NIC Cultural & Linguistic Competency 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An interpreter notices that a Deaf consumer's message contains a culturally specific Deaf humor reference that will not translate directly. The best approach is to:
- Omit the humor entirely to keep the message clean
- Interpret the intent of the humor using a functional equivalent in the target language (Correct answer)
- Explain the joke to the hearing party in detail
- Ask the Deaf consumer to restate the message without humor
Correct answer: Interpret the intent of the humor using a functional equivalent in the target language
Preserving the communicative intent, including humor, is part of faithful interpretation; a functional equivalent conveys the same effect in the target language.
Question 2: Which best describes 'expansions' as a linguistic strategy in ASL?
- Adding extra signs to slow the conversation down
- Techniques such as contrasting, couching, and rasing-and-refuting used to develop a concept more fully in ASL (Correct answer)
- Replacing fingerspelled words with initialized signs
- Using more formal register in professional settings
Correct answer: Techniques such as contrasting, couching, and rasing-and-refuting used to develop a concept more fully in ASL
Expansions are ASL discourse strategies—such as contrasting and couching—that develop meaning more completely and naturally in the language.
Question 3: A consumer requests that the interpreter use Signed Exact English (SEE). Regarding the NIC framework, the interpreter should:
- Refuse because SEE is not a recognized language
- Honor the consumer's communication preference if within the interpreter's competency (Correct answer)
- Use ASL and explain that it is more appropriate
- Contact the RID ethics committee before proceeding
Correct answer: Honor the consumer's communication preference if within the interpreter's competency
Consumer communication preferences guide interpreter choices; if the interpreter is competent in SEE, honoring that preference supports consumer autonomy.
Question 4: What does 'turn-taking' in ASL conversation primarily rely on, compared to spoken English conversation?
- Pausing and volume changes
- Visual cues, spatial grammar, and non-manual signals rather than vocal pitch or pause alone (Correct answer)
- Written notes passed between participants
- The interpreter's decision about when to allow each party to speak
Correct answer: Visual cues, spatial grammar, and non-manual signals rather than vocal pitch or pause alone
ASL turn-taking is governed by visual signals including eye gaze, body lean, and grammatical cues rather than the auditory cues that regulate spoken conversation.
Question 5: When a Deaf professional uses highly technical ASL vocabulary in a conference setting, what does this indicate to the interpreter?
- The consumer may need simplification support
- The consumer is a fluent, high-register ASL user, and the interpreter should match that register (Correct answer)
- The interpreter should switch to PSE for clarity
- The interpreter should slow the pace to allow processing time
Correct answer: The consumer is a fluent, high-register ASL user, and the interpreter should match that register
Matching the consumer's register demonstrates respect and linguistic competence; technical ASL signals a high-register skilled user.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a 'false cognate' challenge in ASL-English interpretation?
- A sign that looks similar to another sign but has a completely different meaning (Correct answer)
- Using a mouth morpheme that matches the English word
- Spelling a word correctly in fingerspelling
- Choosing between ASL and PSE
Correct answer: A sign that looks similar to another sign but has a completely different meaning
False cognates in ASL are signs that resemble each other visually or parametrically but carry different meanings, creating a risk of misinterpretation.
Question 7: A Deaf consumer from a Latinx background incorporates some cultural gestures common in their hearing family community. The interpreter should:
- Ignore those gestures as irrelevant to the signed message
- Recognize that Deaf individuals may blend cultural and linguistic influences and interpret the full communicative intent (Correct answer)
- Ask the consumer to use only standard ASL
- Note the gestures and discuss them with the consumer after the session
Correct answer: Recognize that Deaf individuals may blend cultural and linguistic influences and interpret the full communicative intent
Deaf individuals exist within multiple cultural and linguistic communities; interpreters must respond to the full, authentic communicative expression of the consumer.
NIC Cultural & Linguistic Competency 4
An interpreter notices that a Deaf consumer's message contains a culturally specific Deaf humor reference that will not translate directly.
The best approach is to: