Determining Language Proficiency of Non-Certified Interpeters
Determining Language Proficiency of Non-Certified Interpreters
Based on “Fundamentals of Court Interpretation” by R. Gonzalez, V. Vasquez, and H. Mikkelson
What do you do when you don't speak the language and really don't know if a person is qualified? There are a few assessments you can do to check English proficiency and even their foreign language abilities. Back translation will give you a feel of their ability to do consecutive interpreting and is the most reliable assessment short of the certification exam.
Interview candidate to establish background and English proficiency, including if their English is easy to understand (even with accent). Levels get progressively more difficult and complex. To be successful in a court setting requires the ability to reach Level 4.
Level 1 Inquiries:
Name
Address
Current & former occupation
Interpreting and translating experience
Educational background in the US
Educational background in a foreign country
Level 2 Inquiries:
Travel outside the US (discussing the cultural differences & economics require more sophisticated language skills)
Level 3 Inquiries:
Place candidate in hypothetical courtroom situation, requiring candidate to state what they’d do. (Candidate must use language to hypothesize a solution to an imagined problem.)
Level 4 Inquiries:
Ask about candidate’s understanding of the US judicial system. (Candidate will give an indication of their legal knowledge and the level of their language skills to discuss abstract concepts.)
Biographical Sketch
Ask the candidate to write a first person narrative on their background. (Provides insight into vocabulary and English proficiency, as well as their background.)
Shadowing
Using a tape-recorded monologue (use an opening or closing statement) recorded at 120 to 140 words per minute, ask the candidate to wear headphones, listen to the recording, and to repeat the narrative simultaneously, word-for-word, in English. Staff follows a transcript, listening to the candidate to determine accuracy and their ability to listen, process and speak at the same time. It does not determine the ability to simultaneously interpret, since the language remains the same. It could be take recorded so the candidate can see how much they are missing or distorting. A candidate who is unable to shadow with at least 80 percent accuracy will not be able to cope with the complexity of simultaneous interpreting.
Memory Test
Read questions and answers as would be typical of questioning on the witness stand. The candidate will repeat what is said, consecutively, word for word in English. This is a monolingual exercise (like the shadowing exercise) that assesses the ability to retain and recall, not comprehension. The scoring units are underlined. If the candidate does not recall at least 50 percent of these scoring units, it is doubtful they can interpret consecutively. (These examples are taken from “Fundamentals of Court Interpreting.”) To maintain the integrity of the test, the candidate does not get the scripts at any time.
1. Well, I don’t know. . . .what I mean is, I’m not really sure, but it looks like the same .357.
2. No, that’s not true! I was not in the country on the 16th of February . . . I didn’t arrive here until March 28.
3. Yes, I’m sure he’s the one, because he has the same face, only the hair is different. It was much longer.
4. I left my house at 7:15, walked over to 2nd Avenue and took the bus down to 177th.
5. I saw two men get out of a 1998 white Toyota Corolla. They knocked on the door of the house across the street. Then the shorter of the two went about back.
6. I must remind you that you are under oath, Sir. I ask you again, did you see the deceased with the defendant on the day in question?
7. Calling your attention to January 25, 1989, can you recall anything unusual that occurred during the morning in Apartment 721.
8. You say they took the TV, two stereo speakers, a camera, and $175 in cash. Anything else?
9. Are you now saying that he left the party before 11:30 pm, because someone told you that or because you have an independent memory of his leaving at that hour?
10. Is it a fair statement to say that you were at such a distance that you couldn’t see their faces because of the poor lighting?
