Found In Translation

A film by Almut Dieden

A film about Royce Buda, an interpreter at Pretoria High Court, and his daily task of connecting South Africa’s diverse communities.

At Pretoria High Court everybody knows him: Royce Buda, South African court interpreter par excellence. Every day he interprets in up to 16 languages for judges, claimants, attorneys and witnesses. But his job is much more than just the literal translation of words: Buda is the link between diverse cultures and customs that clash at the High Court every single day. 

Since the end of Apartheid the same rule of law applies to all citizens – but can reality fulfil that promise? Buda juggles between the expectations of the legal system at court and those that come there to seek justice – but sometimes fail to find. In a country still struggling with the remnants of the oppressive Apartheid system, where stark social inequality divides an incredibly multicultural and multilingual society, Royce Buda interprets to build bridges.

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