Stakeholders’ concerns regarding the standard of Sign Language interpretation in Zimbabwe’s Justice System

Implications for access to justice

Abstract

This qualitative study explored three issues regarding courtinterpreting in the justice system of Zimbabwe. First, the articleexamines various stakeholders’ concerns about the quality ofinterpreting in Zimbabwe’s justice system and how it affectsthe rights of Deaf litigants in legal disputes. Second, the articleassesses the application of Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution andrelevant laws applied in courtrooms, as well as the relationshipbetween language and the legal system in Deaf communities.Finally, the article examines the linguistic techniques employed byother participants in the legal system to communicate with Deafpersons and the consequences of inadequate interpreting duringlegal proceedings. The data used methodological and theoreticaltriangulation for data collection and analysis; participants for thestudy were selected using purposeful sampling. First, selectedcritical personnel representing organisations for people who aredeaf, judicial officials and Zimbabwean Sign Language interpretersparticipated in semistructured interviews. Furthermore, focus groupdiscussions were held with individuals with hearing impairmentsto establish their perceptions of the standard of court interpretingin Zimbabwe’s courts. Finally, the standard of Sign Languageinterpreting in courtrooms was evaluated by observing open courtsessions. The collected data were analysed using critical theory inlanguage policy and ethnography of language policy, to understandthe linguistic practices and communication challenges faced byDeaf individuals in Zimbabwe’s justice system. The analysis revealsa shortage of proficient Zimbabwean Sign Language interpreters inZimbabwean courts. Additionally, people who occasionally providedSign Language interpreting services were unqualified to offer suchservices, which caused communication challenges during trialsand confirmed ordinary citizens’ perceptions of the government’scommitment to protecting the language rights of people withhearing disabilities. The researchers suggest that the Zimbabweangovernment and other stakeholders should establish a pool ofinterpreters and allocate funds to train proficient Zimbabwean SignLanguage court interpreters.