The Couch: A Straw to Break the Camel’s Back

The Couch is a place to exchange ideas and brainstorm, not only for its contributors but also for our readers who engage in the ensuing discussions. Sometimes, a day’s proceedings in the courtroom can seem more like an episode of Jerry Springer than they do a trial. A special thank you to this week’s contributor for the Couch idea.

You are interpreting at a civil proceeding. An American woman is suing her ex-husband for his having stopped paying her alimony four months ago. You have been hired by the attorney for the defendant, whose English is very broken.

The judge asks the woman what she does for a living. She says, “Currently unemployed.” The judge then asks the man who has accompanied the plaintiff to court, a well-built man in his late twenties, in what line of work he is. The man and the woman act in such a way that it is clear they are a couple. The brawny man answers: “Well, I don’t work either.”

“And how long have you been without a job, sir?”

“Three years.”

“Do you have any children?”

“No.”

“Then,” asks the judge, “may I ask what day-to-day life looks like for the two of you?”

“Well,” the man starts, “I get out of bed around noon. Both of us then go the gym to work out, you know, to keep our bodies really fit for each other…”

At this the defendant, for whom you have been interpreting and whose blood appears to be boiling, turns to you and says: “¡Y son esos ******** que tengo que mantener con mi labor!” (“And it’s with my hard-earned money that I am supporting these ******!”) You have, of course, interpreted the defendant’s words for the court.

Tension rises in the courtroom. At your last utterance for the defendant, the plaintiff’s boyfriend jumps to his feet, looking menacingly both at the defendant and at you, his messenger. “Take that back or else!” It becomes quickly impossible to interpret anything since now at least five people are talking at once (including the judge and both attorneys).

The judge calls to order. The plaintiff’s lawyer takes the floor: “This man [the defendant] must support his ex-wife, as agreed upon and recorded in the divorce papers.”

You are not to judge based on appearances and must remain neutral. But as things go on, it really looks like the plaintiff may win the case. The defendant, whose demeanor portrays a hard-working, lower-middle-class member of society, may well be forced by law to continue to pay for what appears to be an… unproductive lifestyle.

Eventually the defendant’s character witness gets out of hand as well (the brawny boyfriend seems to have a very short fuse and is good at pushing others’ buttons), and to continue trying to interpret appears to be utterly futile. The temptation to simply walk out is growing within you. But the defendant needs you. What do you do?

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Body picture by lassaffa from Pixabay .