continued mistranslation. When a defendant objects to the adequacy of his interpreter, it is the duty of the court to make an inquiry into the difficulty. It is incumbent on the trial court to make a determination at the time of objection because of the right to confrontation. If it is later discovered that translation was inadequate or the translator incompetent, a defendant’s right to confrontation would have been diminished.
If the trial court has not yet made an initial determination of the translator’s qualifications, he should do so at the time of defendant’s objection. Upon this adequacy objection, an independent determination should be made concerning the translator’s competence. See Montoya, 811 S.W.2d at 673. The trial court should consider the interpreter’s knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education in language and translation before deciding whether the interpreter is competent. See Tex.R.CRIM.Evid. 702; cf. Fed.R.Evid. 604 and 701 (court interpreter subject to qualification as an expert); 28 U.S.C.A' § 1827 (1994) (establishing qualifications and prescriptions for certified interpreters).
After determining that the interpreter is competent, the trial court must then make an inquiry into appellant’s adequacy objection. Only after a hearing on appellant’s objection should the trial court make a ruling; it is an abuse of discretion not to make such an inquiry. After hearing testimony or other evidence on appellant’s objection, the trial court should either appoint another translator or permit the defendant to nominate another person to act as intermediary between himself and the appointed interpreter during the proceedings.
In this case, appellant was granted neither option. Further, he was denied the opportunity to present his complaint to the trial *167court. As previously discussed, the bailiff stated that he summarized and translated the testimony in its “essence.” The constitutional right to confrontation requires more.
An interpreter should be totally impersonal. That is, his role is merely that of a conduit from the primary witness to the trier of fact. As such, he should not aid or prompt the primary witness in any way, nor should he merely render a “summary” of what the primary witness has stated. Instead, as far as possible, he should translate word for word exactly what the primary witness has said. When an interpreter is employed, he must fully, completely, and accurately translate questions and answers.
75 Am.JuR.2d Trial § 234 (1991). Likewise, a criminal defendant is entitled to an adequate word for word translation.
This case presents a serious constitutional concern. Although appellant complained of his inadequate interpreter and offered to present evidence, no independent adequacy determination was conducted. Although appellant asked for another interpreter, none was given and no alternative was offered. Appellant was not given a word for word translation of his trial nor was he given another interpreter or an intermediary; he merely heard the “essence” of trial testimony. These circumstances did not give appellant the opportunity to fully know or understand what was happening at his trial. Review of such facts is limited because neither the court nor appellant can know what testimony was missed if the translator only summarizes the testimony. A defendant is unquestionably harmed when he is not allowed to show that his court appointed interpreter is inadequate. A defendant, furthermore, should not be required to continue with an interpreter who consistently mistranslates a witness’ statements. See Garcia, 887 S.W.2d at 875 n. 2.
A defendant who is subjected to ineffective translation must “guess” at what is going on around him. An atmosphere is created where the defendant is hindered in effectively assisting his own defense, a milieu worthy of Kafka but unworthy of this court’s imprimatur:
Naturally, therefore, the records of the case, ... were inaccessible to the accused and his counsel, ... consequently one did not know with any precision, what charges to meet; ... accordingly it could be only by pure chance that it contained really relevant matter_ [Ejvidence ... could be guessed at from the interrogations. In such circumstances the Defense was naturally in a very ticklish and difficult position.
FRAnz Kafka, The TRIAL, 144 (Willa and Edwin Muir, trans., Random House 1956) (1937) (emphasis added).

El Hombre Invisible

ésta es la palabra, yo no soy superior a mi hermano pero sonrío, porque voy por las calles y sólo yo no existo, la vida corre como todos los ríos, yo soy el único invisible.

Pablo NeRuda, Odas Elemantales, 8 (1980).
Defendants are entitled to competent, adequate translators during their trials. Appellant was denied his right to confrontation in this case. I would, therefore, reverse the trial court judgment and remand for a new trial.