Would You Please Repeat That for the Interpreter?
An item here about defining moments on the witness stand prompted Kent Bridwell to write about an unusual case he handled as a Superior Court commissioner.
It involved a man who claimed he had not understood what he signed in a real estate transaction because it was conducted in English. He said he had never learned to speak or read the language in the 30-odd years he had lived in the L.A. area.
The man testified with the aid of an interpreter. At one point, Bridwell wrote, “I turned to speak with my clerk. The sleeve of my robe brushed my pen off the bench into the witness box. Without thinking (honest), I asked the man--in English-- ‘Sir, would you please hand me my pen?’ And without thinking, he replied, ‘Sure, judge, just a second.’ ”
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SOMETHING DOESN’T LOOK RIGHT: Suzie Lacey sent along an ad that seemed to have escaped the attention of a proofreader (see accompanying).
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PL8S4U: Some vanity license plates featured on the KNX1070.com Web site, along with the owners’ translations:
* 2XCONS: “My girlfriend and I moved here from Connecticut” (Gary Mineo, Murrieta).
* JAGAROO: “I am originally from Australia and I drive an S-type Jaguar, so my mode of transport is a cross between a Jaguar and a kangaroo” (Julie Bonnar, North Hills).
* B4YORII: “I am a professional magician, and much of what I love to do is close-up magic right ‘before your eyes’ ” (David Hoag, Placentia).
* REDWOP: “Redwop is the name of a special red fingerprint powder I make for use in investigations of crime scenes. It is used with lasers. . . . Also, my plate spells ‘powder’ when seen in a rearview mirror” (Michael Carrick, Salem, Ore.).
* IM1CENT: “My name is Penny” (Penny Stark, Oak Park).
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UPLIFTING STORY: Hollywood community activist Joe Shea made the acquaintance of an elevator repairman who knows how to make an entrance.
The technician said he had been doing maintenance work when some passengers became stuck in an elevator on the floor below him. He lowered himself onto the top of their cage just as someone inside was punching an emergency button on the squawk box and yelling, “We’re stuck in the elevator!”
He promptly lifted up the access hatch, peered down and responded, “No you’re not! Spiderman’s here!”
Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.