Court Interpreter Written Exam (NCSC/BEI) cheat sheet

Subject–verb agreement is fixed by the head noun, not by an intervening prepositional phrase: 'The list of witnesses is sealed.'

'Fewer' modifies countable plurals (fewer exhibits); 'less' modifies mass nouns (less evidence).

Restrictive clauses take 'that' and no commas; nonrestrictive clauses take 'which' and are set off by commas.

An introductory participial phrase must modify the subject of the main clause, or it dangles.

Contrary-to-fact conditions take 'were' for every person: 'If the witness were available.'

Pronouns after prepositions take the objective case: 'between you and me,' 'for counsel and me.'

'Shall' or 'must' creates a duty; 'may' confers discretion; 'shall not' or 'may not' prohibits.

Items joined by 'and' or 'or' must be grammatically parallel: same form, same tense, same structure.

Context clues for unfamiliar vocabulary: definition restatement in appositives, contrast (but, unlike), and examples (such as).

Main idea = topic plus the author's point about it; it is usually stated in the topic sentence, first or last in a paragraph.

Correct inference answers are entailed by the passage; any answer requiring outside knowledge is wrong.

Resolve pronouns to the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number and gender and makes logical sense.

Contrast signals (however, although, provided that, unless) mark the exception, which is where detail questions usually aim.

In judicial opinions, distinguish the holding (necessary to the ruling) from dicta (incidental commentary).

Legal register markers include nominalizations, passive voice, and deictics such as 'said party,' 'hereinafter,' and 'thereof.'

Scan for dates, dollar amounts, and statutory citations before close reading; they anchor detail questions.

Tone questions: modal verbs and evaluative adjectives are the strongest indicators of the author's stance.

Arraignment: the initial court appearance at which charges are read and the defendant enters a plea.

Indictment = a charge returned by a grand jury (typically felonies); information = a charge filed by the prosecutor.

Motion in limine: a pretrial request to exclude or limit evidence; the ruling is often provisional.

Affidavit = a written sworn statement; deposition = sworn out-of-court oral testimony preserved for trial.

Voir dire refers both to jury selection examination and to the hearing on a witness's competency.

Standards of proof ranked: beyond a reasonable doubt (criminal) > clear and convincing > preponderance (civil).

Hearsay = an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted; objections are answered 'sustained' or 'overruled.'

False cognates: Spanish 'pretender' = to intend, not 'pretend'; 'realizar' = to carry out, not 'realize.'

'Notario público' is not a U.S. notary public; in much of Latin America the office carries authority to draft and certify legal documents.

Order of trial: openings, plaintiff/prosecution case, defense case, rebuttal, closings, jury instructions, deliberations, verdict.

Challenges for cause are unlimited but require a stated reason; peremptory challenges are limited and reason-free.

Peremptory strikes may not be used to exclude jurors on the basis of race (Batson) or sex; opposing counsel may object.

Bench conferences and sidebars are part of the record and must be interpreted for the defendant.

Grand jury proceedings are secret and ex parte, and are conducted by the prosecutor rather than a judge.

Judgment as a matter of law (directed verdict) is granted when no reasonable jury could find for the opposing party.

Sentencing follows conviction; allocution is the defendant's right to address the court before sentence is imposed.

Discovery tools: interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admission, and depositions.

Elements of an offense = actus reus + mens rea + causation; each element must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suspicion escalates: reasonable suspicion (investigative stop) → probable cause (arrest, warrant) → beyond a reasonable doubt (conviction).

Preponderance of the evidence means more likely than not; clear and convincing is an intermediate civil standard.

Miranda warnings are required only for custodial interrogation conducted by state agents.

Civil path: complaint → answer → discovery → summary judgment or trial; failure to answer may produce a default judgment.

Res judicata bars relitigation of the same claim; collateral estoppel bars relitigation of an issue actually decided.

A statute of limitations bars stale claims after a set period; a statute of repose bars claims regardless of when injury is discovered.

A crime is an offense against the state punished by the sovereign; a tort is a civil wrong redressed by damages.

Core duties: accuracy and completeness, confidentiality, impartiality, and fidelity to the interpreter's role.

Render everything said in the interpreter's presence, including side remarks, without summarizing, editing, or omitting.

Never give advice, express opinions, or hold side conversations with any party or attorney.

Disclose any limitation - dialect, hearing, unfamiliar terminology, mode - before accepting or continuing an assignment.

Correct your own errors on the record as soon as they are noticed rather than leaving an inaccurate record.

Refuse gifts, fees, or arrangements that create a financial interest in the outcome of the case.

Confidentiality survives the end of the assignment and covers documents sight-translated or reviewed.

When a term or statement is unclear, request clarification or repetition; guessing creates a false record.

Accuracy outranks style: preserve meaning, legal effect, and register before smoothing syntax.

Preserve formatting: paragraph breaks, numbering, headings, defined-term capitalization, and punctuation conventions.

Render dates, numbers, and amounts explicitly; 03/04/2025 is ambiguous across national conventions.

Keep institutional proper nouns in the original with a bracketed gloss where no established equivalent exists.

Check false cognates and calques; a literal rendering may silently change legal effect.

Expand abbreviations on first use and never invent acronyms the source does not define.

Flag genuine ambiguities in a translator's note rather than resolving them silently.

Distinguish translation (written), sight translation (oral rendering of a written text), and transcription (same-language written record).