Interpreting Assignment: PSPTIS003 Skill Assessment - TIS Australia

This document presents a comprehensive solution to an interpreting assignment, focusing on the assessment of interpreting skills (PSPTIS003). The assignment covers various aspects, including clarifying the scope of interpreting assignments, identifying performance expectations, and understanding ethical and professional issues. The solution includes answers to short answer questions, true/false questions, case analyses, and email writing scenarios. It also addresses personal availability, preparedness, and the ability to accept or decline assignments professionally. Furthermore, the document explores ethical considerations, the reliability of information sources, and the importance of maintaining professional relationships. The assignment covers topics like the elements included in the scope of an interpreting assignment, factors affecting interpreting outcomes, and the implications of assignment requirements. The document emphasizes the importance of ethical conduct, professional practice, and maintaining current knowledge in the field of interpreting.

Student Name Student No Version No.: V1.0-03/2019CY
Section ONE:
Assess ability to complete (PSPTIS003)
(1.1) Receive request and clarify scope and nature of work and conditions
of engagement.
(1.2) Identify performance expectations, limits and responsibilities and
their implications for undertaking the .
Task 1: Short Answer Questions
Instructions: answer the following questions in your own words.
Questions:
1) What kind of elements are generally included in the scope of an
interpreting assignment?
2) What does it mean when an interpreting assignment says, “Female interpreter
preferred & Certified professional interpreter only”?
3) List TWO factors affecting the outcome of your interpreting assignment
Answers:
1 Justification of the project, Assumptions, Inclusion/exclusion criteria, constraints,
deliverables, overall description of the work etc. are taken as the main elements are
generally included in the scope of interpreting assignment
2 When an assignment says that Female interpreter preferred & Certified
professional interpreter only then it simply means that the preference is only
provided to the female as well as certified professional interpreter only. None other
these would be preferred in the same.
3 Cultural values, needs, expectation as well as personal influences of the individual directly
places major influence over their interpreting.
Task 2: True or False Questions
Instructions: you have received an assignment from TIS Australia, based on the Terms and
Conditions of Use (TIS National), decide whether the given statements are TRUE or FALSE.
Terms and Conditions can be accessed from https://www.tisnational.gov.au/en/About-
TIS-National/Terms-and-conditions.
1) Interpreters can view payment summaries in TIS Online. True
2) Interpreters can receive payment summaries by email. False
3) Interpreters are responsible for the contents of material provided for databases,
translation and interpretation. False
4) Interpreters are not obliged to notify TIS of any errors in a booking or in their
representations and warranties. True
5) Cancellation for on-site interpreting job must be made at least 48 hours prior to
the starting time of the appointment. False
6) When a booking is made using TIS Online, cancellation of this booking should be
made by an interpreter sending an email to the onsite booking team with the job
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Interpreting JOB INFORMATION:
Client Name Department
Sub-Department Language
Start Date Time Duration
Requested Interpreter Gender
Nature of request Site Type Delivery Method
Service Delivery Address:
Federal Court of Australia Federal Law
null Cantonese
11/01/2017 Wednesday 10am 120m
Female
null onsite
Face to face
Courtroom 01, XXX Street, XXX, Australia
Details Reports To Booking No.
Phone No.
REF No.: SYD00001/2017
John Smith AUSXXXXX001 XXXXXXXXX
details (including the job number).False
Answers:
1) True False 3) True False 5) True False
2) True False 4) True False 6) True False
Task 3: Case Analysis (1)
Instructions: Read the following interpreting booking and tick the correct answer.
Table 1: Interpreting Assignment Request 1 (Online System)
Questions:
1) What is the most likely purpose of this interpreting assignment?
a. to discuss legal issues only; 
b. to make a general legal inquiry; 
c. to participate in a court hearing 
2) From your perspective, which type of interpreting mode is likely to be adopted in
this interpreting assignment?
a. dialogue interpreting; 
b. whispering interpreting; 
c. consecutive interpreting; 
d. all of these modes 
3) Who will be possibly involved in this interpreting assignment?
a. a Cantonese speaker and you; 
b. a Cantonese speaker and a lawyer; 
c. a Cantonese speaker, a lawyer and you 
4) When will this assignment be conducted?
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a. January 11th , 2017; 
b. November 1 st , 2017; 
c. Either January 11th , 2017 or November 1st, 2017 
5) What is the duration of this assignment booking?
a. less than 120 minutes; 
b. more than 120 minutes; 
c. exactly 120 minutes 
6) What kind of dress code may occur in this interpreting event?
a. smart causal; 
b. formal dress; 
c. causal 
7) From your perspective, when should an interpreter arrive at the Federal Law
Court and why?
a. 10am to show punctuality; 
b. 10.05am as such assignments generally start late; 
c. 9.50am to make a pre-session introduction 
Task 4: Case Analysis (2)
Instruction: read the following scenario and analyse the interpreting task information to
answer the following questions.
Scenario: A translation agency asks you to interpret for an assessor from Home Care
Service NSW. The client is going to visit an old lady at her home in Liverpool, NSW. You
are booked for this onsite interpreting from 9:30am to 11:00am.
Questions:
1) From your perspective, what should an interpreter do when he or she arrives
at the lady’s home at Liverpool?
a. Knock at her door and waits for the assessor together; 
b. Wait outside of the lady’s house till she invites the interpreter to enter; 
c. Wait for the assessor to come and follow her instructions 
2) When you interpret for the old lady, she mumbles a lot and talks
discursively. What will you do?
a. Listen carefully and try your best to understand her language for
accurate rendering 
b. Guess what she really wants to say and interpret accordingly 
c. Only interpret the words that you understand 
3) When you finish this interpreting assignment, you should:
a. Stay with the old lady for a while when she requests your help; 
b. Leave with the assessor as soon as the interpreting assignment finishes 
c. Leave your contact details to the lady and the assessor for further assignments 
4) When you finish this interpreting assignment and leave this lady’s home, you
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happen to know that the old lady was not telling the truth to the assessor. What
will you do?
a. Inform the assessor and be a righteous person 
b. Ask the lady to tell the truth to the assessor 
c. Keep silent and take no actions 
Section TWO:
Assess ability to complete assignment (PSPTIS003)
(1.3) Consider personal availability and preparedness to satisfy assignment
requirements.
(1.4) Advise client or booking agency in a professional and timely manner of decision to
accept or decline.
Task 1: Blank Filling
Instruction: Read the following scenario and analyse the interpreting task information to
answer questions.
Scenario: You are a para-professional Cantonese interpreter who also understands and
speaks Mandarin, the official language of China. You are booked for the following
assignments in Sydney for the following week. Note that you do not drive and have to
rely on public transportation only. The translation agency provides you with a new
assignment sheet and asks you to take additional work for the following week.
Question:
Which assignment(s) will you be able to accept? (Tick the CHOICE/S that you will be able
to accept and list the reasons for your decision.)
(Reminder: use google map for your booking reference).
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
9:00-
10:00 am
Federal
Court
Liverpool
Hospital
10:30-
11:40 am
Prince of
Wales Private
Hospital
1:30-
3:30 pm
DIBP, Sydney
Office
Family
Court
Table 2: The interpreter’s Working Schedule
Answer:
Time &
Date
Assignments Venue Notes  possible reasons provided
to agency
Mon; 9:00-
11:30am
Sydney Children’s
Hospital
Para-professional;
Cantonese