Back Translation
To determine the skills of a candidate in a language unknown to the evaluator, you can use the candidate’s knowledge of the language to assess themselves. Pre-record these questions/answers in English, allowing time between the utterances to interpret. Candidate listens to the pre-recorded dialogue with headphones and the candidate’s interpretation is recorded on a second tape recorder. Any notes are collected and destroyed by the evaluator. Take a break (15 to 20 minutes) or give another assessment to reduce the potential for the candidate to simply deliver the statements from memory. Rewind the candidate’s tape and instruct the candidate to interpret everything from the foreign language (the candidate’s interpretation), into English. During the back translation phase, the evaluator checks the back translation against a script of the original dialogue. (Taping this back translation would reduce the risk of misunderstandings.) If the concept is maintained, credit is given. If the concept is distorted or omitted, it is counted wrong. The candidate should get at least 70 percent of the underlined scoring units. (These examples are taken from “Fundamentals of Court Interpreting”.) To maintain the integrity of the test, the candidate does not get the scripts at any time and notes are destroyed.
1. Mr. Anderson, calling your attention to the morning of the 12th of May, 1988, did you on that date have the occasion to enter the downtown branch of the Bank of America to cash a check?
2. Let me see if I get what you mean. Are you now saying that the man who was holding the gun on you that evening was the tall skinny one, the one wearing an earring?
3. From the time you first saw the defendant running down the hallway until you heard the gunshot, how far do you estimate he had traveled?
4. Are you now telling the jury that you were mistaken in your identification of the defendant and that you are now no longer sure that this is the man who robbed you in your jewelry store?
5. Is your testimony, sir, that you were completely unaware that your traveling companion on Flight 767 was carrying a coffee can full of cocaine in her suitcase?
6. About 9:30, I walked into the park and waited for my friend by the brick wall. I was watching some tree trimmers when some plainclothes police officers stopped and arrested me.
7. Well . . . . as I’ve already told you, I tried on the coat, and then I got distracted because an old lady asked me to watch her packages. I didn’t realize I had the coat on until I got outside the store.
8. I was sitting by myself on the bus bench when that girl right there with the braids came and sat right next to me. She was very interested in my watch. Then she grabbed my purse and ran.
9. He told me he was going to kill me. He then pulled out a long knife and I believe he would have done it if those two women had not come by at that time.
10. The man I was blond, about as tall as you are and wearing blue jeans and a plaid shirt.
Based on “Fundamentals of Court Interpretation” by R. Gonzalez, V. Vasquez, and H. Mikkelson
What do you do when you don't speak the language and really don't know if a person is qualified? There are a few assessments you can do to check English proficiency and even their foreign language abilities. Back translation will give you a feel of their ability to do consecutive interpreting and is the most reliable assessment short of the certification exam.
Interview candidate to establish background and English proficiency, including if their English is easy to understand (even with accent). Levels get progressively more difficult and complex. To be successful in a court setting requires the ability to reach Level 4.
Level 1 Inquiries:
Name
Address
Current & former occupation
Interpreting and translating experience
Educational background in the US
Educational background in a foreign country
Level 2 Inquiries:
Travel outside the US (discussing the cultural differences & economics require more sophisticated language skills)
Level 3 Inquiries:
Place candidate in hypothetical courtroom situation, requiring candidate to state what they’d do. (Candidate must use language to hypothesize a solution to an imagined problem.)
Level 4 Inquiries:
Ask about candidate’s understanding of the US judicial system. (Candidate will give an indication of their legal knowledge and the level of their language skills to discuss abstract concepts.)
Biographical Sketch
Ask the candidate to write a first person narrative on their background. (Provides insight into vocabulary and English proficiency, as well as their background.)
Shadowing
Using a tape-recorded monologue (use an opening or closing statement) recorded at 120 to 140 words per minute, ask the candidate to wear headphones, listen to the recording, and to repeat the narrative simultaneously, word-for-word, in English. Staff follows a transcript, listening to the candidate to determine accuracy and their ability to listen, process and speak at the same time. It does not determine the ability to simultaneously interpret, since the language remains the same. It could be take recorded so the candidate can see how much they are missing or distorting. A candidate who is unable to shadow with at least 80 percent accuracy will not be able to cope with the complexity of simultaneous interpreting.
