CASLI Ethical & Professional Decision-Making 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An interpreter is asked by a healthcare provider to explain the Deaf consumer's medical history without the consumer present. What is correct?
- Provide the history since the provider asked
- Decline, as sharing consumer information without consent violates confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Provide only general information without identifying details
- Ask the consumer by phone before answering
Correct answer: Decline, as sharing consumer information without consent violates confidentiality
Confidentiality requires that interpreters not disclose any information about consumers outside the interpreted interaction.
Question 2: A Deaf-Blind consumer requests a protactile interpreter, but only a visual ASL interpreter is available. What should the agency do?
- Send the ASL interpreter and instruct them to adapt
- Inform the consumer and seek a qualified protactile interpreter or reschedule (Correct answer)
- Cancel the assignment without explanation
- Send the ASL interpreter and document the consumer's lack of complaint
Correct answer: Inform the consumer and seek a qualified protactile interpreter or reschedule
Providing an interpreter without the specific competency needed for a Deaf-Blind consumer fails to meet the consumer's communication needs.
Question 3: An interpreter is emotionally affected by graphic testimony in a court case. What is the professional response?
- Push through without acknowledgment to maintain professionalism
- Request a brief break if needed and use self-care strategies; discuss with the team interpreter (Correct answer)
- Ask the court to skip the graphic portions
- Visibly react to signal empathy to the Deaf consumer
Correct answer: Request a brief break if needed and use self-care strategies; discuss with the team interpreter
Interpreters must manage vicarious trauma proactively; requesting a break and debriefing with a team partner are recognized professional responses.
Question 4: A new interpreter's agency assigns them to interpret a highly technical medical procedure they have not prepared for. What is the ethical obligation?
- Accept and do their best in the moment
- Disclose their limited preparation and ask for preparation time or a more qualified interpreter (Correct answer)
- Refuse without explanation
- Accept but ask the surgeon to speak slowly
Correct answer: Disclose their limited preparation and ask for preparation time or a more qualified interpreter
Professional ethics require interpreters to work only within their competence and to be transparent when an assignment exceeds their preparation.
Question 5: A hearing consumer in a business meeting continuously speaks to the interpreter rather than the Deaf participant. What should the interpreter do?
- Answer on behalf of the Deaf participant to keep things moving
- Redirect the hearing consumer to address the Deaf participant directly (Correct answer)
- Interpret as usual without comment
- Stop interpreting until the hearing consumer changes behavior
Correct answer: Redirect the hearing consumer to address the Deaf participant directly
Interpreters can briefly and professionally redirect parties to communicate with each other, supporting direct interaction.
Question 6: Under the CASLI Code of Ethics, what does 'professional discretion' primarily require of an interpreter?
- Sharing assignment details only with supervisors
- Exercising sound judgment about what information to disclose and to whom (Correct answer)
- Avoiding all social media about their profession
- Consulting a peer before making any ethical decision
Correct answer: Exercising sound judgment about what information to disclose and to whom
Professional discretion means using judgment to protect consumer privacy and uphold professional standards in all contexts.
Question 7: An interpreter is approached after an assignment by a journalist who observed the session and wants a comment. What is the appropriate response?
- Provide a brief, neutral statement to avoid appearing uncooperative
- Decline to comment and protect the confidentiality of the assignment (Correct answer)
- Confirm only publicly available details
- Refer the journalist to the agency
Correct answer: Decline to comment and protect the confidentiality of the assignment
Confidentiality obligations extend beyond the assignment; interpreters must not discuss session content with outside parties.
CASLI Ethical & Professional Decision-Making 3
An interpreter is asked by a healthcare provider to explain the Deaf consumer's medical history without the consumer present.
What is correct?