FBI interpreters learn applications of linguistics skills

Nancy Schweda Nicholson (left) and court interpreter María Pérez-Chambers make a presentation to members of the FBI Language Services Unit.

Language specialists in the FBI Language Services Unit play a pivotal role in assisting special agents with tasks such as interviews with witnesses, informants and victims; interrogations of suspects; interpretation of documents, polygraphs and wiretapped conversations; and in crisis situations, where hostages may be involved.

Since 1990, Nancy Schweda Nicholson, linguistics, has held four workshops for the FBI Language Services Unit as a part of its summer programs at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., and in San Diego and San Antonio.

"The interpreters at these sessions represented a wide variety of working languages, including Chinese, German, Russian and Sicilian. Interpreters were fluent in English and at least one other language. My goal was to teach them the skills and strategies that a consecutive interpreter in any language needs," she said.

A consecutive interpreter is one who translates after someone speaks. Consecutive interpretation is generally used for one-on-one interviews or for witness testimony in court.

The seminars were an education for her as well, she recalled. "I was allowed to attend workshops on such topics as money laundering, terrorism, weapons and international drug trafficking. Learning about FBI operations in turn helped me to better understand the functions, duties and needs of the interpreters.

"The FBI is increasingly becoming an international organization, which frequently depends on the skills of consecutive interpreters. For example, the FBI currently is involved in teaching our system of law enforcement to countries from the former Soviet bloc," she said.

This summer, Nicholson, received a $23,000 grant from the FBI for a two-week Spanish/ English training program on the UD campus. She was assisted by María Pérez-Chambers, a federally certified court interpreter and a 1991 graduate of UD's Interpretation Program.

The 10 women and four men students came to campus from field offices all over the country–from New York to San Diego, from Houston to Salt Lake City, Nicholson said.

The curriculum included such skills as note taking and synthesis, short-term memory improvement, how to be a good listener and public speaking.

"We also emphasized cultural differences and shades of meanings of words in different Spanish-speaking countries," Nicholson said. "For example, 'pato' means 'duck', but it also means 'forklift', or can be a slang expression for 'homosexual' or 'womanizer.' 'Estar pato' means 'to be broke.' Everyone learned from each other regarding colloquial expressions and regionalisms. We also discussed drug and weapons terminology as well as slang in general."

Another segment of the class– scenario-writing and role-playing–was based on the kind of situations that the consecutive interpreters were likely to encounter, Nicholson said, such as interviewing a suspect or victim or receiving an angry complaint call. Some were based on actual cases that the interpreters had worked on, and they were asked to share some of their most challenging experiences on the job. Participants were videotaped and critiqued during these exercises.

Another part of the course dealt with legal issues, terminology and court interpretation. Both instructors are experienced in this field and regularly conduct orientation seminars for prospective court interpreters in Delaware.

In addition, Nicholson was appointed to the Federal Court Interpreters Advisory Board in 1986, has served as a consultant/ trainer for the Federal Judicial Center, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the Administrative Office of the Delaware Courts. Because of her expertise, she has a joint appointment in the Legal Studies Program and teaches "Language and the Law: Court Interpretation" and "Language and Power in the Courtroom." She also has spoken at national and international conferences all over the world, from Japan and China to England and Finland.

Most recently, Nicholson has been asked to help develop a certification test for Spanish/ English interpreters by the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators.

"Applying linguistics, the scientific study of language, to the 'real world' has always been a priority with me. Assisting the FBI interpreters to be more effective in their jobs was a worthwhile experience, and the feedback the course received from the participants was excellent," she said.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder where she majored in French and Spanish, Nicholson received her master's and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University in French and linguistics, joining the University faculty in 1979. From 1987-89, she also served as the first director for the Center for Interpretation and Translation at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and in 1995 was a Fulbright Scholar lecturing and conducting research at the Aarhus School of Business in Denmark.

–Sue Moncure

Photo by JACK BUXBAUM