In late September 2020, I attended a seminar on “Police interpreting in Germany” that was held by the German Federal Association of Translators and Interpreters in Cologne. The presenter of this informative continuing education event was Dr. Holger Nimtz, senior government director and president of Cologne and Aachen campuses of the Police and Public Administration College of North Rhine-Westphalia. He is also the author of a well-known 2-volume textbook on criminal law for police officers and added value to the seminar with his vast knowledge based on many years of experience at different levels of police service.
Being a Brazilian Portuguese court translator, I occasionally translate documents related to police and prosecution proceedings, and this was the reason why I wanted to have an overview of German police’s areas of responsibility and administrative structure. The seminar delivered exactly what I had expected.
A detailed account of the seminar is available in German or Brazilian Portuguese only. You can switch to one of these languages using the language switch in the navigation menu above.
Event details
| Type of event | one-day seminar held in German |
| Title | “Dolmetschen für die Polizei” [Police interpreting in Germany] |
| Event organiser | German Federal Association of Translators and Interpreters, North Rhine-Westphalia chapter |
| Facilitators / Presenters | Dr. Holger Nimtz |
| Date | 25 September 2020 from 10am to 6pm |
| Place | Stadthotel am Römerturm • Sankt-Apern-Str. 32 • 50667 Cologne • Germany |
| Main topics | • Overview of police organisation in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia • Differences between uniformed police and police detectives • German police responsibilities • Police interrogations, hearings • Common forms used by the German police: interrogation of witnesses and accused parties, search and seizure reports • Help with translating the list of rights read by police officers • Special services: telecommunications surveillance |
