Advancing linguistic justice in courtroom interpreting: A digital humanities approach to interpreter-mediated communication

This study explores how digital scholarship can enhance linguistic justice in courtroom interpreting, focusing on interpreter-mediated communication involving Mandarin speakers in Australia. By integrating digital humanities methodologies with applied linguistics, we address the challenges faced by interpreters in reproducing manner of speech features,such as discourse markers, fillers, hedges, and vulgar language,particularly in video remote interpreting (VRI) settings. Through a 2 × 2 experimental design involving 50 professional interpreters, we analyzed the impact of interpreting modes (consecutive vs. simultaneous) and conditions (audio-only vs. audio-visual) on the accuracy of manner-related speech features. Drawing on Facework and Speech Act Theory, our findings reveal that consecutive interpreting and audio-only conditions significantly improve the accurate reproduction of pragmatic nuances. These results underscore the potential of digital tools and interdisciplinary collaboration to address systemic inequities in legal proceedings. We propose practical recommendations for interpreter training and advocate for the integration of digital scholarship into linguistic equity research. This work contributes to communication theory and offers a model for a more just and linguistically inclusive legal system, highlighting the transformative role of digital humanities in advancing linguistic justice.