Romanian by birth, she has been dedicated to this profession for seven years. “In the tests, we translate on the spot; also in the offices of the Civil Guard, the National Police and other police forces; in investigations, wiretapping…, both in person and by telephone or videoconference. But we cannot translate official documents presented to public administrations,” he explains. in perfect Spanish and without an accent, in addition to expressing himself correctly in writing.
She has a degree in Labor Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid and has taken a course in Translation of Documents and Expert Reports. When he was studying for his degree at the Faculty of Law, he discovered that “I loved” everything related to law and security forces and agencies. However, He did not dare to change careers and could not study an opposition “because I wasn’t Spanish at that time.”
Crina arrived in Spain at the age of 14. “At that time, my parents had been living and working here for four years. So, they decided to bring my sister and me when they already had stability, with the idea of giving us a better future,” he recalls.
After finishing his university studies and over the years, he discovered the figure of the court interpreter. “Since I speak a highly sought-after language like Romanian, I looked for information on how I could work in this field closely related to law.” His first job was in a company in Madrid and, since 2018, he has been a Romanian court interpreter in the province of Toledo, although he has sometimes translated English.
Her partner is a member of the security forces, although she says she met him long before and is not helping him with his case: “It’s just a coincidence that I love, by the way. But it’s never helped me.”
Attend a measure of ten appearances per month. One of the first hearings he remembers was in 2018 for those arrested for an illegal tobacco factory in Seseña. Among the closest is the case of Dumitru Daniel, sentenced in November 2022 to 22 years and six months in prison for the murder of his ex-partner and mother of his two children, on the night of January 21, 2020, in La Puebla de Almoradiel. He translated for him when he was informed of his pretrial detention, but later did not need an interpreter during his trial.
He also cites a hearing against a compatriot accused of trying to kill a woman in Yuncos. The hearing took place on the fourth attempt, after the Civil Guard found the alleged victim in a squatted house in Getafe (Madrid), in April of this year, and forcibly took her to testify before the Provincial Court of Toledo.
The other recent case Crina mentioned also happened here: the jury trial in June of Vasile Soporan, convicted of the murder of Jesús Bejerano Sánchez. The elderly man died from two stab wounds in Gálvez on the night of December 19, 2021, five days before his 78th birthday.
The accused had refused to testify in the noble hall of the Toledo court, even at the request of his lawyer. But on the third day, after a session in which he was anxious, he exercised the right to the last word that every trial has. Standing, with Crina at his side to translate what he was saying, Vasile unexpectedly acknowledged his paternity and accused the deceased’s partner: “She was the one who led me to this situation; ‘I didn’t want to kill Jesus.’.
If asked for anecdotes, Crina has a book to write, even if many cannot be revealed publicly. “Something happened to me that can be told during my first appearances. They confused me with the accused for whom I was going to translate and asked me the questions personally. Obviously, I immediately realized it and clarified the situation.
He says that to be a good court interpreter, the main thing is to have a good knowledge of the language being translated and the legal terms.It is also important to be impartialbecause people often try to convince you of “their truth”. However, my work must be limited only and exclusively to translating what is indicated to me. But something more is needed: “Having a good memory and good concentration, because sometimes people speak forgetting that I have to translate what they say, and they give a lot of information that I have to remember when translating.”
Any goals in this area? “As an interpreter who loves his job, My dream is to work with a special investigation unit of the Civil Guard or the National Police“.
When she arrived, she combined work and hobby: painting: “It started when I was exactly 11 years old and I asked for a Barbie doll, but they gave me watercolors. Since then, I have not stopped painting. For me, painting is a medicine, a peace and a disconnection. It helps you “on several occasions” to disconnect from a complicated matter that you “inevitably” bring home.
A lover of realism, he uses various techniques on paper and canvas: oil, acrylic, watercolor and drawing with colored pencils and graphite. Regarding his favorite authors, he sticks to the impressionism of Monet and the hyperrealism of Antonio López.
And talking about what they say about artists, that “They have a special sensitivity, and this sensitivity often leads me to sympathize with the people for whom I have to translate.”. He also finds it enriching to pass on his knowledge to his students, both children and adults. “While they learn to paint, I learn from them,” sums up the one whose art is perhaps reflected in her way of dressing. “Considering that what I like most are flowers and that they have very cheerful colors, it is possible that this is reflected,” he emphasizes as being viable. However, “not at all” he has thought of leaving aside his job as a court interpreter for painting: “I love my job and, today, I can perfectly combine it with my little time to paint without having to give up either.” . ” ».
