Spanish translations of Miranda warnings and the totality of the circumstances.
Spanish-translated Miranda warnings are administered annually to thousands of Hispanic custodial suspects. In examining 121 Spanish translations and their English counterparts from 33 states, the lengths of Miranda warnings were generally comparable but marked differences were observed in the reading levels for individual Miranda components. The adequacy of Miranda translations varies markedly from minor variations to substantive errors. The most serious problems involved the entire omission of Miranda components; several omissions were observed in the Spanish translations for even the basic rights to silence and counsel. More commonly, Miranda discrepancies involved dissimilar content with a substantial trend toward more information in English than Spanish versions. Findings related to the Miranda translations, different word lengths, and varied reading levels are discussed using the totality of circumstances as its framework.
Rogers
Richard
R
Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Terrill Hall, Psychology Office, Room 351, 1611 West Mulberry St., Denton, TX 76203, USA. RogersR@unt.edu
Correa
Amor A
AA
Hazelwood
Lisa L
LL
Shuman
Daniel W
DW
Hoersting
Raquel C
RC
Blackwood
Hayley L
HL
D006806:Human Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D011329:Prisoners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States