Tues; 1:00-
3:30pm
Liverpool Hospital Para-professional
Cantonese

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Wed;
10:00-
11:45am
Prince of Wales
Private Hospital
Para-professional,
Mandarin
I will choose this
assignment as it is
nearby to my location
and I won’t have to
travel much for reaching
to it.
Wed; 1:00-
2:00pm
Fair Work
Commission
Professional,
Cantonese

Thurs;
10:30-
11:45am
Department of
Immigration and
Border Protection,
Sydney Office
Para-professional,
Cantonese

Thurs;
2:30-
3:30pm
Family Court Professional,
Mandarin

Fri; 10:00-
11:45am
Downing Centre
Local Court
Para-professional,
Cantonese

Fri; 1:00-
2:00pm
Corrective Services
NSW
Para-professional
Cantonese

Table 3: Interpreting Assignments Offered by the Agency
Task 2: Case Analysis
Instruction: Read the scenario provided below and analyse the interpreting task
information to choose the correct answer.
Scenario: According to your assignment booking schedule, you will interpret at
Liverpool hospital from 9:00am to 10:00am. Your client is going to undertake an IVF
procedure and you are requested to interpret onsite. What kind of preparation will you
undertake for this interpreting assignment? (There can be more than one correct
answer)
a. Check dictionaries for the medical terms used in IVF procedure 
b. Talk to a friend who had IVF before and understand the procedure 
c. Arrive early and comfort the client with your experience or knowledge of
this procedure 
d. Read relevant documents or parallel texts on the risks of IVF procedure 
e. Talk to the client and understand why she wants to take an IVF procedure 
f. Double-check your interpreting schedule and see if you are double booked 
Task 3: Email Writing
Instruction: Read the scenario provided below and write emails to accept or decline the
interpreting offer.
 Writing ONE:
Scenario: The Booking Agency is having particular trouble filling the assignment to
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work at Liverpool Hospital on Tuesday, 1:00-3:30pm. They have emailed you, asking if
you can possibly fill the role. Please decline this offer and explain why.

