Screening Interview Questions.pdf

Interview Questions(

MCDHH SCREENING FOR SIGN LANGUAGE

INTERPRETERS & TRANSLITERATORS

Department of Communication Access Services

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

600 Washington Street Boston, MA 0211-1704 Tel. (617) 740-1600

VP (617) 326-7546

TTY (617) 740-1700

Fax (617) 740-1880 http://www.mass.gov/mcdhh

Opeloluwa Sotonwa, Commissioner Sharon Harrison, Chief of Staff http://www.mass.gov/mcdhh

Updated 8.6.24

MCDHH Screening: Sign Language Interpreter Interview Questions

Set A

1. You are asked to interpret from ASL to English for a Deaf guest speaker at a local university. The speaker is from out of town and will be talking about their Deaf Studies program. What would you do to prepare for this assignment?

Sample answer should include some of the following:

▪ Internet

▪ Speaker’s program website

▪ Google speaker

▪ Contact speaker

▪ Contact team interpreter

▪ Review own notes from previous Deaf Studies courses

▪ Public or private talk

▪ Size of audience

▪ Media to be used

▪ Arrive early

Criteria

- Resourcefulness

- Judgement

- Sign/Cultural Skills

Follow-up question: If this situation arises with little or no preparation time, such as the night before, how would you get the information necessary to do a good job?

Sample answer should include some of the following:

▪ Interpreter for whom the sub is needed

▪ (Other responses as above)

2. Please respond in sign language:

Suppose you were interpreting with a Deaf consumer who had never used an interpreter before. Please role play explaining the interpreter’s job/role.

▪ In the role play, candidate should avoid interpreter jargon

▪ Code of Ethics

▪ Code of Professional Conduct

▪ Communicate/communication

▪ Interpret/interpreter, etc.

Instead:

Criteria

- Resourcefulness

- Role

- Sign/Cultural Skills

- Professional Presentation

▪ Rules

▪ Sign for …

▪ Speak for …

3a. What kinds of situations can be considered "legal" interpreting?

• Court

• Police

• Giving statements that are recorded

• Any documents

• Attorney/Client meetings

• Court ordered treatment/evaluations

• Appeal Hearings

• 51A investigations

• Immigration

• Foster Care Reviews

Criteria

- Resourcefulness

- Role

- Sign/Cultural Skills

3b. Who determines qualifications for legal interpreters?

• MCDHH

3c. Who determines if a legal interpreter is necessary?

• The working interpreter

• Team interpreter (if there is one)

• Consumer

3d. Follow-up question: Now you will do a role-play. You are interpreting for a medical team meeting that involves a deaf doctor, a deaf patient, and a hearing medical staff person who is off camera or in the room (if onsite).

(NOTE: This is not read to the candidate!) Scenario: Medical check-up @ clinic; MD informs the candidate that there is a hearing fellow off camera that you are interpreting for. Consumer goes to MD; MD notices bruising all over body <concealed by clothing>; asks about being safe @ home, abuse, etc. showing concern for consumer.

Informs consumer that police have been called & will be there shortly.

***Doctor informs that the police officer is in the waiting room and will let them in** Be sure to change your name to Dr/Officer Doc sends a private chat with Officer when time to show up

Please role-play explaining your situation:

Deaf Evaluator as the MD Deaf Evaluator as the Deaf consumer Hearing Evaluator as Police officer

MD informs that the Patient there is a hearing nurse here in the room, their camera is off. That’s why we have an interpreter here to interpret.

MD discusses with the Patient. Then inform the police are in the waiting room. Will let them in.

Police officer joins MD leaves (camera off)

Sample answer should include some of the following:

To hearing consumer:

• Evidence collected inadmissible in court

• Liability

• Contacting MCDHH referral/After Hours Interpreter Service

To Deaf consumer:

• Will stay until qualified interpreter arrives

• Am qualified for general situations

• Not qualified for legal because …

Criteria

- Knowledge

- Practical Use

- Diplomacy

- Expressive Ability

4. Interpreters often work together as a team in situations due to the length and/or complexity of an assignment. When one interpreter is actively interpreting what are the team interpreter’s responsibilities? Both in person and remotely.

