Guide To Interpreter Expert Witness Interrogatories: Part II: General Knowledge
The General Knowledge section will begin to delve into your knowledge of general issues surrounding your purpose as the expert witness. Often the questions may seem elementary or vaguely relevant, but you may not be completely aware of the issues present in the complaint. For example, the question on the difference between a signer and an interpreter may, in fact, be a point of contention between the prosecution and the defense.
You will also notice that some of the questions have several parts. When a follow-up question is posed alongside the original question, the preferred formatting requires that each section be answered in it's own part. For example, a question that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" may have a follow-up requesting more information. See below to view the formatting on such a question.
Please be sure that you craft your own responses for any "real" interrogatories. You may use this material for your personal use, but do not publish or quote without written authorization from Andrea K. Smith.
General Knowledge Interrogatory Sample Material:
Definition of Qualified Interpreter
Signer vs. Interpreter
Entry Into Interpreting Field
Interpreting Process vs. Signing Process
ASL Definition
The Role of English Words as part of ASL
Speech Reading
Other Sign Languages
Interpreting vs. Transliteration
Family Members and Friends as Interpreters
About the Author
Andrea K. Smith has been providing professional freelance interpreting services since 2000. She has published several articles on interpreting and language in various journals. Andrea currently resides in Washington D.C with her husband and cats.
Disclaimer:
These sample interrogatory materials are provided "AS IS" for reference purposes only. If you have been asked to act as an expert witness, please be sure that you craft your own responses for any "real" interrogatories. You may use this material for your personal use, but do not publish or quote without written authorization from Andrea K. Smith.
Copyright Notice:
This article is copyrighted by Andrea K. Smith. You may print one copy for personal use. Please contact Andrea for re-print permission if you would like to publish or re-distribute this article online or in print. Thank you.