Welcome to Criminal Translations: Crimes Lost (and Found) in Translation, a new series within Localize This!
I'm your host, Harry Windsor, and over the next few episodes, we'll dive deep into cases where a single mistranslated word, a cultural misconception, or a linguistic error changed the course of justice forever.
In today's criminal justice system, where split-second decisions can determine someone's fate, the role of accurate translation isn't just important – it's crucial.
These aren't just stories about crimes; they're cautionary tales about what happens when justice gets lost between languages.
Today, we begin with a chilling case that haunted the courts for over a decade: The Misheard Confession. A story where a simple linguistic nuance meant the difference between freedom and imprisonment.
On a cold November morning in 2003, in the quiet suburbs of Rochester, New York, Maria Santiago was found dead in her corner grocery store. The 64-year-old grandmother had been brutally attacked during what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong.
The tight-knit Hispanic community was shaken to its core. Maria wasn't just a shop owner – she was a neighborhood matriarch who helped recent immigrants find their footing in their new American home.
*Disclaimer: Please note that all stories presented are works of fiction . Any characters, names, places, or situations depicted are purely the product of the author's imagination and do not reflect any real-life individuals or events. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Host
Adal G. Reyes
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!