Abstract
This paper examines the interaction between the Auschwitz survivor Filip Müller, the interpreter Otto Stegmann, and the Presiding Judge Hans Hofmeyer during Müller’s cross-examination during the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial. A close reading of testimony, made possible by the audio recordings, allows us to show how Müller’s decision to speak German, as opposed to his native Slovak or Czech, led to an interesting dynamic between the participants: Müller’s testimony arises out of their interaction and the moments of conflict and collaboration that characterized it. In particular, this essay explores the role of the interpreter in enabling Müller to make his testimony, and shows how translation processes help to shape the way that the testimony is formulated.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History' |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Jun 2019 |
Event | European Association for Holocaust Studies - Jagiellonian University , Krakow, Poland Duration: 13 Nov 2017 → 15 Nov 2017 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- translation
- interpreting
- Auschwitz
- testimony
- Sonderkommando
- trial testimony
- German language
- Czech language