  We present the results of longslit and multiaperture spectroscopy of faint
galaxies in the field of the z=1.049 quasar 3C212. We show that an apparently
aligned optical feature beyond the NW radio lobe has a redshift z=0.928, and a
similarly aligned feature just beyond the SE radio lobe has a redshift z=1.053,
quite close to that of the quasar. While the NW optical component is extremely
well aligned with the radio jet and has a morphology that is very similar to
that of the radio lobe lying 3" interior to it, the fact that we find three
other field galaxies with closely similar redshifts indicates that it is most
likely a member of an intervening group rather than an unusual example of true
alignment with the radio structure. In addition, we have found two galaxies
(besides the one near the SE radio lobe) having redshifts close to that of
3C212. We have firm or probable redshifts for 66 out of 82 galaxies we have
observed in this field. Comparison with the redshift distribution of faint
field galaxies indicates that a large fraction of the remaining 16 galaxies are
likely to be at redshifts >1.4. There are at least two low-redshift dwarf
starburst galaxies showing low metal abundance and high ionization in our
sample; such galaxies are likely to be relatively common in very faint samples,
and, under certain conditions, they could be confused with high-redshift
objects.
