CASLI Language Comprehension & Production 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'shadowing' in the context of interpreter training for language comprehension?
- Following a Deaf client closely in public settings
- Repeating source language input aloud simultaneously as it is produced (Correct answer)
- Silently mouthing signed input to practice lip patterns
- Mirroring a mentor interpreter's production technique
Correct answer: Repeating source language input aloud simultaneously as it is produced
Shadowing is a training technique in which the interpreter repeats the source message in the same language simultaneously, building listening and processing stamina before adding the language conversion task.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates 'register' in a signed language interpretation context?
- The handshape selected for a particular sign
- The level of formality and style of language used appropriate to the setting (Correct answer)
- The speed at which signs are produced
- The spatial arrangement of referents in signing space
Correct answer: The level of formality and style of language used appropriate to the setting
Register refers to the variation in language style, vocabulary, and formality that corresponds to the social context, relationship of participants, and purpose of the interaction.
Question 3: In ASL, which handshape is used in the classifier predicate representing a standing person?
- B handshape
- 5 handshape
- 1 handshape (Correct answer)
- V handshape
Correct answer: 1 handshape
The 1 handshape (index finger extended upright) is the classifier for a person in an upright standing position in ASL classifier predicates.
Question 4: When a Deaf signer uses 'listing' in ASL discourse, which non-manual and manual feature typically accompanies each item?
- Nodding after each item and switching hands randomly
- Using the non-dominant hand as a 'list buoy' while the dominant hand signs each item (Correct answer)
- Pausing and looking away between items
- Raising the eyebrows only on the final item
Correct answer: Using the non-dominant hand as a 'list buoy' while the dominant hand signs each item
Listing in ASL often involves using the non-dominant hand as a 'buoy' or anchor (sometimes touching fingers to enumerate), while the dominant hand signs each listed item.
Question 5: An interpreter who expands source language information to make an implicit cultural meaning explicit for the target audience is using which strategy?
- Omission
- Expansion or explicitation (Correct answer)
- Compression
- Transliteration
Correct answer: Expansion or explicitation
Expansion or explicitation involves adding information to the target message that is culturally or contextually implicit in the source but needs to be made explicit for the target audience to understand.
Question 6: CASLI assesses candidates interpreting in both directions: ASL-to-English and English-to-ASL. Which statement about bidirectional interpreting competency is most accurate?
- Proficiency in one direction guarantees equal proficiency in the other
- Strong ASL receptive skills always predict strong English production
- Each direction requires distinct skills; strength in one does not ensure strength in the other (Correct answer)
- English-to-ASL is universally more difficult than ASL-to-English
Correct answer: Each direction requires distinct skills; strength in one does not ensure strength in the other
Interpreting into and out of a language draw on different cognitive and linguistic skills, so a candidate may perform differently on each directionality task.
Question 7: What is the primary function of 'cohesive devices' in ASL discourse production?
- To increase signing speed during interpretation
- To link ideas and maintain coherence and flow across a discourse (Correct answer)
- To differentiate between two signers in a bilingual setting
- To signal that the interpreter is finished with a thought
Correct answer: To link ideas and maintain coherence and flow across a discourse
Cohesive devices such as pronominalization, spatial reference, role shifting, and transitional signs connect ideas and help the audience follow the logical structure of the discourse.
CASLI Language Comprehension & Production 4
What is 'shadowing' in the context of interpreter training for language comprehension?