• Monitor for accuracy and clarity

• Supply “feeds” and clarification to teammate

• Communicate when to switch

• By length of time

• By speaker

• By topic

Remote Work

• Lighting

• Camera

• Background

• Connection – wifi

• Backup device

• Team not working- not pay attention

• Be able to explain Zoom or any online platform, how to use this feature, etc.

Criteria

- Knowledge

- Resourcefulness

- Sign/Cultural Skills

- Attitude

Follow-up question (if needed): Are there any tasks that are not related to monitoring or feeding that the team interpreter could be doing? Both in person and remotely.

• Attend to environment

• Lighting

• Ventilation

• Hydration of teammate

• Use of media

• Environmental noise

• Gather written information

• Remain vigilant

Follow-up question: Each interpreter brings strengths to an interpreting assignment. Please explain how the interpreters' strengths can balance each other to create an effective interpretation.

• Work with strengths (team as support)

• Work with weaknesses (stronger team as support)

5a. Please respond in sign language:

What is a Deaf Interpreter (DI) and what is their role?

• Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Native or near native competence in ASL

• Bilingual ASL/English

• Skilled in VG

• Trained

• Interprets between hearing interpreters and consumers with atypical sign language

Criteria

- Knowledge

- Resourcefulness

- Practical Use

- Role

- Expressive Ability

5b. Can you give examples of situations where you would ask to work with a DI?

• Anytime

• Assignment with stress

• Young child

• Deaf-Blind

• Foreign consumer

• Conferences

• Hearing interpreter unfamiliar with the variety of registers of ASL

5c. Please respond in spoken English:

Follow-up question: Please role-play explaining your need for a DI to a hearing person (i.e., doctor, social worker, etc.)? The Hearing Evaluator is your hearing consumer.

• Cheaper in the long run, no need to book multiple appointments

• Dialect

• Liability

• Informed consent

Criteria

- Role

- Sign/Cultural Skills

6a. Suppose you have just finished interpreting in a medical emergency and the patient is now sleeping. The patient's parent arrives and is also Deaf. What information about the situation can you share? Please role-play your approach to Deaf Evaluator as the parent.

(think adult- do not inform the candidate)

• Explain patient is resting comfortably

• Explain patient has had interpreter throughout

• Explain MD or RN best explain diagnosis

• Happily interpret between MD/RN and parent

Criteria

- Knowledge

- Judgement

- Practical Use

- Diplomacy

6b. Would the age of the Deaf patient affect your decision about what information you would share?

Sample answer should include rationale:

• No

• Interpreters are not medical professionals

• Interpreters may have forgotten pertinent information

7a. What is the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC)?

Sample answer should include any four tenets Ethical rules for interpreters A guide to complete professional behavior

Criteria

- Knowledge

7b. Why is the CPC important for the field of Interpreting?

Sample answer should include any four tenets

• Ethical rules for interpreters

• A guide to complete professional behavior

• Why is the CPC important for the field of Interpreting?

• Sample answer should include some of the following

• Guide for appropriate behavior when dealing with consumers

• (Hearing or Deaf)

• A way to remind interpreters of appropriate attire

• Confidentiality

• Professional Skills & knowledge matching situation

• Behavior and manner matching situation

• Respect for consumers

• Respect for colleagues, interns, students

• Ethical business practices

• Professional development (continuing education)

7c. Select 4 tenets, define them and discuss how they apply to you as a person working in the field of interpreting.

Updated 7.25.24

MCDHH Screening: Sign Language Interpreter

Set B

1. Imagine MCDHH Interpreter Referral Service offers you a medical interpreting assignment and you are available at the time and date of this assignment. What information do you need about the job before determining you are qualified and can accept the assignment?

• Exact location of assignment

• What type of medical?

• Routine checkup

• For Parent or child

• Surgical procedure

• E. R.

• Gender of consumer

• Age of consumer

• With/without CDI

• One-time; continuing

• Previous interpreters

- Resourcefulness

- Judgement

2. You have been asked to interpret a weekend Certified Public Accounting (CPA) training conference. The presenters are using various media and you can expect to encounter some terminology that is unfamiliar to you. You have approximately one week to prepare for the conference. How would you prepare?

▪ Written materials

▪ PowerPoint

▪ Outline

▪ Talk with presenter beforehand

▪ Topic to be covered

▪ Audience

▪ Presentation’s goal

▪ Look up speaker’s program on Internet

▪ Contact an interpreter with previous experience with this topic

▪ Discuss with teammate our strategies

Criteria

- Judgement

- Sign/Cultural Skills

- Diplomacy

Follow-up question: You arrive at the conference and begin to interpret, the Deaf consumer is not complaining, but you have a feeling they do not understand everything, based upon their blank facial expression. You are becoming increasingly concerned. What should you do?

• “Check- in” with consumer

• Am I clear?

• Any alternatives for interpreting?

• Double check with my team if I am interpreting as accurately possible

• If my work is the problem:

- Talk with presenter at next break

- Ask for handout with terminology

- Anything else I should know?

- Special vocabulary

- Names of people; places

- Intended outcome of presentation

• Try to get replacement for the rest of weekend

3a. What kinds of situations can be considered "legal" interpreting?

• Court

• Police

• Giving statements that are recorded

• Any documents

• Attorney/Client meetings

• Court ordered treatment/evaluations

• Appeal Hearings

• 51A investigations

• Immigration

• Foster Care Reviews

Criteria

- Resourcefulness

- Role

- Sign/Cultural Skills

3b. Who determines qualifications for legal interpreters?

3c. Who determines if a legal interpreter is necessary?

• The working interpreter

• Team interpreter (if there is one)

• Consumer

4. Please respond in sign language:

Suppose you were interpreting for a Deaf high school student. There is a break, and the student asks you what a deaf interpreter is. Please role play with (Deaf Evaluator) as your student.

Sample answer should include some of the following:

• Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Native or near native competence in ASL

• Bilingual ASL/English

• Skilled in gestural communication

• Trained

• Same ethical rules as hearing interpreters

• Interprets between hearing interpreters and consumers with atypical sign language

- Foreign born

- Developmentally disabled

- Educationally deprived

- DeafBlind

Criteria

- Resourcefulness

- Role

- Sign/Cultural Skills

5. Please respond in spoken English:

You arrive at a medical appointment, and you realize your need for a DI. Please role -play advocating obtaining the services of a DI, in English? NOTE: Hearing evaluator becomes the medical professional)

• Deaf or hard of hearing

• Completed a rigorous training program in interpreting

• Facile with varying forms of sign language dialects

• Liability

• Language specialist

• Informed consent

• No need to repeat appointment

Criteria

- Knowledge

- Resourcefulness

- Practical Use

- Diplomacy

6. Suppose you are interpreting a round table discussion with several deaf participants.

As the meeting proceeds, you begin to notice that the deaf consumers do not fully understand your team interpreter. In addition, your team interpreter is missing more and more information and seems to be misunderstanding the speaker. How would you remedy the situation?

• Entire team responsible for the work

• Attempt to correct partner

• Check in with consumers

• Assumptions correct?

• How would they wish to handle the situation

• Take over major interpreting work

• During break, discuss with partner

• If no change, report to MCDHH Referral Service

Criteria

- Knowledge

- Resourcefulness

- Practical Use

- Sign/Cultural Skills

- Attitude

- Diplomacy

7a. Now you will do a role-play. You are interpreting for a team meeting that involves a deaf counselor, a deaf parent, and a hearing assistant who has their camera off.

