Medical Interpreter Review Exam
Questions and Answers
List the 9 ethical principals - Answer-Confidentiality, Accuracy, Impartiality, Role
boundaries, Cultural awareness, Respect, Advocacy, Professional development,
Professionalism
Accuracy (Standards of Practice) To enable other parties to know precisely what each
speaker has said - Answer-The interpreters renders all messages accurately and
completely, without adding, omitting and substituting.
The interpreter replicates the register, tone style of the speaker
The interpreter manages the flow of communication
Confidentiality: to honor the private and personal nature of the health care interaction
and maintain trust among all parties - Answer-The interpreter maintains confidentiality
and does not disclose information outside the treating team, except with the patient's
consent or if required by law
The interpreter protects written patient information in his or her possession
Impartiality: To eliminate the effect of interpreter bias or preference - Answer-The
interpreter does not allow personal judgments or cultural values to influence objectivity
The interpreter discloses potential conflicts of interest, withdrawing from assignments if
necessary
Respect: To acknowledge the inherent dignity of all parties in the interpreted encounter
- Answer-The interpreter uses professional, culturally appropriate ways of showing
respect.
The interpreter promotes direct communication among all parties in the encounter
The interpreter promotes patient autonomy
Cultural awareness: To facilitate communication across cultural differences - Answer-
The interpreter strives to understand the cultures associated with languages he or she
interprets, including biomedical culture
The interpreter alerts all parties to any significant cultural misunderstanding that arises
Role boundaries: To clarify the scope and limits of the interpreting role, in order to avoid
conflicts of interest - Answer-The interpreter limits personal involvement with all parties
during the interpreting assignment.
The interpreter limits his or her professional activity to interpreting within an encounter
The interpreter with an additional role adheres to all interpreting standards of practice
while interpreting
Professionalism: Interpreter at all times act in a professional and ethical manner -
Answer-The interpreter is honest and ethical in all business practices
, The interpreter is prepared for all assignments
The interpreter discloses skill limitations with respect to particular assignments
The interpreter is accountable for professional performance
Professional Development: To attain the highest possible level of competence and
service - Answer-The interpreter continues to develop language and cultural knowledge
and interpreting skills
The interpreter seeks feedback to improve his or her performance
The interpreter supports the professional development of fellow interpreters
The interpreter participates in organizations and activities that contribute to the
development of the profession
Advocacy: To prevent harm to parties that the interpreter serves - Answer-The
interpreter may speak out to protect an individual from serious harm
The interpreter may advocate on behalf of a party or group to correct mistreatment or
abuse
Steps for sight translation - Answer-Read the text from beginning to end
Identify any challenges such as unfamiliar terms
Ask for clarification as needed
Consult dictionaries, glossaries or electronic resources
Render the text from beginning to end
How to introduce yourself - Answer-Hello, my name is _______ and I am a professional
interpreter.
Everything said or signed will be interpreted
Everything will be kept confidential
Please speak to each other, not me
If I do this (signal of stop) please pause
I may take notes, but I always destroy them
Four Criteria for Intervening: common barriers of communication often lead to ethical
challenges for interpreters - Answer-*Linguistic challenges: noise, phrase or word
unknown
* Role confusion: asked to translate a doc. asked for guidance
* Cultural Misunderstanding: we are not cultural mediators or cultural experts
* System service barrier: Not my job to explain the system. We do not explain
healthcare systems, differences,
What is Community Interpreter - Answer-A bilingual or Multilingual individual who is
deemed professionally qualified to interpret in community service settings
What is Direct Speech? - Answer-Is using in "The first Person". If someone says "I have
a headache", you would interpret the exact statement in the other language.
Avoid indirect speech (third person), ex: "He says he has a headache"
Questions and Answers
List the 9 ethical principals - Answer-Confidentiality, Accuracy, Impartiality, Role
boundaries, Cultural awareness, Respect, Advocacy, Professional development,
Professionalism
Accuracy (Standards of Practice) To enable other parties to know precisely what each
speaker has said - Answer-The interpreters renders all messages accurately and
completely, without adding, omitting and substituting.
The interpreter replicates the register, tone style of the speaker
The interpreter manages the flow of communication
Confidentiality: to honor the private and personal nature of the health care interaction
and maintain trust among all parties - Answer-The interpreter maintains confidentiality
and does not disclose information outside the treating team, except with the patient's
consent or if required by law
The interpreter protects written patient information in his or her possession
Impartiality: To eliminate the effect of interpreter bias or preference - Answer-The
interpreter does not allow personal judgments or cultural values to influence objectivity
The interpreter discloses potential conflicts of interest, withdrawing from assignments if
necessary
Respect: To acknowledge the inherent dignity of all parties in the interpreted encounter
- Answer-The interpreter uses professional, culturally appropriate ways of showing
respect.
The interpreter promotes direct communication among all parties in the encounter
The interpreter promotes patient autonomy
Cultural awareness: To facilitate communication across cultural differences - Answer-
The interpreter strives to understand the cultures associated with languages he or she
interprets, including biomedical culture
The interpreter alerts all parties to any significant cultural misunderstanding that arises
Role boundaries: To clarify the scope and limits of the interpreting role, in order to avoid
conflicts of interest - Answer-The interpreter limits personal involvement with all parties
during the interpreting assignment.
The interpreter limits his or her professional activity to interpreting within an encounter
The interpreter with an additional role adheres to all interpreting standards of practice
while interpreting
Professionalism: Interpreter at all times act in a professional and ethical manner -
Answer-The interpreter is honest and ethical in all business practices
, The interpreter is prepared for all assignments
The interpreter discloses skill limitations with respect to particular assignments
The interpreter is accountable for professional performance
Professional Development: To attain the highest possible level of competence and
service - Answer-The interpreter continues to develop language and cultural knowledge
and interpreting skills
The interpreter seeks feedback to improve his or her performance
The interpreter supports the professional development of fellow interpreters
The interpreter participates in organizations and activities that contribute to the
development of the profession
Advocacy: To prevent harm to parties that the interpreter serves - Answer-The
interpreter may speak out to protect an individual from serious harm
The interpreter may advocate on behalf of a party or group to correct mistreatment or
abuse
Steps for sight translation - Answer-Read the text from beginning to end
Identify any challenges such as unfamiliar terms
Ask for clarification as needed
Consult dictionaries, glossaries or electronic resources
Render the text from beginning to end
How to introduce yourself - Answer-Hello, my name is _______ and I am a professional
interpreter.
Everything said or signed will be interpreted
Everything will be kept confidential
Please speak to each other, not me
If I do this (signal of stop) please pause
I may take notes, but I always destroy them
Four Criteria for Intervening: common barriers of communication often lead to ethical
challenges for interpreters - Answer-*Linguistic challenges: noise, phrase or word
unknown
* Role confusion: asked to translate a doc. asked for guidance
* Cultural Misunderstanding: we are not cultural mediators or cultural experts
* System service barrier: Not my job to explain the system. We do not explain
healthcare systems, differences,
What is Community Interpreter - Answer-A bilingual or Multilingual individual who is
deemed professionally qualified to interpret in community service settings
What is Direct Speech? - Answer-Is using in "The first Person". If someone says "I have
a headache", you would interpret the exact statement in the other language.
Avoid indirect speech (third person), ex: "He says he has a headache"
