Everything about getting help is harder in a language you are not comfortable in, and the difficulty is systematically underestimated by people who have never had to do it.
You can describe an ordinary day in a second language perfectly well and still be unable to describe what happened to you, because the words for fear, coercion and injury are the last ones anybody learns and the first ones that disappear under stress.
Nigeria has hundreds of languages and this is an ordinary situation rather than a special case.
The rule that matters most
Never let a relative of his interpret for you. Not his brother, not his sister, not a neighbour from his family, and not one of your own children.
This is the single most common failure and it is severe. What you say does not reach the officer or the clinician. What they say does not reach you. Frequently the interpreter softens it, changes it, or answers on your behalf without translating at all — and afterwards he knows exactly what you said.
You are entitled to refuse. “I would like a different interpreter” is a complete sentence and you do not have to give a reason.
Children should never interpret. Not for a medical examination, not at a police station, not in court. It places a child inside the details of their parents’ situation and it is not fair to them. Say so plainly if it is suggested.
In court
Nigerian courts routinely use interpreters and you are entitled to give evidence in a language you are comfortable in. Being understood is part of a fair hearing rather than a favour.
Practical points:
- Ask in advance, through your lawyer, and name the language and dialect. Arranging it on the day causes an adjournment.
- Say if you only need it sometimes. Many people follow ordinary conversation and need help with legal or medical terms, and that is a normal request.
- Speak in short pieces and pause. Long answers get compressed.
- Speak to the judge, not to the interpreter.
- Say so immediately if something is wrong. “That is not what I said” is entirely proper and it is far harder to correct afterwards.
- Object if the interpreter is connected to him. Tell your lawyer before anything begins.
What the day looks like covers the rest.
At a police station
Statements are usually written in English, and this is where things go wrong most often.
Your statement is the document everything later is measured against, and a statement written in somebody else’s words, that you signed without fully following, is used against you for years.
- Ask for somebody who speaks your language, or take your own independent person.
- Have the statement read back to you in your language before you sign anything. Ask for this explicitly.
- Do not sign anything you have not understood, however long it takes and however impatient anybody is.
- Correct anything that is wrong before signing, and initial the correction.
- Ask for a copy, or photograph it.
What to expect at a station applies otherwise.
At a clinic or hospital
Get the important words across even if everything else is approximate. Where it hurts, what happened, whether you lost consciousness, whether you are pregnant, and whether there was pressure on your neck.
Writing it down beforehand works when speaking does not, in whatever language you write most easily. Handing over a note is quick, private and cannot be overheard, and clinicians deal with this routinely.
Ask for part of the consultation without the person who came with you. That is standard practice rather than an accusation, and it is the moment to say what cannot be said in front of somebody.
Pidgin
Widely understood across Nigeria and frequently the easiest common ground where there is no interpreter for your first language.
If it is easier for you than English, say so. Nobody in this field will think less of you for it, and being understood matters more than being formal. A number of the people who do this work use it as a matter of course.
If you are not Nigerian
A specific and difficult situation: a woman whose immigration status depends on him, who does not speak the local language, and who has no community here.
Two things worth saying. Your protection from violence does not depend on your immigration status — an assault is a crime whoever the victim is. And where he is using your status as the threat, that is itself a form of control and there are people who deal with exactly this. Get advice from somebody who does immigration work alongside the rest of it, because the two questions interact.
The reverse situation is covered separately and much of the reasoning is the same.
Talking to us
Tell us which language you are comfortable in at the start and we will work it out. Where we cannot do it directly we will find somebody, and it will not be anybody connected to your family.
You can also write to us in your own language rather than calling. Written contact is often easier, it can be done from a business centre, and it removes the pressure of finding words while somebody waits.
And if what stops you is the fear of sounding foolish: nobody here is assessing your English. What you are describing is the only thing that matters.
Questions people ask
Can his brother interpret for me?
No, and you should refuse. What you say will not reach the officer, what they say will not reach you, and afterwards he will know exactly what you said. “I would like a different interpreter” needs no explanation.
Can my child interpret?
No. Not at a clinic, a police station or in court. It places a child inside the details of their parents’ situation and it is not fair to them.
Am I entitled to an interpreter in court?
Yes, and Nigerian courts use them routinely. Ask in advance through your lawyer and name the language and dialect, because arranging it on the day causes an adjournment.
What if my police statement is written in English?
Ask for it to be read back to you in your language before you sign, correct anything wrong and initial the correction, and do not sign anything you have not understood. That statement is what everything later is measured against.
Can I speak Pidgin?
Yes, and it is often the easiest common ground. Being understood matters far more than being formal, and a number of people doing this work use it as a matter of course.
If you need help now
If you are in immediate danger, call 112. To talk to HealBridge, email us at hello@healbridge.org, or use the form on our contact page. Every page on this site has a Quick Exit button at the top right, and pressing the letter E three times does the same thing.
Before you rely on anything on this page
We publish these articles so that you can understand a subject and work out what to ask for. They are written carefully and in good faith. They are still general information about how things usually work, and not advice about your situation, which we do not know.
- This is not legal advice.
- We are not a law firm. Criminal law in Nigeria is largely a state matter, the VAPP Act applies in a state only if that state adopted it, and statutory, customary and Islamic marriages are governed by different law and different courts. Two people with the same facts can have genuinely different options. Get advice from a lawyer who practises where you live — and if cost is the obstacle, ask us, because arranging that is part of what we do.
- This is not medical advice.
- Nothing here is a diagnosis and nothing here replaces being examined. Do not delay seeing a doctor, nurse or pharmacist because of something you read here, and do not start, stop or change any treatment on the strength of it. If something is time critical, go and be seen.
- This is not counselling, and it is not financial advice.
- Articles about trauma, sleep, money, debt, renting or starting a business describe what commonly helps. They are not therapy and they are not a recommendation about your own money. Speak to a counsellor, a qualified adviser or your own bank about your circumstances.
- It may be out of date, or wrong for where you are.
- Law changes, services close, numbers stop answering and practice varies by state. We correct what we find, and we cannot promise that every page is current on the day you read it. Where we do not have something confirmed, we say so rather than fill the gap.
- Reading this does not make us your lawyer or your doctor.
- No professional relationship is created by reading an article, and we cannot accept liability for decisions taken on the strength of one. What we can do is help you reach somebody who is qualified to advise you, which is what the legal and health parts of our work exist for.
- We cannot promise an outcome, and we cannot make anybody safe.
- A protection order is a piece of paper backed by an enforcement system that is inconsistent. A plan works until the day it does not. Anybody in this field promising safety is selling something, and the promise itself is dangerous because it stops people planning.
Do not let this notice stop you acting. If you are in immediate danger, call 112. If something is medically urgent, go to a hospital — you do not need a police report to be treated. And if you do not know where to start, that is a normal way to begin: use the contact page and we will take it from there.
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