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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Dolmetscher/in mit eidg. Fachausweis Exam

100

Practice questions in this free English-language study bank

OpenExamPrep

CHF 2,400

Examination fee set by the Prüfungskommission for the 2026 sitting, plus CHF 50 for the Fachausweis and register entry

INTERPRET Prüfungsausschreibung, 18 February 2026

4 parts

Examination parts totalling about 190 minutes: written knowledge, glossary and reflection, specialist interview, interpreting simulations

Wegleitung of 18 February 2026, Ziff. 5.1

500 hours

Minimum documented interpreting experience for admission, of which at least 250 in the chosen focus area

Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024, Ziff. 3.31

CEFR level required in the examination language and orally in the interpreting language

Prüfungsordnung Ziff. 3.31 / Wegleitung Ziff. 4

4.0 / 6.0

Overall pass grade, with at least 4.0 also required in Prüfungsteil 4 and no part below 3.0

Prüfungsordnung Ziff. 6.41

CHF 9,500

Maximum SBFI reimbursement of 50% of eligible preparatory-course fees after sitting a Berufsprüfung

SBFI Bundesbeiträge eidgenössische Prüfungen

The Berufsprüfung for Dolmetscherin / Dolmetscher mit eidgenössischem Fachausweis is Switzerland's federal credential for public-service interpreters in asylum hearings, courts, hospitals, schools and social services. Run by INTERPRET under SBFI supervision, it costs CHF 2,400 for 2026 and comprises four parts totalling about 190 minutes: a 60-minute written knowledge test, a submitted glossary with an oral presentation and reflection interview, a 40-minute specialist interview, and about 60 minutes of interpreting simulations. Passing requires an overall 4.0, at least 4.0 in the simulations, and no part below 3.0. This free bank provides 100 English-language multiple-choice practice questions with sourced explanations across the six official competency areas.

Sample Dolmetscher/in mit eidg. Fachausweis Practice Questions

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1The INTERPRET Berufskodex of 1 February 2024 lists Unparteilichkeit (impartiality) as its first professional-ethical principle. What does that principle actually require of the interpreter during an assignment?

A.The interpreter takes no side, and instead keeps a balance of professional distance and empathy that is appropriate to the conversation, so that all participants can act as autonomously as possible

B.The interpreter must actively advocate for the non-native speaker whenever they perceive a power imbalance during the institutional interview

C.The interpreter is required to align their loyalty primarily with the commissioning Swiss public authority that pays the assignment fee

D.The interpreter should provide legal counsel or cultural coaching to the client during breaks between interview sessions

Explanation: The Berufskodex INTERPRET wording is precise: interpreters do not take sides within an assignment, but maintain a balance between professional distance and empathy toward everyone present, and their work should help participants act in a self-determined way. Impartiality is therefore not cold detachment, and it is not advocacy either.

2How does statutory confidentiality (Schweigepflicht) apply to community interpreters under Swiss federal law and the INTERPRET professional framework?

A.Interpreters are bound by strict professional confidentiality regarding all information obtained during assignments, extending indefinitely beyond the conclusion of the mandate

B.Confidentiality binds the interpreter during the assignment itself, and ends once the authority has issued and served its written decision

C.Interpreters may discuss case details with peers or acquaintances outside a formal supervision setting as long as no names are mentioned

D.Confidentiality covers the content of the conversation, but not the identity of the participants or the fact that they attended

Explanation: The Berufskodex INTERPRET states that interpreters are bound by professional secrecy before, during and after the end of an assignment, and that they disclose no information whatsoever about the content of the conversation, the participants or their relatives to third parties. The code also warns that breaching professional secrecy can be prosecuted.

3Under the INTERPRET Berufskodex principle of Rollenbewusstsein (role awareness), how must an interpreter handle the moment when they need to ask a clarifying question or explain a term that has no direct equivalent?

A.They must signal the change of role, making it visible to all participants that they are briefly speaking as the interpreter rather than rendering someone else's words

B.They may resolve it in a short side exchange with the client in the other language, because it concerns only that language

C.They should hold the question until the end of the session and raise it with the professional once the client has left

D.They may quietly choose the closest available term and continue, since flagging gaps undermines confidence in the interpretation

Explanation: The Berufskodex requires interpreters to be aware of their role, to take it up appropriately and to ensure that all participants understand it. It states specifically that in the interpreting situation they point out any change of role, for example when they ask a follow-up question or explain a term that is not directly translatable. Note that Transparenz is a separate principle in the same code, and concerns disclosing relationships and other factors that could affect the interpretation.

