§ 8.01-406.Interpreters; recording testimony of deaf witness (Supreme Court Rule 2:604 derived from this section).

Interpreters occupy an unusual role in the courtroom — they are neither the witness nor a party, but their accuracy determines whether the record reflects what the witness said. Section 8.01-406 starts by requiring interpreters to be sworn to interpret truly, putting them under the same oath obligation as any witness.

For deaf witnesses specifically, the section adds a verification tool. Either the judge on his own initiative, or a party by motion, can ask the court to order that all of the deaf witness’s testimony — and the interpreter’s rendering of it — be recorded visually by electronic means. That recording is not the primary record of the proceeding; it exists to verify the official transcript later, giving the parties and the court a way to double-check the transcript against what happened if a dispute over accuracy ever comes up.