Short Answer
You possess an absolute statutory right to remain silent and demand a professional interpreter during a formal police detention. The legal framework requires civil authorities to present you before an independent magistrate by the conclusion of the day following your initial arrest.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You were detained during a public demonstration and answered conversational questions in broken German because you wanted to prove your compliance to the officers. You nodded along to a pre-printed summary sheet you couldn't completely read, unaware that your gesture constituted a formal confession of property damage. You lost €2,100 in court fines and immediate summary penalties because you signed an official document without legal counsel present.
What To Do
- Say clearly that you are utilizing your right to remain silent until you can speak with an independent attorney.
- Ask the detention officers to contact your national consulate or a relative to notify them of your current location.
- "Ich unterschreibe nichts ohne einen Dolmetscher und meinen Anwalt." (I am not signing anything without an interpreter and my lawyer.) — repeat this phrase firmly whenever an investigator presents you with any paperwork.
The Truth
The German rule of law is strong, but it is slow and operating strictly in the local language. Without an interpreter, you might accidentally confess to a crime simply by nodding.