4Rendering statements in direct speech ('ich'-Form) rather than reported speech ('he says that...') is the prevailing professional convention in Swiss community interpreting. What is the main reason for it?

A.It keeps the exchange between the professional and the client, so that each speaker's own voice, agency and responsibility for the statement remain clearly attributable

B.It transfers responsibility for the accuracy of the content from the original speaker to the interpreter

C.It is a courtroom convention only; healthcare and school settings expect reported speech instead

D.It allows the interpreter to condense long turns into shorter summaries without loss of accuracy

Explanation: Direct rendition keeps the dialogue triadic rather than turning it into two separate conversations routed through the interpreter. It preserves who said what, which matters when a protocol is written from the exchange, and it supports the code's requirement that participants be able to act in a self-determined way. It is a professional convention rather than a rule written into the Berufskodex.

5When an interpreter arrives at a Swiss court or hospital and realizes that the client is their first cousin, what is the mandatory ethical response under INTERPRET rules?

A.Immediately disclose the relationship to the professional lead and recuse oneself due to conflict of interest (Befangenheit)

B.Disclose the relationship to the room but continue interpreting, leaving it to the presiding professional to decide whether it matters

C.Proceed without disclosing it, since a cousin is not a close relative and the interpreter is confident of remaining impartial

D.Offer to interpret only during the preliminary intake and hand over to a colleague before substantive testimony begins

Explanation: The Berufskodex principle of Transparenz requires interpreters to disclose all relationships to the people involved at the latest when the conversation begins, and to decline the assignment outright where a family or other relationship makes them biased, or where they have an interest of their own in the matter. Disclosure and withdrawal go together here.

6The federal professional examination was redesigned under the Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024. How is intercultural mediation (interkulturelles Vermitteln) treated in the qualification that examination now leads to?

A.The examination now certifies interpreting only, and the protected title is 'Dolmetscherin / Dolmetscher mit eidgenössischem Fachausweis'; mediation is a separate field of activity outside its scope

B.The examination certifies interpreting and intercultural mediation as two equally weighted areas, and the title names both activities

C.Mediation replaced interpreting in the 2024 revision, so the Fachausweis is now awarded for intercultural mediation competence

D.Both activities are certified by the Zertifikat INTERPRET, and the Fachausweis adds only written translation

Explanation: The predecessor qualification was awarded to a 'Fachperson im interkulturellen Dolmetschen und Vermitteln' and combined an interpreting area with a mediating area. The Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024 narrowed the profile to interpreting, and the protected title it confers is 'Dolmetscherin / Dolmetscher mit eidgenössischem Fachausweis'. Candidates specialise in one of three focus areas: Asyl & Justiz, Bildung & Soziales, or Gesundheit.

7During a medical consultation in a Swiss cantonal hospital, the patient uses an obscure dialect term for a body symptom that the doctor clearly misunderstands. What does the INTERPRET Berufskodex expect the interpreter to do?

A.Signal the role change to both parties, flag that a term needs clarifying, establish the intended meaning, and then return to rendering the dialogue

B.Silently substitute the term the interpreter believes the patient most likely means, without alerting the doctor

C.Render the dialect term literally and leave the consequences of the misunderstanding entirely to the doctor

D.Ask the patient during a break to use standard language in future so the problem does not recur

Explanation: The Berufskodex principle of Professionalität states that interpreters respond appropriately to disturbances and contribute to clarification where there is an obvious or suspected misunderstanding between the participants. The principle of Rollenbewusstsein requires them to flag the moment they step out of pure rendition to ask that question, so that both sides know what is happening.

8At the end of a difficult asylum interview at a Federal Asylum Centre (BAZ), the applicant offers the interpreter a traditional handmade gift as a token of personal gratitude. What is the correct professional conduct under the INTERPRET Code of Conduct?

A.Politely decline the gift, explaining neutrally that professional regulations prohibit accepting personal gifts from clients to preserve independence and impartiality

B.Accept it to avoid causing offence, since the hearing has already ended and the gift cannot influence a decision that is already made

C.Accept it only if its value is clearly modest, applying the customary threshold for small courtesies

D.Accept it on the applicant's insistence and hand it in to the placement agency afterwards

Explanation: The Berufskodex principle of Integrität states plainly that interpreters are aware of the responsibility their position gives them, do not exploit it, and accept no benefit or favour (Begünstigung). Declining warmly and naming the professional rule keeps the refusal from reading as a personal rejection, which matters in a setting where offering a gift is a normal courtesy.

