Glossary topic

DUI and traffic stop vocabulary in Spanish and English

DUI cases put the interpreter in two registers at once. The officer testifies in police English ("I observed the vehicle drift across the fog line"), and the defendant answers in everyday Spanish about how many beers and how long ago. The legal terms in between (probable cause, implied consent, blood alcohol content, license suspension) are the ones the exam scores.

Renditions below come from the Washington, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Alabama glossaries, plus a few clinical terms (bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, blood draw) from CourtFluent's vetted medical set, marked CF. Implied consent, swerving and license suspension are not in the official lists we checked, so they are discussed in the FAQ rather than given a rendition.

The moment

The officer is on the stand and you are interpreting simultaneously for the defendant at counsel table: "At approximately 1:40 AM I was on patrol northbound when I observed the vehicle cross the center line twice. I initiated a traffic stop at the intersection. When I made contact with the driver I detected an odor of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred. I asked him to step out and perform field sobriety tests. He was unable to complete the walk-and-turn. I placed him under arrest for DUI and transported him to the station, where the breath test showed a blood alcohol content of point one two." Then the defendant testifies in Spanish and you switch to consecutive.

English	Spanish	Sources
DUI (driving under the influence)	manejar (conducir) bajo los efectos o la influencia del alcohol / manejar en estado de ebriedad	WA
DWI (driving while intoxicated)	conducir en estado ebrio o drogado / manejar bajo la influencia de alcohol o drogas AL and WI (the New Jersey form).	ALWINJ
Drunk driving	manejo en estado de embriaguez / conducción en estado de embriaguez	CT
Under the influence	bajo los efectos (del alcohol o las drogas) / bajo la influencia (del alcohol o las drogas)	CF
Intoxication	estado de ebriedad / embriaguez / estado de intoxicación por drogas	CF
Field sobriety test	prueba de sobriedad en el campo / prueba de sobriedad sobre terreno	WA
Breathalyzer	alcoholímetro	WA
Breath alcohol test	examen del aliento para detectar alcohol	ALWI
BAC (blood alcohol content)	concentración de alcohol en la sangre / porcentaje de alcohol en la sangre WA: concentración. AL and WI: porcentaje.	WAALWI
Blood alcohol level	concentración de alcohol en la sangre / nivel de alcohol en la sangre	WA
Blood alcohol test	análisis de alcohol en la sangre / prueba de alcohol en la sangre	WA
Blood draw	extracción de sangre / toma de muestra de sangre	CF
Urinalysis	análisis de orina / examen de orina	CF
Bloodshot eyes	ojos enrojecidos / ojos inyectados de sangre	CF
Slurred speech	habla arrastrada / dificultad para articular las palabras	CF
Reckless driving	manejar en forma temeraria WA also lists temerariamente, imprudentemente.	WA
Reckless	imprudente / temerario CT and WA agree on both.	CTWA
Reckless endangerment	imprudencia temeraria CT and WA agree; WA also lists puesta en peligro temeraria.	CTWA
Speeding	exceder el límite de velocidad / exceso de velocidad	WA
Speed limit	límite de velocidad / velocidad máxima	WA
Stop sign	señal de pare / señal de stop	CT
Intersection	el crucero / cruce de caminos / la intersección	WA
Obstruct right of way	obstruir el paso	CT
Hit-and-run	huir después de un accidente / chocar y huir / choque y fuga	WA
Scene of the accident	lugar del accidente	CT
Driver	conductor / chofer	WA
Motor vehicles	vehículos motorizados	ALWI
Registration	matrícula / inscripción / registro	CT
Insurance	seguro WA notes that aseguranza is often heard from defendants; render it as insurance.	WA
Revoked license list	lista de licencias revocadas / lista de permisos revocados	CT
Suspend	suspender	CT
Ignition interlock device	alcoholímetro en el encendido / dispositivo de interrupción del arranque WA lists four forms; AL and WI use dispositivo de interrupción del arranque.	WAALWI
Impound	incautar / confiscar WA. AL and WI render impoundment as decomiso.	WAALWI
Probable cause	motivo fundado CT and WA agree.	CTWA
I will make a finding of probable cause	determino que la policía tenía motivo fundado para arrestar al acusado	CT
Police officer	agente de la policía	WA
Law enforcement officer	oficial del orden público / agente del orden público AL and WI: oficial. WA: agente.	ALWIWA
Police car	patrulla	WA
Dispatch center	centro de despacho / la central	WA
Arrest (verb)	arrestar / detener	WACT
Resisting arrest	resistirse al arresto	WA
Book (someone)	fichar WA and CT agree.	WACT
Miranda rights	derechos Miranda / derechos constitucionales	WA
Citation	citación	WA
Testify	declarar / testificar / rendir testimonio	WAALWI
Testimony	testimonio CT and WA agree.	CTWA
Hearsay evidence	testimonio de oídas CT and WA agree; WA also lists prueba de referencia.	CTWA
Victim impact panel (DUI)	panel de impacto a las víctimas de conductores ebrios	WA
Intoxicated Driver Resource Center	Centro de Recursos de Conductores Ebrios o Drogados	ALWI
Minor in possession (MIP)	menor de edad en posesión de alcohol	WA

How raters score these

Officer testimony is scored on precision more than on legal vocabulary. Times (1:40 AM), the BAC reading (point one two, which must come out as cero punto doce or punto doce, never doce), directions of travel, and the sequence of observations are each scoring units. Raters also watch register: the officer's "I observed the vehicle" should stay formal (observé que el vehículo), while the defendant's "me tomé dos cervecitas" should come back as "I had a couple of beers," not "I consumed two alcoholic beverages." For the legal terms, motivo fundado for probable cause and alcoholímetro for breathalyzer are settled; guessing at a rendition for implied consent is riskier than keeping the English and explaining it only if the court asks.

Common questions

How do you say DUI in Spanish for court?

Washington gives manejar (conducir) bajo los efectos o la influencia del alcohol, or manejar en estado de ebriedad. Alabama and Wisconsin use the New Jersey form for DWI: conducir en estado ebrio o drogado. Do not just say DUI in Spanish unless the court itself uses the acronym.

Is implied consent in the official glossaries?

Not in the Washington, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Alabama, New Jersey or California glossaries checked for this page, so no rendition is listed. Most practicing interpreters use consentimiento implícito, which is transparent, but it is not a consortium-agreed answer key, so treat it as unverified on the exam.

How do I interpret a BAC of .08?

The number is the scoring unit. Say cero punto cero ocho or punto cero ocho, and keep the unit if the officer gives one (grams per 210 liters of breath, for example). Concentración de alcohol en la sangre (Washington) or porcentaje de alcohol en la sangre (Alabama, Wisconsin) both pass for the term itself.

What about swerving and weaving?

They do not appear in the official glossaries we checked. In practice you interpret the meaning: zigzaguear, dar bandazos, cruzar la línea. Raters score these as description units, so accuracy of the picture matters more than a fixed term.

Keep going

Sources