This master's thesis investigates the role of court interpreters at the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Matters in trials where English and Russian defendants or witnesses necessitated the interpretation of these languages. It seeks to demonstrate that the production of a successful translation in the sense of a functional approach involves various coordinating manoeuvres that go beyond the implicit coordination of ensuring an orderly change of speakers between judicial staff and other

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... ipants in the proceedings. The thesis shows that the strategies used often differ depending on the part of the trial that is being conducted. By analyzing the various forms of coordination, it makes it clear that the idea of interpreters acting as purely "technical" aids is not sustainable, their role encompasses a much broader field. The thesis presents the functional theory approach of the Skopos theory as being essential to ensure successful communication. Accordingly, interpreting is directed towards a goal and bound to a purpose. This is followed by a description of the theory developed by Cecilia Wadensjö, which she presents in her fundamental work Interpreting as Interaction (1998), arguing that the interpreters' work is primarily interactive. This is due to the special settings of dialogue interpreting and the associated change of speakers. Afterwards an qualitative analysis of the recorded trials is given, where all the different manoeuvres employed by the interpreters are categorized and evaluated, followed by a chapter using quantitative methods in order to make statements on the frequency and general usage of said coordination.