Lost in Translation

He approached the stand hesitantly, like a grown man moving with the uncertain steps of a child left alone in a crowded place. The interpreter met him there, gently placing the earpiece that would be his only tether to the proceedings. His eyes darted between the judge and the interpreter's face, seeming to be searching for reassurance.

The judge asked, “Why weren’t you here last time?”

The man turned to the interpreter, then answered with a mix of broken English and desperate Spanish, “I didn’t know I was supposed to come.” The interpreter then announced it to the court in “perfect” English. 

The judge, who remained calm throughout the majority of the cases today, suddenly raised his voice, “You know you were supposed to come. Even though we don’t give out notices, you know you were supposed to come. Why didn’t you come?” 

The man’s face looked even more confused. 

Towards the end of his trial, the judge asked for his address. The scene repeated itself. The man turned to the interpreter, answered in Spanish, and then the interpreter announced it to the court. Except this time, she made a mistake. I felt chills running down my spine until the judge himself clarified, “3rd or 13th street?” 

When they finally scheduled a new appointment and dismissed him, he left the courtroom, looking just as uncertain as when he first entered. 

I knew nothing about this man. He didn't resemble my father in face or stature. But he reminded me of him profoundly. My dad is a successful man who carries our family on his shoulders. The only time his vulnerability creaked through was at customs, where he was interrogated in a foreign tongue, and I had to become his interpreter. This man in the courtroom could be a father, a son, or a husband, now reduced to a criminal defendant, who is put in a system that has no sympathy or patience for his struggle. 

In today's political climate, where immigrants are increasingly targeted, it is disheartening to watch them struggle for not being fluent in a language foreign to them, on a land that had no official language until this year. If you are an immigrant and are encountering struggles with the legal system, you can reach out to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) or, locally, the free immigration services provided by Catholic Charities Community Services of Dutchess County.