Medical Interpreting Comprehensive
Exam with Complete Solutions
Define bias. - ANSWER-personal belief
Define community interpreting - ANSWER-specialization that facilitates interpreting to
community access
Define intervening. - ANSWER-Interrupting the interpreted session by the interpreter to
address a problem
Define mediation. - ANSWER-Any act or utterance of the interpreter that goes beyond
interpreting and is intended to address a barrier to communication or service delivery (or
access to the service).
Define medical interpreting - ANSWER-Interpreting for patients, their families and
healthcare providers in order to facilitate access to healthcare.
Having a few "mental scripts" for mediation that you can adapt to each situation: -
ANSWER-Can save time and avoid many kinds of problems for interpreters
Healthcare interpreters might need to show proof of: - ANSWER-TB test and
vaccinations
If a document you are asked to sight translate is four pages long and complex, with lots
of legal terminology, you should probably: - ANSWER-Ask the provider to explain the
document and interpret the explanation
If a provider keeps using third person, you should try to: - ANSWER-1. Find a
background position and cuff off eye contact
2. Clarify your role
3. Ask the provider to speak directly to the patient
4. Use a hand signal to redirect the provider to the patient
5. Explain why first person is better than third person
6. Mediate outside the session to explain why first person is important
If you arrive and find you know the person whom you are supposed to interpret for, you
should: - ANSWER-1. Disclose the conflict to everyone
2. Try to withdraw from the interpreting session
3. If everyone present asks you to stay, decide if you can be impartial and if the patient
really benefits from your staying
If you explain a cultural misunderstanding yourself (as an interpreter): - ANSWER-1.
You should be wrong
, 2. You could take away that person's voice
3. You interfere with communicative autonomy
4. You might sound patronizing or paternalistic
5. You could contribute to stereotypes
Intercultural mediators in healthcare: - ANSWER-1. Any professionals whose job often
focuses on helping patients to navigate the healthcare system
2. Are not profession interpreters but sometimes interpret for their job
3. Might or might not be professionally trained to interpret
Summarization is not usually permitted in medical interpreting except special situations
such as: - ANSWER-1. Emergencies
2. When people speak quickly and it is impossible to stop them
3. When a situation is out of control
T/F: "Communicative autonomy" means the capacity to be responsible for and in control
of our own communication. - ANSWER-true
T/F: A "mental script" for mediation should be short and simple. - ANSWER-true
T/F: Chunking means breaking down the message into units of meaning to make them
easier to remember and interpret. - ANSWER-true
T/F: Decades of research show that people unconsciously stereotype others. -
ANSWER-true
T/F: Each time you intervene, whatever you say to one party you should interpret or
report to the other party. - ANSWER-true
T/F: If you finish a 40-hour training program for medical interpreting and get a certificate,
you are certified. - ANSWER-false
T/F: Interpreters can carry disease from one patient to another. - ANSWER-true.
T/F: It is ideal (where possible) if most of your interpreter note-taking is vertical and
based on symbols, not words. - ANSWER-true
T/F: It is important to explain to the LEP patients you interpret for how the U.S.
healthcare system works. - ANSWER-false
T/F: Medical interpreters are community interpreters - ANSWER-true
T/F: Medical interpreting is the most professionalized area of community interpreting. -
ANSWER-true
T/F: Medical interpreting is very different from healthcare interpreting. - ANSWER-false
Exam with Complete Solutions
Define bias. - ANSWER-personal belief
Define community interpreting - ANSWER-specialization that facilitates interpreting to
community access
Define intervening. - ANSWER-Interrupting the interpreted session by the interpreter to
address a problem
Define mediation. - ANSWER-Any act or utterance of the interpreter that goes beyond
interpreting and is intended to address a barrier to communication or service delivery (or
access to the service).
Define medical interpreting - ANSWER-Interpreting for patients, their families and
healthcare providers in order to facilitate access to healthcare.
Having a few "mental scripts" for mediation that you can adapt to each situation: -
ANSWER-Can save time and avoid many kinds of problems for interpreters
Healthcare interpreters might need to show proof of: - ANSWER-TB test and
vaccinations
If a document you are asked to sight translate is four pages long and complex, with lots
of legal terminology, you should probably: - ANSWER-Ask the provider to explain the
document and interpret the explanation
If a provider keeps using third person, you should try to: - ANSWER-1. Find a
background position and cuff off eye contact
2. Clarify your role
3. Ask the provider to speak directly to the patient
4. Use a hand signal to redirect the provider to the patient
5. Explain why first person is better than third person
6. Mediate outside the session to explain why first person is important
If you arrive and find you know the person whom you are supposed to interpret for, you
should: - ANSWER-1. Disclose the conflict to everyone
2. Try to withdraw from the interpreting session
3. If everyone present asks you to stay, decide if you can be impartial and if the patient
really benefits from your staying
If you explain a cultural misunderstanding yourself (as an interpreter): - ANSWER-1.
You should be wrong
, 2. You could take away that person's voice
3. You interfere with communicative autonomy
4. You might sound patronizing or paternalistic
5. You could contribute to stereotypes
Intercultural mediators in healthcare: - ANSWER-1. Any professionals whose job often
focuses on helping patients to navigate the healthcare system
2. Are not profession interpreters but sometimes interpret for their job
3. Might or might not be professionally trained to interpret
Summarization is not usually permitted in medical interpreting except special situations
such as: - ANSWER-1. Emergencies
2. When people speak quickly and it is impossible to stop them
3. When a situation is out of control
T/F: "Communicative autonomy" means the capacity to be responsible for and in control
of our own communication. - ANSWER-true
T/F: A "mental script" for mediation should be short and simple. - ANSWER-true
T/F: Chunking means breaking down the message into units of meaning to make them
easier to remember and interpret. - ANSWER-true
T/F: Decades of research show that people unconsciously stereotype others. -
ANSWER-true
T/F: Each time you intervene, whatever you say to one party you should interpret or
report to the other party. - ANSWER-true
T/F: If you finish a 40-hour training program for medical interpreting and get a certificate,
you are certified. - ANSWER-false
T/F: Interpreters can carry disease from one patient to another. - ANSWER-true.
T/F: It is ideal (where possible) if most of your interpreter note-taking is vertical and
based on symbols, not words. - ANSWER-true
T/F: It is important to explain to the LEP patients you interpret for how the U.S.
healthcare system works. - ANSWER-false
T/F: Medical interpreters are community interpreters - ANSWER-true
T/F: Medical interpreting is the most professionalized area of community interpreting. -
ANSWER-true
T/F: Medical interpreting is very different from healthcare interpreting. - ANSWER-false