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(Reminder: You can use google map to explain your decision).
Answer:
The respective offer of filling the assignment to work within Liverpool Hospital is
been declined by the superior authority as it wont be possible for us to fill the role
due to unavailability of the desired resources towards the same. Also, the route
towards the same was even unclear which ultimately hampers their pattern of
interpreting.
 Writing TWO:
Scenario: The translation agency, ABC Language Services, sends you an email (as
provided below), asking you to interpret for an assessor from Home Care Service NSW.
The client is going to visit an old lady living at her home in Penrith, NSW. Please write
an email to accept this interpreting request and ask for the relevant information that
you may need to conduct this interpreting assignment.
Dear ,
We have a new job request for next Monday in Penrith. Our client is a Homecare
assessor who wants to make a home visit. You will be assisting this client for
the assessment conducted at the applicant’s home in Penrith.
We would like to offer you this job and want to know if you will be available for
it. Please let us know as soon as possible,
Regards,
Interpreting Team
ABC Language Services
Answer:
Dear ABC services
The job request sent by you is accepted by my superior authority as we can
easily perform the work of interpreting for assessor belonging to the Home care
service NSW. In order to the execute the interpreting work effective we will be
requiring complete conversation recording or transcript of whole conversation
between the person and the respective lady with whom they are communicating.
Also, the background of the lady as well as past record associated with the Home
care service NSW in order to determine desired information about the same in
rightful manner.
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Section THREE:
Develop knowledge of ethical and professional issues (PSPTIS001)
(1.1) Use reliable sources of information to ensure that knowledge of ethical issues and
professional practice is current, comprehensive and relevant.

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(1.2) Maintain professional relationships and networks to facilitate awareness of
current issues.
(1.3) Analyse applicable codes of ethics and conduct and their relationship to work
practices.
Task 1: Short Answer Questions
Instructions: Read the questions carefully and record your answers in the space provided.
Questions:
1) Is Google a reliable source of information regarding translators or interpreters’
professional practice?
2) How can professional relationships and networks help translators and
interpreters facilitate their awareness of current issues?
3) Why should translators and interpreters ensure that their knowledge of ethical
issues and professional practice is current?
Answer:
1 Google is taken as the reliable source of information associated with the
interpreters' professional practice. It can be said that sources which have
copy right at the end are valid whereas the web links which does not have
any sort of copyright or authorised source then its is taken as non trust
worthy source which ultimately affecting their validity of the outcome.
2 Professional relationship as well as network directly provides support to
the interpreters as well as translators in facilitating awareness of the
current issues. This is so because, effective relationship helps individual in
gathering information on the proposed topic in the quicker manner. Also,
the interpretation performed by them directly provides support to the
person expressing their in detailed views in front of the individual
effectively because they have authority to express things among others.
3 It has been analysed that interpreters as well as translators directly
provides support to the individual in expressing their views in front of the
others. Here, these translators are required to perform each and every
activity in ethical manner. This would directly help them out in developing
trust among the readers towards the same.
Task 2: Listing
Instructions: Please provide your responses as required.
1) List THREE examples of reliable sources of information whereby translators and
interpreters can gain updated knowledge of ethical issues and ensure that their
professional practice remains current and up to date.
2) List THREE strategies that can be used to maintain professional relationships
and networks
Answer:
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1) At first I will go for online books available for the same and could help me out in determining
core ethical issues which are required to be considered by me so that I can execute my
assigned work in the available time frame.
At next, I will go for online articles which specified knowledge and information on the same.

XXXX A, 01/01/2017 at 8:00am
I think you should change the title. The only correct answer to your question is NO: we have to pre-quali
not whether one is a good or a bad interpreter (as the tile implies). It is more a matter of your ability.
Student Name Student No Version No.: V1.0-03/2019CY
Other published sources which covers knowledge regarding the same effectively.
2)  Maintain appropriate communication with the associated people are
acknowledged as the first and foremost strategy that contributes in
developing relationship and networks
 Enhance customer services for maximising satisfaction level of the
customers. This can be effectively performed by delivering high quality
project to the customers so that they can maximise their satisfaction level
in appropriate form.
 Providing rewards to the customers can be acknowledged as the another
effective strategy through which individuals could maximise their
performance in rightful manner and attain huge benefits.
Task 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: read the following scenario and analyse the interpreting task information.
Tick the correct answer after each question.
Scenario: You are reading a blog in the professional community website. There are a lot
of comments under the blogger’s question “Should a good interpreter take any
assignment offered to him or her?” You try to figure out the main principles of the
AUSIT codes that comments are made on (see AUSIT Code of Ethics and Code of
Conduct).
For each comment choose the main AUSIT code being referred to ?
Comment 1:
a. Impartiality 
b. Confidentiality 
c. Competence 
d. Accuracy 
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XXXXX D, 01/01/2017 at 8:17 am
My first concern is if I am qualified to interpret the subject matter. After that there are only a very few ci
assignment due to my conscience.
In court I have had to repeat words that go against my personal beliefs. But I am not promoting or partic
Now if, for example, I were to go to an abortion clinic to interpret, the words I repeat there are just as mu
So, I guess it isn’t always the words that we have to repeat that go against the conscience. But the action
XXXXX E, 01/01/2017 at 8:27 am
I once interpreted when a doctor asked a patient if he was a legal citizen of these United States of Amer
he did have a valid green card. He then asked the patient if he was Mexican. When the patient answere
XXXXX F, 01/01/2017 at 8:30 am
I accept assignments if I think I will be able to interpret properly. I do not let my beliefs or emotions co
interpreted during a trial for someone who murdered his wife and cut her up disgustingly. As much as
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Comment 2:
a. Clarity of role boundaries 
b. Accuracy 
c. Impartiality 
d. Confidentiality 
Comment 3:
a. Competence 
b. Impartiality 
c. Confidentiality 
d. Professional development 
Comment 4:
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