MEDICAL INTERPRETERS STANDARDS
OF PRACTICE – PRESENTATION EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS
WHAT IS CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING? - Answer-The conversion of a speaker or
signer‟s message into another language after the speaker or signer pauses.
WHAT IS SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING? - Answer-converting a speaker or signer‟s
message into another language while the speaker or signer continues to speak or sign.
WHAT IS SIGHT TRANSLATION? - Answer-Translation of a written document into
spoken/signed language. An interpreter reads a document written in one language and
simultaneously interprets it into a second language.
WHAT IS A CERTIFICATE? - Answer-A certificate or a document, such as a certificate of
attendance or completion, that attests to participation in a course of study and attainment of
some learning objective.
A person who holds a certificate related to interpreter training is not thereby certified.
WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETER? - Answer-A bilingual person who has been
trained in medical terminology and principles of medical interpreting and who abides by a code
of professional ethics
WHAT IS A CERTIFIED INTERPRETER? - Answer-An interpreter who is certified as competent
by a professional organization or government entity through rigorous testing based on
appropriate and consistent criteria.
Interpreters who have had limited training or have taken a screening test administered by an
employing health, interpreter or referral agency are not considered certified.
WHAT IS A CERTIFICATION? - Answer-Certification is a process by which a certifying body
(usually a governmental or professional organization) attests to or certifies that an individual is
qualified to provide a particular service.
Certification calls for formal assessment, using an instrument that has been tested for validity
and reliability, so that the certifying body can be confident that the individuals it certifies have
the qualifications needed to do the job.
WHAT IS COMMUNITY INTERPRETING? - Answer-Interpreting that takes place in the course
of
communication in the local community among speakers of different languages. The community
interpreter may or may not be a trained interpreter.
, Community settings include schools, social service agencies, clinics, legal services, and
businesses that serve a diverse clientele.
WHAT IS A LANGUAGE PAIR? - Answer-The two languages that serve as source and target
languages for an individual interpreter in a particular encounter.
WHAT IS A SOURCE LANGUAGE? - Answer-The language of a speaker/signer who is being
interpreted.
WHAT IS A TARGET LANGUAGE? - Answer-The language of the person receiving
interpretation; the language into which an interpreter is interpreting at any given moment.
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) - Answer-A legal concept referring to a level of
English proficiency that is insufficient to ensure equal access to public services provided in
English without an interpreter
LITERAL TRANSLATION - Answer-A form of rough translation in which every word or
wordelement is translated in sequence without regard to how the message would normally be
expressed in the other language, giving insight into the workings of the source language.
Example: (French) "Il y avait beaucoup de gens," literally "It there had many of people," which
means "There
were lots of people (there)."
Literal interpreting is not considered useful or part of professional interpreting; literal
translations (written) are sometimes useful for analysis of the source text, but are not suitable
when the aim is to assist communication.
WHAT IS A MACHINE TRANSLATION? - Answer-Translation that is accomplished by entering
text in one language into a computer software program and obtaining a computer generated
translation in a second language.
Machine or computer translation programs have difficulties recognizing idioms, context,
regional differences and metaphorical language and tend toward literal translation.
WHAT IS PROFICIENCY? - Answer-The quality or level of a skill or competence acquired
through training and practice.
WHAT IS REGISTER? - Answer-A style of speaking or writing (intimate, casual, vulgar, formal,
etc.) or a way of communicating associated with a particular occupation or social group (slang,
medical jargon, business jargon, legal language, etc.).
Interpreters are expected to maintain the register of the person whose utterances they are
interpreting.
WHAT IS ADVOCACY? - Answer-Any action taken (by an interpreter) on behalf of an individual
that goes beyond facilitating communication, with the intention of supporting good health
outcomes.
In general, advocacy means that a third party (in this case, the interpreter) speaks for or pleads
the cause of another party, thereby departing from an impartial role.
OF PRACTICE – PRESENTATION EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS
WHAT IS CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING? - Answer-The conversion of a speaker or
signer‟s message into another language after the speaker or signer pauses.
WHAT IS SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING? - Answer-converting a speaker or signer‟s
message into another language while the speaker or signer continues to speak or sign.
WHAT IS SIGHT TRANSLATION? - Answer-Translation of a written document into
spoken/signed language. An interpreter reads a document written in one language and
simultaneously interprets it into a second language.
WHAT IS A CERTIFICATE? - Answer-A certificate or a document, such as a certificate of
attendance or completion, that attests to participation in a course of study and attainment of
some learning objective.
A person who holds a certificate related to interpreter training is not thereby certified.
WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETER? - Answer-A bilingual person who has been
trained in medical terminology and principles of medical interpreting and who abides by a code
of professional ethics
WHAT IS A CERTIFIED INTERPRETER? - Answer-An interpreter who is certified as competent
by a professional organization or government entity through rigorous testing based on
appropriate and consistent criteria.
Interpreters who have had limited training or have taken a screening test administered by an
employing health, interpreter or referral agency are not considered certified.
WHAT IS A CERTIFICATION? - Answer-Certification is a process by which a certifying body
(usually a governmental or professional organization) attests to or certifies that an individual is
qualified to provide a particular service.
Certification calls for formal assessment, using an instrument that has been tested for validity
and reliability, so that the certifying body can be confident that the individuals it certifies have
the qualifications needed to do the job.
WHAT IS COMMUNITY INTERPRETING? - Answer-Interpreting that takes place in the course
of
communication in the local community among speakers of different languages. The community
interpreter may or may not be a trained interpreter.
, Community settings include schools, social service agencies, clinics, legal services, and
businesses that serve a diverse clientele.
WHAT IS A LANGUAGE PAIR? - Answer-The two languages that serve as source and target
languages for an individual interpreter in a particular encounter.
WHAT IS A SOURCE LANGUAGE? - Answer-The language of a speaker/signer who is being
interpreted.
WHAT IS A TARGET LANGUAGE? - Answer-The language of the person receiving
interpretation; the language into which an interpreter is interpreting at any given moment.
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) - Answer-A legal concept referring to a level of
English proficiency that is insufficient to ensure equal access to public services provided in
English without an interpreter
LITERAL TRANSLATION - Answer-A form of rough translation in which every word or
wordelement is translated in sequence without regard to how the message would normally be
expressed in the other language, giving insight into the workings of the source language.
Example: (French) "Il y avait beaucoup de gens," literally "It there had many of people," which
means "There
were lots of people (there)."
Literal interpreting is not considered useful or part of professional interpreting; literal
translations (written) are sometimes useful for analysis of the source text, but are not suitable
when the aim is to assist communication.
WHAT IS A MACHINE TRANSLATION? - Answer-Translation that is accomplished by entering
text in one language into a computer software program and obtaining a computer generated
translation in a second language.
Machine or computer translation programs have difficulties recognizing idioms, context,
regional differences and metaphorical language and tend toward literal translation.
WHAT IS PROFICIENCY? - Answer-The quality or level of a skill or competence acquired
through training and practice.
WHAT IS REGISTER? - Answer-A style of speaking or writing (intimate, casual, vulgar, formal,
etc.) or a way of communicating associated with a particular occupation or social group (slang,
medical jargon, business jargon, legal language, etc.).
Interpreters are expected to maintain the register of the person whose utterances they are
interpreting.
WHAT IS ADVOCACY? - Answer-Any action taken (by an interpreter) on behalf of an individual
that goes beyond facilitating communication, with the intention of supporting good health
outcomes.
In general, advocacy means that a third party (in this case, the interpreter) speaks for or pleads
the cause of another party, thereby departing from an impartial role.