NOTE: This is not read to the candidate!

Scenario: You are working at a school interpreting a meeting between the school counselor who is Deaf with their assistant who is hearing who is offscreen (camera off) and one of their deaf parents. The school counselor sees that the police is in the waiting room and notify the parent and will let them in. Please role play the situation, first with the counselor and the Deaf parent.

NOTE to Evaluators:

Deaf Evaluator becomes a Deaf parent

Hearing Evaluator becomes the Police

Deaf Evaluator becomes the Counselor

**Make sure to change your name to Officer Name, etc.

1. Counselor will inform the Deaf parent that there is a hearing assistant who is off screen (camera off) that's why have an interpreter here. Then dialogue from there. Inform the candidate that the police are in the waiting room and will let them in.

2. When the Police make themselves known by turning their camera on. Then the counselor will turn off their screen.

3. Police will dialogue with the Deaf parent.

7b. Now please explain the ethical dilemmas and their resolutions in the previous role-play as they relate to the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct.

- Knowledge

- Judgement

- Role

- Professional Presentation

Sample answer should include any four tenets

• Assignment now legal – respect for consumers

• I am unqualified - skills & knowledge of area (legal)

• Any information gathered inadmissible in court – ethical business practices

• Will contact MCDHH for legal interpreter – respect for consumers/colleagues

• Inform Deaf consumer of situation

• Professional skill & knowledge required in specific situation

NOTE to Evaluators: If candidate overlooks explaining to Deaf consumers, please probe them to see if they come up with that.

Highlighted each Q different color 1.12.24

MCDHH Screening: Deaf Interpreter

Set A

1. MCDHH assigns you to a Social Security Administration (SSA) training where your team is an ASL/spoken English interpreter you’ve never worked with before. How do you prepare working with the team after accepting the assignment?

Follow up question: How do you prep for the assignment?

Possible answer:

• Has HI has ever worked with a Deaf Interpreter?

• How do we set ourselves up in the environment?

• Who will take the lead and explain our roles?

• Will the ASL/spoken English Interpreter use consecutive or simultaneous interpretation?

• Will the HI transliterate or use ASL?

• Establish cues for missed or incorrect information.

• Size of chunks of information

For Prep:

• Internet

• Speaker’s program website

• Google speaker

• Contact speaker

• Contact team interpreter

• Review own notes from previous Deaf Studies courses

• Public or private talk

• Size of audience

• Media to be used

• Arrive early

2. You and the ASL/spoken English interpreter both agree on how you will work together as a team for

1 hour assignment. As the assignment progresses you see the ASL/spoken English interpreter taking over and ignoring your participation despite efforts by the consumer to continue to use the Deaf

Interpreter. How do you handle that?

Possible answer:

• Wait until a break, or the assignment is finished, then approach the HI and discuss the situation.

• It may seem that the Deaf consumer is understanding the HI, but in fact that is not the case.

• If the HI still ignores the DI, then informing the MCDHH interpreter referral specialist is the next step.

3. You and your team arrive at coordination of services assignment with the social worker. The social worker is very perplexed as to why there are two interpreters. Who explains the use of a Deaf interpreter and how? Please role-play your explanation to the social worker. Hearing Evaluator is the social worker.

Possible answer:

• If possible, the DI would explain their job and the HI would interpret. This shows the social worker that they are, indeed, a team, and that the DI is a trained professional.

Follow-up question: Both Deaf consumer and hearing consumers appear. Who explains the interpreting situation to whom?

Possible answer:

• Given the need for clear communication with the Deaf consumer, the DI would explain their role to the Deaf consumer, and the HI would explain the DI’s role to the hearing consumer.

• Ideally, both the DI and HI would explain their role to each consumer, thereby showing that they both work together as a team, and neither is more important than the other.

4. Please role-play by responding using VG: You arrive at an assignment and the Deaf consumer objects to a Deaf person interpreting the situation. You know the Deaf consumer will have difficulty communicating with ASL/spoken English interpreter. How do you approach the situation?

