CASLI Consecutive Interpreting 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which strategy helps a consecutive interpreter maintain accuracy when interpreting a numerically dense passage (dates, statistics, and dollar amounts)?
- Paraphrase numbers in approximate terms to avoid errors
- Use targeted note-taking to record all numerical data verbatim (Correct answer)
- Ask the speaker to remove numbers from the message
- Memorize numbers using only auditory rehearsal without notes
Correct answer: Use targeted note-taking to record all numerical data verbatim
Numerical information is highly susceptible to memory decay, so targeted written notation during the source message is the most reliable strategy.
Question 2: When a Deaf presenter uses ASL classifier predicates to describe spatial relationships, a consecutive interpreter rendering into English should:
- Describe the spatial relationships using precise English spatial language and prepositions (Correct answer)
- Skip classifier content because it has no English equivalent
- Fingerspell each classifier handshape into the English rendition
- Pause the presentation and draw a diagram for the hearing audience
Correct answer: Describe the spatial relationships using precise English spatial language and prepositions
English has rich spatial vocabulary (prepositions, directional verbs, descriptive phrases) that can convey the meaning of ASL classifiers without skipping or pausing.
Question 3: In consecutive interpreting, 'chunking' refers to:
- Breaking the interpreter's note paper into sections
- Grouping source-language information into meaningful semantic units for memory and retrieval (Correct answer)
- Splitting a long session into shorter segments for rest
- Separating each sign into its component parameters
Correct answer: Grouping source-language information into meaningful semantic units for memory and retrieval
Chunking is a memory strategy where information is organized into coherent semantic clusters, reducing cognitive load and improving recall.
Question 4: A CASLI rater marks down a consecutive interpretation for 'target language disfluency.' This most likely means the interpreter:
- Took too many notes during the source
- Produced a rendition that was grammatically awkward or unnatural in ASL or English (Correct answer)
- Interpreted too quickly after the source message ended
- Used too formal a register for the setting
Correct answer: Produced a rendition that was grammatically awkward or unnatural in ASL or English
Target language disfluency refers to grammatical errors, unnatural phrasing, or non-native-like constructions in the language the interpreter is producing.
Question 5: Which of the following represents a 'false start' error in consecutive ASL-to-English interpreting?
- Pausing briefly to recall a specific term before continuing fluently
- Beginning an English sentence, abandoning it mid-clause, and restarting with a different structure (Correct answer)
- Asking the Deaf speaker a clarification question before beginning the rendition
- Using a filled pause like 'um' once during a long rendition
Correct answer: Beginning an English sentence, abandoning it mid-clause, and restarting with a different structure
A false start occurs when the interpreter begins producing a target-language utterance but abandons and restarts it, indicating incomplete planning before production.
Question 6: When consecutive interpreting in a Deaf-blind setting using tactile ASL, which modification is most important?
- Increasing speaking rate to compensate for the tactile delay
- Allowing sufficient time for the Deaf-blind individual to physically receive the message before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Using fingerspelling exclusively to avoid ambiguity
- Skipping non-manual markers since they cannot be felt
Correct answer: Allowing sufficient time for the Deaf-blind individual to physically receive the message before proceeding
Tactile ASL requires the Deaf-blind person to feel the signs through touch, which takes longer, so pacing must accommodate physical reception time.
Question 7: The primary purpose of a pre-session briefing between a consecutive interpreter and the Deaf consumer is to:
- Determine the interpreter's fee and billing rate
- Establish communication preferences, clarify technical vocabulary, and set procedural expectations (Correct answer)
- Practice the content of the upcoming session together
- Obtain confidential information to share with the hearing party
Correct answer: Establish communication preferences, clarify technical vocabulary, and set procedural expectations
Pre-session briefings allow the interpreter to learn the consumer's communication preferences, anticipate specialized vocabulary, and agree on logistical procedures.
CASLI Consecutive Interpreting 4
Which strategy helps a consecutive interpreter maintain accuracy when interpreting a numerically dense passage (dates, statistics, and dollar amounts)?