BEI Language Comprehension & Expression 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BEI interpreter hears a witness say 'I seen him leave.' How should this be rendered?
- Correct it to 'I saw him leave'
- Render it exactly as 'I seen him leave' (Correct answer)
- Paraphrase as 'He departed and the witness observed it'
- Omit the grammatical error entirely
Correct answer: Render it exactly as 'I seen him leave'
Interpreters must render the speaker's exact register and grammar, including non-standard usage, to preserve credibility assessments.
Question 2: Which term describes the ability to switch fluently between two languages depending on context?
- Code-switching (Correct answer)
- Back-translation
- Lexical borrowing
- Register shifting
Correct answer: Code-switching
Code-switching is the practice of alternating between two languages within a conversation or utterance.
Question 3: A deponent uses highly technical medical jargon. The interpreter does not know a specific term. What is the best immediate action?
- Substitute a general term and continue
- Skip the unknown term
- Ask for a brief recess to look up the term
- Request clarification by stating 'The interpreter is not familiar with that term' (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Request clarification by stating 'The interpreter is not familiar with that term'
Interpreters must alert the court when they encounter unknown terminology rather than guess or omit.
Question 4: What does 'source language' refer to in interpretation?
- The language the interpreter prefers
- The language from which a message originates (Correct answer)
- The language of the court record
- The dominant language of the jurisdiction
Correct answer: The language from which a message originates
The source language is the language in which the original message is delivered before interpretation.
Question 5: When an interpreter renders a speech with more words than the original without adding meaning, this is called:
- Over-interpretation
- Expansion (Correct answer)
- Pleonasm
- Verbosity error
Correct answer: Expansion
Expansion occurs when an interpreter uses more words than necessary, often to clarify, but may distort the original register.
Question 6: An attorney objects that the interpreter 'summarized' instead of interpreted. This violates which core principle?
- Impartiality
- Completeness (Correct answer)
- Confidentiality
- Role boundaries
Correct answer: Completeness
Completeness requires that interpreters convey the full message without omissions or summaries.
Question 7: In consecutive interpretation, the interpreter begins rendering after:
- Each word is spoken
- The speaker completes a full thought or segment (Correct answer)
- The judge gives a signal
- The court reporter finishes typing
Correct answer: The speaker completes a full thought or segment
Consecutive interpretation starts after the speaker finishes a segment, allowing the interpreter to render a complete unit of meaning.
BEI Language Comprehension & Expression 2
A BEI interpreter hears a witness say 'I seen him leave.' How should this be rendered?