The translated complaint

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The interpreter stood beside the magistrate’s desk. A woman who had recently arrived in the town described the wages her employer had withheld. She spoke slowly, pointing to the dates on a folded paper. The interpreter summarised her account in three sentences. He said there had been some confusion about payment.

The woman shook her head. She repeated a word and held up four fingers. The magistrate asked what she meant. The interpreter said she was distressed and that it was difficult to be exact. From the public bench, a young clerk rose. He had worked at the docks and knew her language. He said the repeated word meant promised, and the four fingers counted weeks.

The interpreter frowned at the interruption. The magistrate asked the woman to begin again, this time allowing a translation after each sentence. Her account was not less emotional, but its details became clearer: four weeks’ work, an agreed sum and two witnesses. The employer stopped smiling when the witnesses were named.

The magistrate postponed his decision until they could attend. The woman folded her paper and thanked the young clerk. She had not yet received her money. Outside, she explained another detail he had missed, and he listened before trying to put it into different words. In the room behind them, the interpreter remained beside the desk, holding his original summary.

“The passage shows how inaccurate translation can reduce a person’s ability to be heard.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.