Understanding in Court: How Language Enables Fair Legal Proceedings

What role do interpreting, translation and legal jargon play in a fair court trial? Four experts will discuss this on November 4, 2026, at an invitation from the Leipzig- Forum Recht Foundation based organization. The historical starting point is the Nuremberg trials.

Leipzig. Anyone involved in a court case must be able to understand what is being discussed. However, different languages and difficult-to-understand legal jargon can be a hindrance. What consequences does this have for the parties involved and the fairness of a trial? How can interpreting and translation help ensure that all parties can exercise their rights? And how clear must the language of the law be?

This is the topic of discussion Forum Recht Foundation at a panel discussion on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 19:00 to 20:30 in the Lower Hall of the New Town Hall in Leipzig.

Prof. Dr. Tinka Reichmann, Professor of Translational Science at the University of Leipzig, Prof. Dr. Michael Zwanzger, Professor of Civil Law, Legal History and European Legal Harmonization at the University of Leipzig, Cornelia Bannack, Chairwoman of the Association of Accredited Interpreters and Translators of Saxony e.V., and Dr. Alexander Schwarz, lawyer and co-head of the program area of International Crimes and Legal Responsibility at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).

From the Nuremberg Trials to today's judicial proceedings

The historical background of the discussion is provided by the exhibition „Ein Prozess – Vier Sprachen“, which is on view at the New Town Hall from September 30 to November 26, 2026. After the Second World War, leading representatives of the Nazi regime stood trial before an international court during the Nuremberg Trials. Defendants, judges, prosecutors, and witnesses spoke different languages. To ensure that all parties could follow the proceedings, simultaneous interpretation was used to an unprecedented extent. The exhibition sheds light on the challenges of linguistic communication during the trials and the importance of interpretation for international jurisprudence.

„It Forum Recht Foundation draws upon these historical experiences and focuses on the present: linguistic understanding remains a fundamental prerequisite for fair judicial proceedings and access to justice to this day., Dr. Cord Brügmann, Director of the Forum Recht Foundation.

The panel discussion is being held in cooperation with the association “Konferenzdolmetschen – Vergangenheit, Gegenwart, Zukunft e. V." (in German)

A guided tour of the exhibition will be offered as early as 17:30. Participation in the tour and in the panel discussion is free of charge. All interested are cordially invited.