9A social worker asks the interpreter in the hallway before an appointment: 'Do you know this family from your community? Can you tell me if the husband is really abusive?' What is the interpreter's ethical obligation?

A.Decline to provide background opinions or community gossip, stating that the interpreter is bound by confidentiality and acts exclusively as an impartial language conduit

B.Share the general impression informally, since a hallway conversation before the appointment is not part of the official record

C.Summarise what was said about the husband in an earlier interpreted session with the same family

D.Answer the factual part about knowing the family, and offer a personal view on the abuse question only if directly pressed

Explanation: Two duties meet here. Professional secrecy covers information about the participants and their relatives, so community knowledge cannot be passed on. Impartiality means the interpreter does not supply assessments that would shape the social worker's judgement. If the interpreter does know the family personally, the correct move is the transparency duty: disclose the relationship and, where it creates bias, decline the assignment.

10During a contentious child protection hearing at KESB, the client becomes furious and screams vulgar insults at the KESB officer. What must the interpreter do?

A.Interpret the vulgar statements accurately and completely, preserving the speaker's emotional tone and register without softening or censoring the words

B.Omit the vulgar words entirely to prevent the KESB hearing from escalating

C.Apologize to the KESB officer on behalf of the client and summarize the statement as 'The client is slightly upset'

D.Interrupt the hearing to reprimand the client for being disrespectful to Swiss authorities

Explanation: The Berufskodex principle of Professionalität requires interpreters to render all statements accurately, completely and faithfully (genau, vollständig und getreu). That includes profanity, emotional outbursts and register. Softening the language denies the authority an authentic picture of the exchange and quietly puts the interpreter in the position of managing the client's behaviour.

About the Dolmetscher/in mit eidg. Fachausweis Exam

The Swiss federal professional examination for interpreters leads to the protected title 'Dolmetscherin / Dolmetscher mit eidgenössischem Fachausweis' — Interprète avec brevet fédéral, Interprete con attestato professionale federale, rendered officially in English as 'Interpreter, Federal Diploma of Higher Education'. It is organised by INTERPRET under Art. 28 para. 2 of the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Act and supervised by SBFI. The qualification certifies experienced public-service interpreters who work across Swiss asylum and justice, education and social services, and healthcare settings, and who specialise in one of those three focus areas. The redesigned examination under the Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024 is held for the first time from 14 to 17 September 2026 in Bern; it replaces the earlier 'Fachperson im interkulturellen Dolmetschen und Vermitteln' qualification, which covered mediation as well as interpreting.

Assessment

Under the Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024 and the Wegleitung of 18 February 2026 the examination has four parts totalling about 190 minutes: (1) Theoretisches Fachwissen — written, 60 minutes, covering specialist and background knowledge of the chosen focus area and its role expectations, telephone and video interpreting and language technology, professional-ethical principles, and the working and employment conditions of interpreters; (2) Einsatzbeispiel — a glossary of 20 terms from a real assignment submitted in advance (weighting 1) plus an approximately 30-minute oral presentation and reflection interview (weighting 2); (3) Fachgespräch zur Dolmetschtätigkeit — an approximately 40-minute oral interview covering all three focus areas and both on-site and remote work; (4) Dolmetschsimulationen — approximately 60 minutes of practical work in three positions: on-site interpreting (weighting 2), remote interpreting (weighting 1) and sight translation (weighting 1), audio-recorded and assessed with input from language specialists. Candidates specialise in one of Asyl & Justiz, Bildung & Soziales or Gesundheit.

Time Limit

Approximately 190 minutes in total across four parts, sat on one or two examination days

Passing Score

Overall grade of at least 4.0 on the Swiss 1.0–6.0 scale, at least 4.0 in Prüfungsteil 4 (Dolmetschsimulationen), and no examination-part grade below 3.0 (Prüfungsordnung Ziff. 6.41). Failed parts may be repeated up to twice.

