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Legal Interpreting Flashcards

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  1. During a deposition, a Deaf witness asks the interpreter to clarify a legal term the attorney just used. What is the most appropriate response?

    Answer: Ask the attorney to rephrase or clarify the term for the record

    Interpreters should not clarify legal terms independently; asking the attorney to rephrase keeps the communication on the record and within appropriate roles.

  2. Which constitutional amendment is most directly implicated when a Deaf defendant is denied a qualified interpreter in a criminal proceeding?

    Answer: Sixth Amendment

    The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to confront witnesses and receive effective assistance, which courts have extended to include qualified interpreter access.

  3. A legal interpreter notices that an attorney's question contains a double negative that would confuse the meaning when rendered in ASL. The interpreter should:

    Answer: Interpret the grammatical meaning as understood, preserving the ambiguity

    Interpreters render the message as delivered, including ambiguities; restructuring or correcting the source message is a role violation.

  4. Under ADA Title II, courts must provide interpreters for Deaf individuals in legal proceedings. Who bears the cost of this service?

    Answer: The court or government entity

    Title II of the ADA requires public entities, including courts, to bear the cost of effective communication aids and services.

  5. A sign language interpreter working in a grand jury proceeding is bound by grand jury secrecy rules. This obligation is derived from:

    Answer: Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e)

    Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) governs grand jury secrecy and applies to all persons present, including interpreters.

  6. When interpreting a Miranda warning for a Deaf suspect, the interpreter's primary obligation is to:

    Answer: Render the warning accurately and completely in ASL

    The interpreter's role is accurate and complete rendition; verifying comprehension is the responsibility of law enforcement, not the interpreter.

  7. A Deaf attorney who uses ASL requests an interpreter for their own court appearances as counsel. Under the ADA, this accommodation must be provided by:

    Answer: The attorney's law firm as the employer

    When a Deaf attorney needs an interpreter for their employment duties, Title I of the ADA applies and the employer—the law firm—is responsible.