"Police interview" in Chinese?

[tooironic]

One word that my interpreting students often have difficulty translating into Chinese is "interview" in the context of a police interviewing a witness or potential suspect.

Obviously you can't translate it as 面试, as this term is used solely in the context of job interviews and auditions.

Of course 采访 cannot be used as it is restricted to journalistic contexts.

审讯 is possible, but AFAIK that refers more to an interrogation than an interview per se.

面谈 is OK as a translation, but doesn't really sound "professional" enough.

In my opinion, 询问 [edit: sorry, that should be 讯问 (xùnwèn) not 询问 (xúnwèn)] is probably the best way to translate it in an official-sounding way. Would the clever people here agree, or might there be a more accurate translation?

Now that I think of it, I've never quite understood the difference between 询问 and 问询, anyone care to explain?

Thanks!

[skylee]

I am not sure what happens during a police interview. It seems 問話 can be an option. Depending on what happens  (記)錄口供/供詞 might also be appropriate.

[skylee]

The Hong Kong Police uses the term 會面.  See the Chinese version of items 2, 3, 9 and 17 here -> http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/04_crime_matters/rvwc.html

 

In item 7 接見 is used.

[tooironic]

Wow, the possible translations are even more many and varied than I originally thought. Thanks for providing your insight Skylee.

[fanglu]

The PRC criminal procedure law uses 讯问. For example:

第三十三条 犯罪嫌疑人自被侦查机关第一次讯问或者采取强制措施之日起，有权委托辩护人；在侦查期间，只能委托律师作为辩护人。被告人有权随时委托辩护人。

[fanglu]

But that is only for suspects. it uses 询问 for witnesses:

第一百二十二条 侦查人员询问证人，可以在现场进行，也可以到证人所在单位、住处或者证人提出的地点进行，在必要的时候，可以通知证人到人民检察院或者公安机关提供证言。在现场询问证人，应当出示工作证件，到证人所在单位、住处或者证人提出的地点询问证人，应当出示人民检察院或者公安机关的证明文件。

[gato]

In mainland usage, 询问 is for witness and 讯问 is for suspect. So your intuition was right. See here:

http://www.lawyer8621.com/ShowArticle.shtml?ID=201292511161377892.htm

[ouyangjun]

Good stuff, learned something new.  Let's hope we never have to go for a 讯问...

[li3wei1]

So this is one place where getting a single tone wrong can seriously change the meaning of the sentence.

[tooironic]

I just realised there is a typo in my OP. It should be 讯问 (xùnwèn) not 询问 (xúnwèn). I'll fix that now.