Police intralingual translations of complainants’ statements in South Africa: From interviewing to collaborative record construction of a legal text

Abstract

A civilian complainant's first encounter with an officer at a local police station in South Africa is an example of an event in which language, translation, narrative, power, law and criminal justice are all interconnected. Statements written by officers during these sessions form the basis of any further legal action and are a critical aspect of the law. In discharging this function, officers act as both intralingual and inter-lingual translators (Harding & Ralarala, 2017:158).