COURT INTERPRETER STUDY EXAMS GUIDE ALL
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Complaint (Civil) - ✔✔The initial pleading that starts a civil action and states the
basis for the
court's jurisdiction, the basis for the plaintiff's claim, and the demand for relief. In some
states, this pleading is called a petition
✔✔Complaint (Criminal) - ✔✔A written statement of the essential facts of the offense
charged, made upon oath before a magistrate judge.
✔✔Conference Interpreter - ✔✔An interpreter who works in multilingual meetings and
renders a
message from one language into another, naturally and fluently. Unlike court
interpreters, conference interpreters adopt the delivery, tone and convictions of the
speaker and often make necessary adjustments to the speech.
✔✔Consecutive Interpretation - ✔✔The mode of interpretation used to interpret
testimony given by a limited English proficiency (LEP) individual on the witness stand,
or other statements for the record involving questions and answers, as well as for
situations in which dialogue with the LEP individual develops, such as interviews. The
interpreter verbally conveys the original message into the target language after the
,speaker has paused. Note taking is an essential tool for optimal performance during
consecutive interpreting.
✔✔Contract Interpreter - ✔✔An interpreter who is not an employee of the court, but is
an independent contractor used for short durations to provide interpreting services.
Contract court interpreters may be AO certified or otherwise qualified interpreters.
✔✔Counsel Table - ✔✔The long table in front of the judge's bench where the parties
and lawyers sit during the hearing or trial. The prosecution, or plaintiffs' attorney in a
civil case, is always seated closest to the jury box.
✔✔Count - ✔✔An allegation in an indictment or information, charging a defendant with
a crime. An indictment may contain allegations that the defendant has committed more
than one crime. Each allegation must be listed
separately. The separate allegations are referred to as the counts of the indictment.
✔✔Court - ✔✔An allegation in an indictment or information, charging a defendant with a
crime. An indictment may contain allegations that the defendant has committed more
than one crime. Each allegation must be listed
separately. The separate allegations are referred to as the counts of the indictment.
✔✔Court Interpreters Act - ✔✔The Court Interpreters Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1827, provides
that the Director
of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall prescribe, determine, and
certify the qualifications of persons who may serve as
certified interpreters, when the Director considers certification of
interpreters to be merited, for the hearing impaired (whether or not also speech
impaired) and persons who speak only or primarily a language other than the English
language, in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States.
✔✔Court Interpreters Advisory Group - ✔✔CIAG; A group comprised of eight staff
interpreters from a
representative cross-section of district courts and any combination of
three members who are clerks of court, district executives, chief deputy clerks, or court
interpreter supervisors, which assists the AO in
addressing current critical issues in and improvements to the court
interpreting program.
✔✔Court Reporter - ✔✔A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in
court,
generally by using a stenographic machine, shorthand or audio recording, and then
produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
✔✔Criminal Justice Act - ✔✔CJA; The Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A,
provides that all
, persons who are charged with federal criminal offenses and are
financially unable to obtain a private attorney are entitled to appointment of counsel to
represent them.
✔✔Cross Examination - ✔✔The opportunity for the attorney (or an unrepresented party)
to ask
questions in court of a witness who has testified on behalf of the
opposing party. Ordinarily, questions on cross-examination are designed to test the
credibility of the witness or to emphasize facts that are favorable to the questioner's
case.
✔✔Decorum - ✔✔Dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
✔✔Deposition - ✔✔An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to
administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to
obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
✔✔Detention Hearing - ✔✔In criminal law, a hearing to determine whether a defendant
should be released pending trial. In family law, a hearing held by the juvenile court to
determine whether a juvenile who is accused of delinquent conduct should be detained,
continued in confinement, or released pending an adjudicatory hearing.
✔✔Dictionary - ✔✔A book, optical disc, mobile device, or online lexical resource
containing a selection of the words of a language, giving information about their
meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, derived forms, etc., expressed
in either the same or another language; lexicon; glossary.
✔✔Direct Examination - ✔✔The initial questioning of a witness by the attorney who
called that
witness to the stand.
✔✔Director - ✔✔The Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts or the
Director's designee.
✔✔Direct Speech - ✔✔The reporting of speech by repeating the actual words of a
speaker. Also known as direct voice.
✔✔disposition - ✔✔The court's final determination of a lawsuit or criminal charge.
✔✔Discourse - ✔✔Any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence.
