CDI cheat sheet
CDI · Keep the key ideas within reach.
Assess communication needs and the actual interpreting assignment
Assess the individual, task, environment, and stakes.
Separate certification from competence for a particular assignment.
Plan the team process and continue assessment during the encounter.
Text questions supplement rather than demonstrate signed or tactile performance.
Language structure, variation, meaning, and cultural responsiveness
Recognize full language structure beyond English glosses.
Investigate variation without stereotyping or deficit assumptions.
Preserve meaning and register without adding unsupported content.
Use discourse analysis and qualified signed-language feedback.
Construct meaning, manage the interaction, and repair errors
Analyze discourse meaning, not isolated word matches.
Manage pace and turns to support accurate communication.
Preserve uncertainty and avoid completing messages from assumption.
Repair material errors transparently and review their actual causes.
Confidentiality, competence, boundaries, and accountable practice
Apply professional principles to the actual people and setting.
Protect information without inventing universal disclosure rules.
Be truthful about assignment-specific competence and role boundaries.
Address conflicts, errors, records, and development accountably.
Individual communication preferences and environmental information
Ask about the individual's actual communication preferences.
Respect consent, boundaries, and specialized tactile competence.
Provide relevant environmental information without invented motives.
Test remote access and clarify distinct support roles.
Team coordination and communication access in specialized settings
Define the relay, turn-taking, and repair process in advance.
Preserve meaning and communicate corrections through the whole team.
Separate interpreting from clinical, legal, educational, or decision-making roles.
Assess the actual environment and review the team's performance confidentially.