In this article, our Forensic team discuss the use of an
expert translator in criminal proceedings and highlights the
intricacies and potential issues in translating emoticons, symbols
and expressions which can be subject to ambiguity and differing
interpretations.
R v Yang [2016] WASC 410
"It is not the role of the interpreter or translator to
express an opinion about the speaker's or author's state of
mind or what it was they were trying to convey (as opposed to what
the words actually convey). It is not their role to draw
conclusions, let alone speculate, about such
matters."
Introduction
Our Forensic team considers the use of an expert translator in
the fact-finding process of a criminal prosecution of an offender
charged with importing a border-controlled drug into Australia.
