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Interpretation of Murder

In the December, 2010 issue of
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine

It’s Jane Ciardi’s first time in a criminal courtroom, as one of two sign-language interpreters working at the trial of a deaf man accused of murdering his employer. As the trial progresses, Jane begins to suspect that her co-interpreter is deliberately doing a bad job, subtly distorting her interpretation of a deaf witness’s testimony to prejudice the jury against the defendant. Worse, Jane suspects that the wrong person is on trial. Now she must struggle with the question of what she can do–if she can do anything–to uncover the truth and bring the killer to justice. In addition to offering readers a satisfying whodunit, “Interpretation of Murder” provides insights into sign-language interpretation, a process that’s far more nuanced and subjective than it may seem.

“Interpretation of Murder” was written with the assistance of Sarah Gershone, N.I.C., a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter.