BEI Ethical & Professional Conduct 5

Question 1

A non-English-speaking defendant asks the interpreter, privately, whether they should plead guilty. The interpreter should:

Accepted Answer

Decline to advise and direct the defendant to speak with their attorney

Answer

Providing legal advice is outside the interpreter's role and constitutes unauthorized practice of law; the defendant must consult their attorney.

Question 2

An interpreter is offered a bonus by a defendant's family to 'make sure everything is understood correctly.' The interpreter should:

Accepted Answer

Decline the payment and report the offer to the court

Answer

Accepting payment from parties other than the court creates a conflict of interest and must be declined; the offer itself should be disclosed to the court.

Question 3

When interpreting victim impact statements that contain deeply emotional and graphic content, the interpreter should:

Accepted Answer

Interpret the content faithfully while maintaining professional composure

Answer

Interpreters must render all content faithfully regardless of its emotional nature, maintaining professional composure throughout.

Question 4

A defense attorney instructs the interpreter not to interpret a side conversation between the attorney and a witness. The interpreter should:

Accepted Answer

Seek clarification from the judge about what to interpret

Answer

Instructions about what to interpret in court proceedings should come from the judge, not counsel; the interpreter should seek judicial guidance when instructions conflict.

Question 5

An interpreter working a multi-week trial is contacted socially by the defendant's spouse outside court. The interpreter should:

Accepted Answer

Politely disengage and report the contact to the court

Answer

Social contact with parties related to an ongoing case compromises impartiality and must be reported to the court.

(BEI) Board for Evaluation of Interpreters Practice Test

(BEI) Board for Evaluation of Interpreters Practice Test

BEI Ethical & Professional Conduct 5