EIPA Classroom Interpreting Strategies and Techniques 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the recommended seating arrangement for a Deaf student to best access the educational interpreter?
- At the back of the room
- Near the door for easy exit
- Positioned to see both the interpreter and the teacher/board simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Next to the loudest students in class
Correct answer: Positioned to see both the interpreter and the teacher/board simultaneously
Positioning the Deaf student so they can see both the interpreter and the teacher/board ensures optimal access to language and visual classroom information.
Question 2: When a teacher uses a PowerPoint presentation, what is best practice for the educational interpreter?
- Ignore the slides and interpret only the speech
- Pause to allow the student to view slides before resuming interpretation
- Reference or point to slides while interpreting to help the student connect content (Correct answer)
- Read slide text aloud instead of signing
Correct answer: Reference or point to slides while interpreting to help the student connect content
Effective interpreters reference visual materials during interpretation so the Deaf student can connect the signed message to what is being displayed.
Question 3: When should an educational interpreter use transliteration rather than interpretation?
- When the student is a fluent ASL user
- When the student's primary communication mode is an English-based signing system (Correct answer)
- When the content is too complex for the interpreter
- When the teacher speaks slowly
Correct answer: When the student's primary communication mode is an English-based signing system
Transliteration (signed English) is more appropriate when the student primarily uses an English-based signing system rather than ASL.
Question 4: How should an educational interpreter handle a Deaf student's direct question to the teacher?
- Answer the question themselves to save time
- Interpret the student's question to the teacher faithfully without modification (Correct answer)
- Rephrase the question to sound more polished
- Ask the teacher privately after class
Correct answer: Interpret the student's question to the teacher faithfully without modification
The interpreter should faithfully convey the student's question to the teacher, preserving the student's voice and intent without alteration.
Question 5: What technique helps maintain accuracy when interpreting a rapidly delivered classroom lecture?
- Summarizing only the key points
- Using a processing lag of 2–5 seconds to comprehend meaning before signing (Correct answer)
- Asking the teacher to repeat everything twice
- Writing notes instead of signing
Correct answer: Using a processing lag of 2–5 seconds to comprehend meaning before signing
A processing lag of 2–5 seconds allows the interpreter to fully comprehend the source message before producing an accurate target-language interpretation.
Question 6: When an interpreter encounters an unknown technical term during a science class, what is the best immediate strategy?
- Skip the term entirely
- Fingerspell the term and supplement with contextual meaning signs if possible (Correct answer)
- Stop the class and ask the teacher to explain
- Substitute a simpler everyday word
Correct answer: Fingerspell the term and supplement with contextual meaning signs if possible
Fingerspelling the unfamiliar term while providing contextual meaning signs preserves accuracy and gives the student the exact spelling for later reference.
EIPA Classroom Interpreting Strategies and Techniques 1
What is the recommended seating arrangement for a Deaf student to best access the educational interpreter?