Deaf Evaluator is Deaf consumer. Should act like don’t want DI, worried about confidentiality, etc.

Possible answer:

• Confidentiality

• Facilitate the conversation

• Have rules regarding to certification, quality of service

Follow-up question: If the consumer refuses the services of the Deaf Interpreter, what should you do next if anything? Should you attempt to convince the consumer to accept?

Possible answer:

• If the consumer doesn’t want the services of the DI, the DI can offer to monitor the communication, and step in, if asked by ASL/spoken English interpreter or consumer.

• Another possible answer is that attempting to “force” the services of a DI is not appropriate.

• Offering the service presents options to the consumer. They make the final decision. That’s empowerment.

• ASL/spoken English interpreter can interject that they need the DI to make sure they can do their job effectively

5. You are interpreting at doctor’s visit, a Deaf patient is informed by the doctor that they have lung cancer and MUST stop smoking and will need surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. You stepped out of the doctor’s office and went to the waiting room. The patient’s Deaf parents are in the waiting room and are asking for the results because their “child” has been coughing badly. Please role-play to the parent. Either Hearing or Deaf Evaluator is the parent.

Possible answer:

• Explain the fact that the interpreter is not a medical professional, but would be very happy to interpret for the doctor

• Maybe ask their son or daughter for what that doctor had said.

6. You are scheduled to interpret for a Parent/Teacher meeting. When you arrive, you find out a Department of Children and Family investigator is present due to suspicion of abuse or neglect. What do you do to handle this situation?

Possible answer:

• I am not an interpreter qualified for legal situations; therefore the meeting will need to be postponed until the MCDHH can locate and schedule a legal interpreter.

• I’d be happy to contact MCDHH, now, to inform them of the change in the situation. Any information discussed while using a non-legal interpreter is inadmissible in court.

Follow-up question: Suppose they ask you for just five minutes more to schedule a follow-up meeting.

How do you reply?

Possible answer:

• It is still not possible for me to interpret to schedule a meeting because I do not know when a qualified legal interpreter would be available.

• Chances are that the meeting would have to be re-scheduled, again, due to the inability to schedule a qualified legal interpreter.

7. Select any four tenets of the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct, define them and discuss how they apply to you, as a Deaf person working in the field of interpreting.

Possible answer:

• Confidentiality

▪ Professional Skills & knowledge matching situation

▪ Behavior and manner matching situation

▪ Respect for consumers

▪ Respect for colleagues, interns, students

▪ Ethical business practices

▪ Professional development (continuing education)

Updated 3.15.23

MCDHH Screening: Deaf Interpreter Interview Questions

Set B

1. You are asked to interpret a presentation for a large Deaf audience. The speaker is hearing. What is important to discuss at the pre-meeting?

Some possible answers:

• How large are chunks of information?

• HI work consecutively or simultaneously?

• Will the HI transliterate or use ASL?

• Whose will stop or slow down the speaker, DI or HI?

• How will questions from the audience be handled?

2. Please role-play this scenario: You are interpreting a doctor’s appointment where the teen patient decides to meet with the doctor alone. During the exam, the doctor informs the patient she is pregnant. Her Deaf parents are in the waiting room. They approach you and ask what happened during the appointment.

Deaf Evaluator is the Deaf parent.

Possible response: (culture competency)

• Inform them to ask their teen child

• Refer them to the doctor

Follow up question: What aspects of the Code of Professional Conduct apply to this situation?

Some possible answers:

• Confidentiality

• Impartiality

• Faithfully convey the message to consumers

• Respect for consumers

3. You and the ASL/spoken English interpreter both agree on how you will work together. As the assignment progresses you see the ASL/spoken English interpreter taking over and ignoring your interpretation despite efforts by the consumer to continue to use you as the Deaf Interpreter. How do you handle that?

