Muhammad Gamal - Humanities

668Against this background, interpreting for Arabic-speaking persons inAustralia would encounter difficulties explaining the police caution, the terms ofbail, the concept of an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO), thepre-committal proceedings, the significance of entering a plea, the differencebetween a hearing and a trial, the difference between an instructing solicitorand a barrister. A part from the cost of being represented in court, most Arabicspeakerswould not understand the significance of the adversarial system andwould want to speak to the judge, directly, and to present their own case. Mostdo so without knowing the rules and more importantly, most do so for the firsttime ever. It is not uncommon to hear the phrase “This is my first time ever to acourt’ which is a direct result of the legal culture in Arabic: the court is the lastresort. There is a scene in Al-Ustaza Fatima (1952), a light comedy involving asimple uneducated man who decides to represent himself in court andaddresses the judge in a comic fashion reflecting his limited world view andlack of knowledge of the court system (Kassem: 2002). The lack of knowledgeof the Arabic legal system is actually high among most educated persons andthe knowledge of the Australian system comes, almost always, a posteriori,after the need has been established. Police interpreters who have a clearunderstanding of the Australian legal culture would have an easier taskexplaining the significance of the police taking out an ADVO, on behalf of afemale, to an unhappy Arabic-speaking male, even if the wife has asked thepolice and the court to drop the charge and withdraw about the complaint. Thisis why legal terminology is not only important but essential in police and courtinterpreting. Moreover, training police interpreters in the pre-committalproceedings which involves a significant work with the police is paramount. In