Exam Fee

CHF 2,400 for the 2026 sitting as set by the Prüfungskommission, itemised as CHF 300 for Prüfungsteil 1, CHF 800 for Prüfungsteil 2, CHF 500 for Prüfungsteil 3 and CHF 800 for Prüfungsteil 4, plus CHF 50 for issuing the Fachausweis, the diploma supplement and the register entry. SBFI separately reimburses 50% of eligible preparatory-course fees up to CHF 9,500 once the examination has been sat; the examination fee itself is not subsidised. (INTERPRET, Schweizerische Interessengemeinschaft für interkulturelles Dolmetschen und Vermitteln (Qualifizierungsstelle / Prüfungssekretariat, Bern), under the supervision of SBFI)

Dolmetscher/in mit eidg. Fachausweis Exam Content Outline

25% of practice coverage

Berufsethik, Rollenverständnis und Schweigepflicht

Berufskodex INTERPRET of 1 February 2024 — Unparteilichkeit, Integrität, Verschwiegenheit, Rollenbewusstsein, Transparenz, Professionalität — plus role boundaries, conflict-of-interest disclosure, data protection under the DSG, and triadic power dynamics

22% of practice coverage

Dolmetschtechniken, Notizentechnik und Terminologie

Consecutive dialogue interpreting, note-taking and memory techniques, Ab-Blatt-Übersetzen (sight translation), handling untranslatable concepts, and the terminology and glossary work assessed in Prüfungsteil 2

22% of practice coverage

Institutionelle Rahmenbedingungen: Asyl und Justiz

Swiss asylum procedure (AsylG, SEM, federal asylum centres, Dublin III, hearings and back-translation of the protocol), criminal procedure (StPO rights advisories and admissibility), civil procedure (ZPO conciliation), juvenile criminal law, and appeals to the Bundesverwaltungsgericht

22% of practice coverage

Institutionelle Rahmenbedingungen: Gesundheit, Bildung und Soziales

Swiss healthcare (KVG, informed consent, advance directives, transcultural psychiatry and trauma), the cantonal school system and school psychological services, social assistance and the SKOS guidelines, social insurance, and child and adult protection (KESB / ZGB)

9% of practice coverage

Ferndolmetschen, Sprachtechnologie und Berufsausübung

Telephone and video interpreting technique and its limits, digital tools and language technology including declared AI use in glossary work, data protection in remote settings, briefing and debriefing, Psychohygiene and Intervision, placement services, and employed versus self-employed working conditions

How to Pass the Dolmetscher/in mit eidg. Fachausweis Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Overall grade of at least 4.0 on the Swiss 1.0–6.0 scale, at least 4.0 in Prüfungsteil 4 (Dolmetschsimulationen), and no examination-part grade below 3.0 (Prüfungsordnung Ziff. 6.41). Failed parts may be repeated up to twice.
Assessment: Under the Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024 and the Wegleitung of 18 February 2026 the examination has four parts totalling about 190 minutes: (1) Theoretisches Fachwissen — written, 60 minutes, covering specialist and background knowledge of the chosen focus area and its role expectations, telephone and video interpreting and language technology, professional-ethical principles, and the working and employment conditions of interpreters; (2) Einsatzbeispiel — a glossary of 20 terms from a real assignment submitted in advance (weighting 1) plus an approximately 30-minute oral presentation and reflection interview (weighting 2); (3) Fachgespräch zur Dolmetschtätigkeit — an approximately 40-minute oral interview covering all three focus areas and both on-site and remote work; (4) Dolmetschsimulationen — approximately 60 minutes of practical work in three positions: on-site interpreting (weighting 2), remote interpreting (weighting 1) and sight translation (weighting 1), audio-recorded and assessed with input from language specialists. Candidates specialise in one of Asyl & Justiz, Bildung & Soziales or Gesundheit.
Time limit: Approximately 190 minutes in total across four parts, sat on one or two examination days
Exam fee: CHF 2,400 for the 2026 sitting as set by the Prüfungskommission, itemised as CHF 300 for Prüfungsteil 1, CHF 800 for Prüfungsteil 2, CHF 500 for Prüfungsteil 3 and CHF 800 for Prüfungsteil 4, plus CHF 50 for issuing the Fachausweis, the diploma supplement and the register entry. SBFI separately reimburses 50% of eligible preparatory-course fees up to CHF 9,500 once the examination has been sat; the examination fee itself is not subsidised.

Keys to Passing

Work through all 100 available questions
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Dolmetscher/in mit eidg. Fachausweis Study Tips from Top Performers

1Learn the Berufskodex by its actual principle names. Examiners assess Rollengestaltung directly, and candidates lose marks by confusing Transparenz (disclosing relationships and influencing factors) with Rollenbewusstsein (flagging a change of role when you ask a question or explain a term).

