Publication of a reference book about terms used during criminal proceedings (see Tuesday paper) in Dutch, English and Spanish is on the mark. Court interpreter and translator Linda A. Richardson has done society a great service with her initiative.
Legal jargon is often already difficult to understand for ordinary folks, let alone in another language than their mother tongue. Efforts are made to address this during hearings by allowing English to be spoken and offering interpreting services.
However, 40 years of experience taught the author that the language barrier still causes a huge disconnect between the people and judicial system. Also for attorneys and prosecutors who studied Dutch law, correctly translating for clients has proven a challenge.
St. Maarten is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands court system where jurisprudence as well as penal legislation are in Dutch. That is not likely to change anytime soon.
Rather than just complain about it like some others, former Antillean Education Minister Richardson has dome something tangible to help make a positive difference. This is the kind of constructive approach that can move the country forward in its development, more of which is badly needed.
