‘What’s recess in Filipino?’

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

How do you say subpoena duces tecum in Filipino? Or simply, recess in Filipino?

Much as it was a “good” suggestion made by some Catholic bishops, it might be tough to conduct the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona entirely in Filipino, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said Sunday.

“It’s possible but very difficult,” Sotto said.

For one, Sotto said there were many legal phrases in Latin and even Senate terms in English that would be difficult to translate into Filipino.

It might cause delays if the Senate impeachment court begins translating arcane legalese into the vernacular so that the mass of clueless Filipinos would be able to understand what’s going on in the trial.

“There are many technical terms, but just try a simple one—translate recess in Filipino,” Sotto said, referring to a break lawmakers take in the course of a session.

There’s also the fact that memos and trial briefs are written in English, according to the senator.

“The impeachment trial is for the appraisement of the impeachment court, not the public,” he said in a phone interview.

Sotto though suggested a possible remedy. He said the Senate website, for instance, could come up with a Filipino translation of “critical terms” for the better understanding of the public.

The media could also be “encouraged” to help the people understand the proceedings by reporting it in Filipino, he also said.

The Palace gave the same pitch.

“Inevitably, there would be English words or even Latin phrases that have no direct translation in our language,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on government radio dzRB.

Noting some senators used Filipino during the trial, she asked, should proceedings be in “Taglish?”