Some possible answers:

• Wait until break, or assignment finished, then approach the HI to discuss the situation.

• It may seem Deaf consumer understands HI,

• If HI still ignores the DI, then informing the MCDHH interpreter referral specialist is the next step.

4. You are scheduled to interpret a first-day-on-the-job orientation for a Deaf consumer who lives in a group home and requires a job coach. How would you interpret effectively? What should you do to prepare?

Some possible answers:

• Visual props

• Draw pictures

• Calendar

• Pad of paper

• Gesture

• Demonstration

• If advocate or staff person is present, would ask for clarification for names of important people, name signs, or special signs that the consumer is known to use.

5. Please role-play this scenario and respond in VG: While interpreting for a DeafBlind consumer who uses Low vision VG, they become bored and begin asking questions.

Deaf Evaluator is the DeafBlind consumer. Should ask questions relate to the speaker or topic:

• i.e. Have you seen this speaker, before?

• Do you know this topic? etc.

• What about you? Where did you go to school? Etc.

• What do you do?

Some possible answers:

• Remind consumer that hearing interpreter is working.

• Can talk during break or after meeting.

• If the consumer persists, attempt to inform them “later”.

• For personal information, quick replies as to school attended or where I grew up would be ok, but preferably this would be taken care of prior to the beginning of the assignment.

6. There is a social gathering at a local Restaurant/Pub. Both members of the Deaf Community and hearing signers are there. A fight breaks out between two Deaf people one of whom you know to use Deaf Interpreter Services. You are there for “fun”. You have been working as a Deaf Interpreter for a while and are approved by MCDHH. As a result of the fight, the police are called. What do you do?

Some possible answers:

• Interpreter is possible witness and cannot be both interpreter and witness.

• Information gathered on site may end up in court, this is not a “light” situation. All information will be inadmissible.

• An offer to contact the MCDHH Interpreter Referral Service or the After-Hours line should be made.

7. I am going to read you a scenario. After listening to it, please select any four of the tenets of the RID Code of Ethics that are violated. Explain what tenet they violate, and why they are important. Explain how they are violated in this particular situation.

(Share the situation via text)

Situation: You are working with a team interpreter on a medical job. It is a consultation for elective surgery.

Your team arrives late, wearing sweatpants and sneakers, and tells the receptionist she is in a hurry and the meeting needs to begin immediately. During the meeting, your team interpreter shares her mother’s experience with the same procedure and advises the Deaf person not to have the surgery. She also says that she interpreted a meeting for Jane Smith at Mass General Hospital regarding the same surgery and would give the Deaf consumer Jane’s contact info so they can share their experiences. At the completion of the meeting, she presents her bill and demands payment immediately.

Some possible answers:

• Arriving late, not dressing appropriately and being gruff with the secretary are examples of being unprofessional. The Code of Professional Conduct says, “Interpreters/transliterators shall function in a manner appropriate to the situation”. That did not happen in this case.

• Sharing her mother’s experience with the same procedure and advising the Deaf person not to have the surgery are examples of not being neutral and of giving advice. The Code of Professional Conduct says, “Interpreters/transliterators shall not counsel, advise or interject personal opinion.”

• Saying that she interpreted a meeting for Jane Smith at Mass General Hospital regarding the same surgery, and offering to give the Deaf consumer Jane’s contact information so they can share experiences breaks confidentiality. The Code of Professional Conduct says, “Interpreters/transliterators shall keep all assignment-related information strictly confidential.”

• Demanding immediate payment is not requesting payment in a professional and judicious manner. The Code of Professional Conduct says, “Interpreters/transliterators shall request compensation for services in a professional and judicious manner.”

• All of the above situations break the Code of Professional Conduct, which in turn breaks another tenet, of striving to follow the Code of Professional Conduct. “Interpreters/transliterators, by virtue of membership or certification by the RID, Inc., shall strive to maintain high professional standards in compliance with the Code of Ethics.”

DI Interview Questions Set B 1.12.24