Memory Test
Read questions and answers as would be typical of questioning on the witness stand. The candidate will repeat what is said, consecutively, word for word in English. This is a monolingual exercise (like the shadowing exercise) that assesses the ability to retain and recall, not comprehension. The scoring units are underlined. If the candidate does not recall at least 50 percent of these scoring units, it is doubtful they can interpret consecutively. (These examples are taken from “Fundamentals of Court Interpreting.”) To maintain the integrity of the test, the candidate does not get the scripts at any time.
1. Well, I don’t know. . . .what I mean is, I’m not really sure, but it looks like the same .357.
2. No, that’s not true! I was not in the country on the 16th of February . . . I didn’t arrive here until March 28.
3. Yes, I’m sure he’s the one, because he has the same face, only the hair is different. It was much longer.
4. I left my house at 7:15, walked over to 2nd Avenue and took the bus down to 177th.
5. I saw two men get out of a 1998 white Toyota Corolla. They knocked on the door of the house across the street. Then the shorter of the two went about back.
6. I must remind you that you are under oath, Sir. I ask you again, did you see the deceased with the defendant on the day in question?
7. Calling your attention to January 25, 1989, can you recall anything unusual that occurred during the morning in Apartment 721.
8. You say they took the TV, two stereo speakers, a camera, and $175 in cash. Anything else?
9. Are you now saying that he left the party before 11:30 pm, because someone told you that or because you have an independent memory of his leaving at that hour?
10. Is it a fair statement to say that you were at such a distance that you couldn’t see their faces because of the poor lighting?
Back Translation
To determine the skills of a candidate in a language unknown to the evaluator, you can use the candidate’s knowledge of the language to assess themselves. Pre-record these questions/answers in English, allowing time between the utterances to interpret. Candidate listens to the pre-recorded dialogue with headphones and the candidate’s interpretation is recorded on a second tape recorder. Any notes are collected and destroyed by the evaluator. Take a break (15 to 20 minutes) or give another assessment to reduce the potential for the candidate to simply deliver the statements from memory. Rewind the candidate’s tape and instruct the candidate to interpret everything from the foreign language (the candidate’s interpretation), into English. During the back translation phase, the evaluator checks the back translation against a script of the original dialogue. (Taping this back translation would reduce the risk of misunderstandings.) If the concept is maintained, credit is given. If the concept is distorted or omitted, it is counted wrong. The candidate should get at least 70 percent of the underlined scoring units. (These examples are taken from “Fundamentals of Court Interpreting”.) To maintain the integrity of the test, the candidate does not get the scripts at any time and notes are destroyed.
1. Mr. Anderson, calling your attention to the morning of the 12th of May, 1988, did you on that date have the occasion to enter the downtown branch of the Bank of America to cash a check?
2. Let me see if I get what you mean. Are you now saying that the man who was holding the gun on you that evening was the tall skinny one, the one wearing an earring?
3. From the time you first saw the defendant running down the hallway until you heard the gunshot, how far do you estimate he had traveled?
4. Are you now telling the jury that you were mistaken in your identification of the defendant and that you are now no longer sure that this is the man who robbed you in your jewelry store?
5. Is your testimony, sir, that you were completely unaware that your traveling companion on Flight 767 was carrying a coffee can full of cocaine in her suitcase?
6. About 9:30, I walked into the park and waited for my friend by the brick wall. I was watching some tree trimmers when some plainclothes police officers stopped and arrested me.
7. Well . . . . as I’ve already told you, I tried on the coat, and then I got distracted because an old lady asked me to watch her packages. I didn’t realize I had the coat on until I got outside the store.
8. I was sitting by myself on the bus bench when that girl right there with the braids came and sat right next to me. She was very interested in my watch. Then she grabbed my purse and ran.
9. He told me he was going to kill me. He then pulled out a long knife and I believe he would have done it if those two women had not come by at that time.
10. The man I was blond, about as tall as you are and wearing blue jeans and a plaid shirt.