Picture the test in front of you. The recording plays a patient saying, “I've had chest pain since this morning.” You open your mouth and say: “She says she's had chest pain since this morning.” It feels natural. It also marks you, instantly, as someone who hasn't been trained. In professional interpreting you speak as the person, not about them — and the NAATI CCL test expects you to do exactly that, in both directions, from the very first segment.
- Interpret in the FIRST PERSON (direct speech): 'I have chest pain', never 'she says she has chest pain'.
- Direct speech keeps the two parties talking to each other — you are their voice, not a narrator.
- 'He says / she said' adds words nobody spoke (an addition) and signals untrained technique.
- The only time you use 'the interpreter' is to step out of role for a clarification, e.g. 'The interpreter needs that repeated.'
- It is a habit, not a talent — a week of out-loud drilling fixes it for good.
First person interpreting in NAATI CCL: what direct speech means
Direct speech interpretingmeans you render every message in the grammatical person the speaker used. The doctor says “I'm going to refer you to a specialist”; you interpret it as “I'm going to refer you” — in Punjabi, in the first person. The patient replies “I can't afford that”; you carry it back to the doctor as “I can't afford that.” You become a clear pane of glass: the two people speak through you, to each other.
Reported speech(also called indirect or third-person speech) reframes the message around the speaker: “She says she can't afford it,” “He's asking whether you have insurance.” In an everyday chat that's fine. In a CCL test it's the single most common stylistic mistake — and it quietly bleeds marks.
| The speaker says | Direct speech (correct) | Reported speech (avoid) |
|---|---|---|
| I have chest pain. | I have chest pain. | She says she has chest pain. |
| Can you take these tablets twice a day? | Can you take these tablets twice a day? | The doctor is asking if you can take them twice a day. |
| I don't understand the form. | I don't understand the form. | He says he doesn't understand the form. |
Why direct speech matters in the test
This isn't a stylistic preference your assessor happens to like. First-person interpreting protects your marks in three concrete ways.
1. Reported speech adds words nobody said
CCL graders penalise additions— content you inserted that wasn't in the source. Every “he says,” “she asked,” “the doctor wants to know” is an addition. One slip is trivial. But a 300-word dialogue has a dozen turns, and a dozen small additions across two dialogues is the kind of slow leak that drops a 64 to a 61.
2. It is the register the test is built around
The CCL test simulates a real interpreted conversation — a clinic, a Centrelink office, a parent-teacher meeting. Real interpreters use direct speech so the two parties build rapport with each other, not with the interpreter. Switching to “she says” breaks that illusion and flags untrained technique. (Register matters in other ways too — see our guide on formal vs informal Punjabi register.)
3. It keeps who-said-what crystal clear
Stack reported clauses and meaning blurs fast: “He says she told him that they said…” In the first person there's never any doubt about who is speaking, because you simply are them.
If your interpretation contains the words “he says” or “she says,” you've stopped interpreting and started reporting.
How to interpret in the first person, consistently
The fix is a shift in mindset before the first segment even plays. You are not a witness describing a conversation to a judge. You are the person speaking. Hold that frame and the grammar follows.
- 1Decide your role before you startAs the audio loads, tell yourself: 'I am the doctor when the doctor speaks, and the patient when the patient speaks.' You inhabit each voice in turn.
- 2Listen for the message, not the narrationDon't store 'the patient said X.' Store X itself — the meaning — then deliver it as if it's yours.
- 3Open with the speaker's own pronounIf the source starts with 'I', your first word is 'I' (ਮੈਂ / ਮੇਰੀ). Starting right almost guarantees you finish right.
- 4Catch yourself mid-sentenceIf a 'he says' escapes, don't restart the whole turn in a panic — just drop it and continue in the first person. A clean recovery beats a flustered redo.
Direct vs reported speech: model answers
Here are real-style CCL turns. Read the English, decide how you'd say it in the first person, then reveal the model. Notice that every model answer is the speaker's own voice — no “he says,” no “she asked.”
Common slip-ups (and how to fix them)
Slip 1: Narrating the first line
The first turn of a dialogue is where most people fall into “She says…” — nerves make you reach for the safest, most conversational frame. Fix it by rehearsing your opening word: the moment a speaker starts with “I,” your reply starts with ਮੈਂ / I.
Slip 2: Turning questions into reports
Questions are a trap: “Do you have insurance?” tempts you into “The doctor is asking whether you have insurance.” Keep it as a real question, asked directly: “ਕੀ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਕੋਲ ਬੀਮਾ ਹੈ?” (Kī tuhāḍe kol bīmā hai? = Do you have insurance?).
Slip 3: Confusing role-exit with reported speech
There isone moment you correctly leave the first person: when you speak as yourself to ask for a repeat or clarification. That is the only time “the interpreter” belongs in your mouth — and it is about the process, never the message.
| Situation | What to say |
|---|---|
| Carrying the speaker's message | First person — 'I have chest pain.' |
| You missed a segment and need it again | Step out of role — 'The interpreter didn't catch that, could it be repeated?' |
| A word genuinely has no equivalent | Step out of role briefly to clarify, then return to first person. |
Drills to make it automatic
Direct speech is a motor habit, like indicating before you turn. You build it by repetition, out loud, until reported speech feels wrong in your mouth. Work this checklist over a week: