ETHICS

One of the parties you are interpreting for asks what country you are from. You should say

• You are not allowed to discuss personal information with any party on the call; the client may reach out to Lionbridge with further questions.

• Answer the question since it's not important to the interpretation.

• You can't tell them where you are from, but you can answer other questions as long as you interpret everything for everyone.

The person with Limited English Proficiency has been speaking for quite a while, and the statement is so long that you can't reasonably interpret it. What should you do?

• Interrupt the LEP while he is speaking and ask him to shorten his statements.

• Ask the client to instruct the LEP to use shorter statements to allow time for the interpretation

• As a professional interpreter, you should not interfere with the process. Therefore, you should continue interpreting to the best of your ability.

Idioms and popular saying should be...

• Interpreted literally/word for word

• Interpreted with the closest English equivalent.

• Skipped over entirely by the interpreter.

What would you do if the person for whom you are interpreting answers simple questions in English?

• Interpret the statement back into the target language

• Say nothing, since the statement has already been said in English

• Repeat what was said in English

If someone uses a term with which you are unfamiliar, you should..

• Continue interpreting, since it's probably not important

• Clarify with the person what he/she means and then interpret

• Inform the client of the problem and ask permission to consult a dictionary or permission to inquire with the speaker.

If there are two possible interpretations for a word, you should

• Provide both; "this" or "that"

• Ask the speaker which one they prefer.

• Provide one interpretation, whichever is more accurate or common if possible.

Which of the following is an acceptable way to request clarification of a phrase you didn't understand?

• "Sir/Ma'am, clarification needed."

• "Sir/Ma'am, I'm sorry but I didn't understand that. I will ask the customer to repeat.

• "Sir/Ma'am, the interpreter would like to clarify a term that the interpreter is not familiar with. Is this acceptable?"

The person with Limited English Proficiency speaks so fast that you miss part of the statement. What should you do?

• As a professional interpreter, it is your responsibility to keep up with the speaker's pace if the pace is within reason. Nevertheless, when needed, you should ask the client for a repetition.

• Interrupt the LEP while he is speaking and ask him to speak at a slower pace

• Omit the parts of the statement that you missed and summarize.

The person for whom you are interpreting (the LEP) becomes distraught during your assignment and begins to cry. You feel sorry for the person, and no one else seems to notice. What should you do?

• Ask the client if it would be possible to take a break so the LEP can settle down

• Try to console the person so he can continue with his questions or responses

• Simply interpret what is being said and attempt to convey a similar mood or feeling as the LEP during questions or responses

The person you are interpreter for (the LEP) recounts a conversation in which vulgar language was used. You know that this particular client is very offended by the use of vulgar language. You should

• "Soften" the language when you interpret since the vulgar language might work against the LEP.

• Interpret everything that you hear, including the vulgar language.

• Use a different term that has similar meaning, but is not vulgar, so you don't offend the client