Interpretation in the Supreme National Tribunal in Poland (1946‑1948)

This article presents the work of interpreters in the trials before the National Supreme Tribunal established in Poland in 1946 to judge Nazi criminals after the Second World War. Based on archival sources of the Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, it presents for the first time the identities of the interpreters recruited for this unique tribunal in the history of the Polish judicial system as well as for the practice of conference and court interpreting in Poland. It examines the interpreting practices during seven multilingual and multicultural trials, where simultaneous interpreting was applied for the first time, and discusses the issues of trust and control over the interpreters involved in war crimes tribunals.