2Prepare the Prüfungsteil 2 glossary to the letter of the Wegleitung: 20 relevant terms from one complex assignment no more than six months old, explained in both working languages, at least half in your own words, with a traceable source per explanation and at least three different sources per language. Any AI use must be declared fully and does not replace sources.

3Drill the institutional frameworks of your focus area: asylum procedure and back-translation of the hearing protocol, the StPO advisories at the start of a first interview, ZPO conciliation, KVG cover and informed consent, ZGB curatorship types, and the SKOS logic of subsidiarity and Fördern und Fordern.

4Do not neglect the written part's less obvious topics. It expressly covers telephone and video interpreting, language technology, and the working and employment conditions of employed versus self-employed interpreters — areas candidates rarely revise.

5Practise the three simulation positions separately. On-site and remote interpreting are marked on comprehensibility and appropriateness of the working languages, quality of the transfer, communicative behaviour and role shaping; sight translation is marked on the first two only.

6Build a routine for Psychohygiene now. Reflection, debriefing and supervision or intervision are examinable content in the Fachgespräch and a genuine occupational safeguard in a field with heavy trauma exposure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Berufsprüfung for Dolmetscherin / Dolmetscher mit eidgenössischem Fachausweis?

It is Switzerland's federal professional examination for public-service interpreters, organised by INTERPRET as the recognised Trägerschaft under the supervision of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI). Passing it confers the protected title Dolmetscherin / Dolmetscher mit eidgenössischem Fachausweis, in French Interprète avec brevet fédéral and in Italian Interprete con attestato professionale federale, officially rendered in English as 'Interpreter, Federal Diploma of Higher Education'. Candidates specialise in one of three focus areas: Asyl & Justiz, Bildung & Soziales, or Gesundheit.

What are the admission requirements?

Candidates need a Federal Certificate of VET or an equivalent upper-secondary qualification, at least 2 years of professional experience at an 80% workload, and at least 500 documented hours of interpreting in the three fields, of which at least 250 in the chosen focus area. The most recent interpreting assignment may be no more than four months old at the registration deadline. Language evidence of CEFR C1 is required in the examination language and CEFR C1 oral competence in the interpreting language. The Zertifikat INTERPRET is the basic qualification in the same system but is not itself an admission condition, and preparatory courses are voluntary and independent of the examination.

How is the real examination structured, and what does it cost?

Under the Prüfungsordnung of 29 February 2024 and the Wegleitung of 18 February 2026 there are four parts totalling roughly 190 minutes: a 60-minute written test of theoretical specialist knowledge, a glossary of 20 terms submitted in advance plus a 30-minute presentation and reflection interview, a 40-minute specialist interview on interpreting practice, and about 60 minutes of interpreting simulations covering on-site interpreting, remote interpreting and sight translation. The examination fee for 2026 is CHF 2,400, plus CHF 50 for issuing the Fachausweis and the register entry.

What does a candidate need to pass?

Grades run from 6 down to 1, with 4.0 and above counting as sufficient. The Prüfungsordnung requires an overall grade of at least 4.0, a grade of at least 4.0 in Prüfungsteil 4 (the interpreting simulations), and no examination-part grade below 3.0. Parts that were failed may be repeated up to twice.

Which ethical principles does the INTERPRET Berufskodex set out?

The Berufskodex INTERPRET für das Dolmetschen, in force since 1 February 2024, names eight principles: Unparteilichkeit (not taking sides while keeping an appropriate balance of professional distance and empathy), Integrität (including accepting no benefits), Verschwiegenheit (professional secrecy before, during and after an assignment), Rollenbewusstsein (including flagging any change of role, such as asking a follow-up question), Transparenz (disclosing relationships to the participants and declining assignments where one is biased), Professionalität (rendering all statements accurately, completely and faithfully), Reflexion und Psychohygiene, and Berufliche Weiterbildung.

Is this practice bank the same as the real examination?

No. The real examination is conducted in the examination language (German, French or Italian) and the candidate's interpreting language, and three of its four parts are oral or practical. This bank is an English-language multiple-choice study adaptation of the knowledge and judgement the examination assumes: the Berufskodex, Swiss institutional frameworks (AsylG, StPO, ZPO, KVG, ZGB/KESB, SKOS), interpreting and terminology methodology, remote interpreting, and working conditions. It is not an official translation, not a simulation of the interpreting simulations or the oral interviews, and no substitute for live interpreting practice.