Court Procedures: Explaining English Criminal Terms to a Russian Defendant
You are the Russian interpreter for a 28-year-old defendant at his first appearance in an English Crown Court. He speaks little English. The judge is about to conduct plea before venue and allocation. The defendant asks you quietly: 'Это же как предварительное слушание в России? И что такое arraignment - мне сейчас зачитают обвинение?' The judge then asks you to explain to the defendant the difference between an either-way offence and an indictable-only offence, and what 'committal' means, because the defendant nodded without understanding. The solicitor is present but busy. The defendant then asks: 'Если я признаю вину, мне дадут меньше? Мне что говорить?' You have 15 minutes before the hearing resumes. You are not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice.
1. How do you explain arraignment, plea before venue, and committal in Russian without giving legal advice?
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I would frame the explanation as language, not advice: 'Я перевожу и объясняю термины, но не решаю, как вам поступать.' Arraignment is the formal putting of the charge and asking for a plea; I would say 'формальное предъявление обвинения и вопрос о вине,' not simply 'предварительное слушание,' because the Russian phrase carries different procedural consequences. Plea before venue is 'заявление позиции о вине до решения о том, где будет рассматриваться дело.' Committal is 'передача дела в Королевский суд' in the relevant English structure.
I would add that these are English steps and do not map one-to-one onto Russian pre-trial hearing concepts. I would keep the explanation short and check understanding: 'Понятно? Что именно непонятно?' I would not describe the evidence or predict sentence outcomes.
2. The defendant asks what he should plead. How do you respond, and what do you do next?
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I would not answer the advice question. I would say: 'Я не могу советовать, какую позицию занять. Это решение вы обсуждаете с solicitor, а я переведу разговор.' Then I would immediately tell the solicitor that the defendant is asking for advice and needs a confidential explanation before the hearing resumes. If the solicitor is unavailable, I would ask the court for a short pause so the defendant can receive legal advice; I would not fill the gap myself.
I would avoid even a softened version such as 'обычно признание помогает,' because that is legal advice and may be inaccurate in this case. I would also make sure the defendant understands that I am not his lawyer and that my duty is to interpret accurately, not to choose his plea.
3. The judge asks you to 'explain either-way and indictable-only' to the defendant on the record. What do you say, and how do you avoid becoming a witness?
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I would give a neutral linguistic explanation: 'either-way' means an offence that can be tried in the magistrates' court or the Crown Court, depending on the circumstances and the court's decision; 'indictable-only' means an offence that can only be tried in the Crown Court. In Russian I would say 'дело, которое может рассматриваться и в магистратском суде, и в Королевском суде' and 'дело, подсудное только Королевскому суду.' I would not add the likely sentence or the strength of the evidence.
To avoid becoming a witness, I would keep to the meaning of the terms and the procedure as the judge stated it. If the defendant asks 'А что будет в моём случае?', I would refer that to the judge or solicitor and interpret the answer. I would not summarize the charge or the allocation decision as if I had independent knowledge.