CASLI Simultaneous Interpreting 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the recommended team rotation interval for sign language interpreters working in simultaneous mode in a demanding setting?
- Every 60–90 minutes
- Every 15–20 minutes (Correct answer)
- Every 30–40 minutes
- Every 5–10 minutes
Correct answer: Every 15–20 minutes
Research and professional guidelines recommend rotating every 15–20 minutes in cognitively demanding simultaneous assignments to prevent fatigue-related errors.
Question 2: During a CASLI simultaneous task, the interpreter produces output that is grammatically correct but shifts the register from formal to casual. This error primarily reflects a problem with:
- Source language comprehension
- Register and pragmatic appropriateness (Correct answer)
- Phonological accuracy in ASL
- Message completeness
Correct answer: Register and pragmatic appropriateness
Register shifting is a pragmatic error because the interpreter has altered the social and contextual level of formality intended by the source speaker.
Question 3: Which cognitive model best describes the mental process an interpreter uses during simultaneous interpreting?
- Gile's Effort Model, which divides cognitive resources among listening, memory, and production (Correct answer)
- Chomsky's Transformational Grammar Model
- Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development
- Seleskovitch's Note-Taking Theory
Correct answer: Gile's Effort Model, which divides cognitive resources among listening, memory, and production
Gile's Effort Model explains how interpreters allocate limited cognitive resources across listening comprehension, short-term memory, and target language production simultaneously.
Question 4: An interpreter working English-to-ASL simultaneously uses an initialized sign that is not commonly used in the Deaf community to render a technical term. This decision is best evaluated as:
- An appropriate lexical adaptation given the technical context (Correct answer)
- A violation of ASL grammar
- An omission of source content
- A register error because initialized signs are informal
Correct answer: An appropriate lexical adaptation given the technical context
Initialized signs can be a legitimate lexical strategy for technical vocabulary when no established ASL equivalent exists, though the interpreter should be aware of consumer preferences.
Question 5: What does it mean for an interpreter to 'chunk' source language input during simultaneous interpreting?
- Break the source message into meaningful semantic units before rendering them (Correct answer)
- Count words in the source to pace output evenly
- Omit low-content filler words to speed up processing
- Repeat key phrases to improve consumer retention
Correct answer: Break the source message into meaningful semantic units before rendering them
Chunking involves grouping incoming source language into meaningful semantic units, allowing the interpreter to process ideas holistically rather than word by word.
Question 6: In a CASLI evaluation, an interpreter's simultaneous output includes frequent false starts and self-corrections. This most directly affects which scoring domain?
- Message Equivalence
- Fluency and Prosody (Correct answer)
- Source Language Comprehension
- Cultural Mediation
Correct answer: Fluency and Prosody
Frequent false starts and self-corrections disrupt the fluency and prosody of the target language output, indicating reduced automaticity and processing efficiency.
Question 7: Which scenario best illustrates the concept of 'anticipatory comprehension' in simultaneous ASL interpretation?
- Reviewing the agenda before the event begins
- Using a speaker's sentence structure to predict the ending before it is signed (Correct answer)
- Asking a co-interpreter for the meaning of an unknown sign
- Requesting written notes from the presenter
Correct answer: Using a speaker's sentence structure to predict the ending before it is signed
Anticipatory comprehension uses linguistic and contextual cues within the live message to predict upcoming content, reducing processing lag during simultaneous work.
CASLI Simultaneous Interpreting 4
What is the recommended team rotation interval for sign language interpreters working in simultaneous mode in a demanding setting?