Guide To Interpreter Expert Witness Interrogatories
Introduction
by Andrea K. Smith, CI, CT
July 2005
There may come a time when an interpreter is called upon to provide expert witness testimony during a criminal or civil proceeding. An interrogatory is a list of questions sent to an expert witness, which provide a starting point for the attorneys to use in questioning their expert witness during depositions and courtroom testimony. The interrogatory may also serve to qualify you as an expert in your field.
The following is a sample interrogatory that was given to me during a mock trial situation and a sampling of the answers I wrote in response. The case in question involved a civil suit between deaf hospital patients and the lack of interpreting services provided by the hospital. The questions that appear on an interrogatory will vary depending on the nature of the case for which you are being asked to testify.
I have included explanations for why my colleagues and I chose to word our responses in a particular way. Constructing an appropriate response depends on your understanding the goal and intended use of the responses you give. A complete explanation of interrogatories is beyond the scope of this particular work. The information that follows is meant to be an additional resource. It is not intended to be the definitive body of knowledge on this subject.
Please be sure that you craft your own responses for any "real" interrogatories. You may use this material for your personal use, but do not publish or quote without written authorization from Andrea K. Smith.
To help guide you through the interrogatory, I have broken the sample material into three main categories:
Personal Information
General Knowledge
Specific Knowledge
To help guide you through the interrogatory, I have broken the sample material into three main categories. Each section provides an introduction to the materials and links to more specific information. Please use the navigation links to the left to explore each section of the interrogatory in-depth.
About the Author
Andrea K. Smith has been providing professional freelance interpreting services since 2000. She has published several articles on interpreting and language in various journals. Andrea currently resides in Washington D.C with her husband and cats.
Disclaimer:
These sample interrogatory materials are provided "AS IS" for reference purposes only. If you have been asked to act as an expert witness, please be sure that you craft your own responses for any "real" interrogatories. You may use this material for your personal use, but do not publish or quote without written authorization from Andrea K. Smith.
Copyright Notice:
This article is copyrighted by Andrea K. Smith. You may print one copy for personal use. Please contact Andrea for re-print permission if you would like to publish or re-distribute this article online or in print. Thank you.