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The Legal Interpreter\'s Lexicon

EN↔ES · Court & Legal · interplexicon.com · by Graciela Prieto

🎙️ Interplexicon is a terminology support tool — not a shortcut. The interpreter does the work: the ethics, the cultural judgment, the professional voice. Interplexicon handles terminology — putting the right word in front of you at the right moment so you never lose the thread of the conversation.
📖 Glossary
⚡ Conflicts
⚠️ False Cog.
🔴 Critical
📋 Prep
⚡ Quick Card
📊 Tables
🎙️ Live
📱 QR
⭐ Saved
🃏 Practice
⚡ Interpreter Conflict Notes
⚠️ Legal False Cognates

Words that look alike in English and Spanish but have completely different legal meanings. These cause the most serious interpretation errors in court.

🔴 Critical Terms
📋 Assignment Prep
⚡ Quick Card — Top Critical Terms
📊 Reference Tables
⚖️ US Court System Overview
CourtEnglishEspañol
Supreme CourtSupreme CourtTribunal Supremo / Corte Suprema
Federal AppealsCourt of Appeals / Circuit CourtTribunal de Apelaciones
Federal TrialDistrict Court / US District CourtTribunal de Distrito
State SupremeState Supreme CourtTribunal Supremo Estatal
State AppealsCourt of AppealsTribunal de Apelaciones
State TrialSuperior Court / Circuit CourtTribunal Superior / Corte Superior
LocalMunicipal Court / District CourtTribunal Municipal
FamilyFamily CourtTribunal de Familia
JuvenileJuvenile CourtTribunal Juvenil / de Menores
ImmigrationImmigration CourtTribunal de Inmigración
🔴 Critical False Cognates — Quick Table
English (meaning)≠Spanish look-alike (real meaning)
Conviction (criminal judgment)≠Convicción (belief/opinion)
Deception (fraud/trickery)≠Decepción (disappointment)
Embarrassed (ashamed)≠Embarazada (pregnant)
Molest (sexually abuse)≠Molestar (to bother/annoy)
Actually (in fact)≠Actualmente (currently/now)
Ultimately (in the end)≠Últimamente (lately/recently)
Liable (legally responsible)≠Leal (loyal/faithful)
Trespass (enter without permission)≠Traspasar (to transfer/cross)
Sentence (criminal punishment)≠Sentencia (full judgment/ruling)
Brief (legal document)≠Breve (short/brief)
Consideration (contract value)≠Consideración (thoughtfulness)
🏛 Court Participants EN ↔ ES
EnglishEspañol (formal)Regional variants
JudgeJuezUniversal
Prosecutor / DAFiscalMX: Ministerio Público / Fiscal
Defense attorneyAbogado defensorEspaña: letrado defensor
Public defenderDefensor públicoEspaña: abogado de oficio
Defendant (criminal)Acusado / ImputadoMX modern: imputado
Plaintiff (civil)DemandanteUniversal
Defendant (civil)DemandadoUniversal
WitnessTestigoUniversal
Expert witnessPerito / Testigo expertoEspaña: perito
JuryJuradoUniversal
BailiffAlguacil / Oficial de salaEspaña: ujier
Court reporterTaquígrafo / EstenógrafoLAm: taquígrafo judicial
InterpreterIntérpreteUniversal
📋 Criminal Process EN ↔ ES
Stage (EN)Etapa (ES)Note
ArrestArresto / DetenciónMX: aprehensión
BookingRegistro policial / FichajeMX: presentación ante MP
ArraignmentLectura de cargos / Comparecencia inicialNo civil law equivalent
Bail hearingAudiencia de fianzaMX: audiencia de medidas cautelares
Preliminary hearingAudiencia preliminarEspaña: instrucción
Grand juryGran juradoUS federal only
IndictmentAcusación formalUS federal / grand jury states
PleaDeclaración de culpabilidadGuilty / Not guilty / No contest
Plea bargainAcuerdo de culpabilidadEspaña: conformidad
TrialJuicio oralUniversal
VerdictVeredictoJury decision
SentencingImposición de pena / SentenciaJudge decision
AppealApelaciónMX: también amparo
📊 Standard of Proof
Standard (EN)Estándar (ES)Context
Beyond reasonable doubtMás allá de toda duda razonableCriminal conviction — highest
Clear and convincing evidencePrueba clara y convincenteSome civil cases — middle
Preponderance of evidencePreponderancia de la pruebaCivil cases — more likely than not
Probable causeCausa probable / Causa razonableArrest / search warrant
Reasonable suspicionSospecha razonablePolice stop and frisk
🌍 "Court" — Regional Variants
TermRegionContext
CorteUS Spanish, Mexico, Central AmericaMost widely understood by court users (95%)
TribunalSpain, formal LAmFormal/preferred by interpreters
JuzgadoMexico, SpainTrial-level court specifically
Juzgado de InstrucciónSpainInvestigating magistrate court
SalaSpain, formal LAmAppellate court / courtroom
⚠️ Terminology reference tool only. This app flags glossary terms to support preparation and lookup. The interpreter is responsible for all interpretation decisions.
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📝 Live Transcript
Transcription will appear here…
🎯 Detected Terms
Tap a term to see details
📱 QR Codes — Share & Access
📲 Each QR code links directly to this app filtered by that module. Print and keep in your badge holder — scan to jump straight to the terms you need during a break.
⭐ Saved Entries
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⚖️ How to Use This App

⚠️ This is a terminology reference tool. It supports preparation and in-session lookup. The interpreter is solely responsible for all interpretation. This app does not interpret — you do.

11 Tabs — all your legal interpreting tools

📖
Glossary — 512+ entries EN↔ES across 12 legal categories, UK/US differences, RAE-verified. Filter by category, direction, or search.
⚡
Conflicts — All entries with interpreter alerts. Read before every assignment.
⚠️
False Cognates — 30 critical pairs that cause the most serious errors in court. Molest ≠ Molestar. Intoxicated ≠ Intoxicado.
🔴
Critical — High-stakes terms where errors affect justice outcomes.
📋
Prep — Assignment prep by court type: Criminal, Civil, Family, Immigration, Constitutional.
⚡
Quick Card — 25 highest-risk terms for rapid in-session reference.
📊
Tables — Court system, court participants EN↔ES, criminal process stages, standards of proof, UK/US differences.
🎙️
Live — Real-time speech detection. Legal terms highlighted the moment they're spoken, with Spanish equivalent. EN, ES, or Both modes.
📱
QR — QR codes for each module. Print and keep in your badge holder.
⭐
Saved — Starred entries for quick pre-assignment review.
🃏
Practice — Flashcard drills by category, direction, or false cognates only.

🎙️ Using Live Detection — in the booth and in court

1
Plug in your interpreter headset or headphones before tapping the microphone.
2
Tap the Live tab → tap the microphone button → allow microphone access.
3
Booth / remote: place your phone near the speaker or use a cable splitter. Works on Zoom, Teams, and Interprefy automatically.
4
In-person / courtroom: hold your phone near the speaker. The app handles both English and Spanish speech in real time.
5
Legal terms are highlighted in the transcript the moment they're detected. Tap any term for the full entry, RAE note, and interpreter alert.
6
Switch between EN, ES, and Both modes. Use ES mode when a Spanish-speaking witness takes the stand.
7
Tap Clear 🗑 to reset the transcript between hearings or sessions.
💡 Tip: Live Detection requires internet and microphone access (HTTPS). The glossary, flashcards, and Quick Card work fully offline.

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