Weight of Police Testimony to a Statement Made In Spanish Which Was Translated by a Bystander

In People v. Torres, 18 Ill. App. 3d 921, 310 N.E.2d 780 (1974), a police officer testified to a statement made by the wife of the defendant relating to a shooting by the defendant. The statement was made at the scene of the shooting and was in Spanish, which was translated to the officer by a bystander. At trial, the officer testified to the contents of the statement even though the bystander did not testify as to the translation. This court held that, at most, this amounted to harmless error as the defendant's wife did testify at trial regarding the shooting. Torres, 18 Ill. App. 3d at 929.