✔✔Dismissal - ✔✔Termination of an action or claim without further hearing. In criminal
cases, the act of voluntarily terminating a criminal prosecution by the prosecutor or
judge. In civil cases, the act of terminating a lawsuit or one of its causes of action by the
party who brought the claim or by the judge.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Complaint (Civil) - ✔✔The initial pleading that starts a civil action and states the
basis for the
court's jurisdiction, the basis for the plaintiff's claim, and the demand for relief. In some
states, this pleading is called a petition
✔✔Complaint (Criminal) - ✔✔A written statement of the essential facts of the offense
charged, made upon oath before a magistrate judge.
✔✔Conference Interpreter - ✔✔An interpreter who works in multilingual meetings and
renders a
message from one language into another, naturally and fluently. Unlike court
interpreters, conference interpreters adopt the delivery, tone and convictions of the
speaker and often make necessary adjustments to the speech.
✔✔Consecutive Interpretation - ✔✔The mode of interpretation used to interpret
testimony given by a limited English proficiency (LEP) individual on the witness stand,
or other statements for the record involving questions and answers, as well as for
situations in which dialogue with the LEP individual develops, such as interviews. The
interpreter verbally conveys the original message into the target language after the
,speaker has paused. Note taking is an essential tool for optimal performance during
consecutive interpreting.
✔✔Contract Interpreter - ✔✔An interpreter who is not an employee of the court, but is
an independent contractor used for short durations to provide interpreting services.
Contract court interpreters may be AO certified or otherwise qualified interpreters.
✔✔Counsel Table - ✔✔The long table in front of the judge's bench where the parties
and lawyers sit during the hearing or trial. The prosecution, or plaintiffs' attorney in a
civil case, is always seated closest to the jury box.
✔✔Count - ✔✔An allegation in an indictment or information, charging a defendant with
a crime. An indictment may contain allegations that the defendant has committed more
than one crime. Each allegation must be listed
separately. The separate allegations are referred to as the counts of the indictment.
✔✔Court - ✔✔An allegation in an indictment or information, charging a defendant with a
crime. An indictment may contain allegations that the defendant has committed more
than one crime. Each allegation must be listed
separately. The separate allegations are referred to as the counts of the indictment.
✔✔Court Interpreters Act - ✔✔The Court Interpreters Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1827, provides
that the Director
of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall prescribe, determine, and
certify the qualifications of persons who may serve as
certified interpreters, when the Director considers certification of
interpreters to be merited, for the hearing impaired (whether or not also speech
impaired) and persons who speak only or primarily a language other than the English
language, in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States.
✔✔Court Interpreters Advisory Group - ✔✔CIAG; A group comprised of eight staff
interpreters from a
representative cross-section of district courts and any combination of
three members who are clerks of court, district executives, chief deputy clerks, or court
interpreter supervisors, which assists the AO in
addressing current critical issues in and improvements to the court
interpreting program.
✔✔Court Reporter - ✔✔A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in
court,
generally by using a stenographic machine, shorthand or audio recording, and then
produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
✔✔Criminal Justice Act - ✔✔CJA; The Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A,
provides that all
, persons who are charged with federal criminal offenses and are
financially unable to obtain a private attorney are entitled to appointment of counsel to
represent them.
✔✔Cross Examination - ✔✔The opportunity for the attorney (or an unrepresented party)
to ask
questions in court of a witness who has testified on behalf of the
opposing party. Ordinarily, questions on cross-examination are designed to test the
credibility of the witness or to emphasize facts that are favorable to the questioner's
case.
✔✔Decorum - ✔✔Dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
✔✔Deposition - ✔✔An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to
administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to
obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
✔✔Detention Hearing - ✔✔In criminal law, a hearing to determine whether a defendant
should be released pending trial. In family law, a hearing held by the juvenile court to
determine whether a juvenile who is accused of delinquent conduct should be detained,
continued in confinement, or released pending an adjudicatory hearing.
✔✔Dictionary - ✔✔A book, optical disc, mobile device, or online lexical resource
containing a selection of the words of a language, giving information about their
meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, derived forms, etc., expressed
in either the same or another language; lexicon; glossary.
✔✔Direct Examination - ✔✔The initial questioning of a witness by the attorney who
called that
witness to the stand.
✔✔Director - ✔✔The Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts or the
Director's designee.
✔✔Direct Speech - ✔✔The reporting of speech by repeating the actual words of a
speaker. Also known as direct voice.
✔✔disposition - ✔✔The court's final determination of a lawsuit or criminal charge.
✔✔Discourse - ✔✔Any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence.
✔✔Dismissal - ✔✔Termination of an action or claim without further hearing. In criminal
cases, the act of voluntarily terminating a criminal prosecution by the prosecutor or
judge. In civil cases, the act of terminating a lawsuit or one of its causes of action by the
party who brought the claim or by the judge.
