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Cataract Surgery Consultation
Doctor (speaking English) and Patient (speaking Spanish) talk through “Cataract Surgery Consultation”. You interpret both ways — English into Spanish, and Spanish into English — one segment at a time, exactly as in the CCL test.
Practise this dialogue with AI marking →Read it first if you like, then practise it cold: the recording plays one segment, you interpret, the next segment plays. Marking shows, segment by segment, what you kept, left out or changed.
Full transcript with model answers
Under each segment: a model interpretation, the information points an examiner checks, and the easiest thing to miss. Try the segment yourself first, then open it. The model is one good way to say it; other wordings that keep every point score just as well.
Mrs. Duarte, your scans confirm a cataract in your left eye. Let's discuss what the surgery involves, and please ask anything that worries you.
Model answer and marking points
Señora Duarte, sus estudios confirman que tiene una catarata en el ojo izquierdo. Hablemos de en qué consiste la cirugía, y por favor pregúnteme cualquier cosa que le preocupe.
What an examiner checks here:
- addressed to Mrs Duarte
- scans confirm a cataract
- left eye (not right)
- will explain what the surgery involves
- invitation to ask about any worries
Easy to miss: Keep the eye as the LEFT one and render 'confirm' as certainty, not 'suggest'.
Doctor, me preocupa un poco estar despierta durante la cirugía. ¿No sentiré dolor?
Model answer and marking points
Doctor, I'm a bit worried about being awake during the surgery. Won't I feel pain?
What an examiner checks here:
- worry about being awake during surgery
- worry is mild ('a bit')
- question: won't I feel pain?
Easy to miss: The question is negative-framed ('won't I feel pain?'); don't turn it into a statement that she will feel pain.
You'll only receive local anaesthetic eye drops and light sedation; you will not feel pain, though you may notice light and movement during the procedure.
Model answer and marking points
Solo le pondrán gotas de anestesia local en el ojo y una sedación ligera; no sentirá dolor, aunque puede que note luz y movimiento durante el procedimiento.
What an examiner checks here:
- only local anaesthetic eye drops
- plus light sedation
- will NOT feel pain
- may notice light and movement during procedure
Easy to miss: Two distinct things: eye DROPS (not injection) and LIGHT sedation (not general anaesthetic).
¿Y esto lo cubre Medicare, o tengo que pagar algo aparte?
Model answer and marking points
And is this covered by Medicare, or do I have to pay something separately?
What an examiner checks here:
- question: does Medicare cover this?
- question: or is there a separate payment?
Easy to miss: Keep both halves of the either/or question; 'aparte' means an extra/separate payment, not 'apart'.
As a public patient at Barwon Health, Medicare covers the full cost of your surgery; you won't pay any out-of-pocket fee unless you choose a private surgeon.
Model answer and marking points
Como paciente pública en Barwon Health, Medicare cubre el costo total de su cirugía; no pagará ningún gasto de su bolsillo, a menos que elija un cirujano privado.
What an examiner checks here:
- as a public patient
- at Barwon Health
- Medicare covers full cost of surgery
- no out-of-pocket fee
- exception: unless she chooses a private surgeon
Easy to miss: Don't drop the condition 'unless you choose a private surgeon', and keep 'Barwon Health' as a proper name.
¿Cuánto tiempo tendré que esperar para la operación?
Model answer and marking points
How long will I have to wait for the operation?
What an examiner checks here:
- question: how long is the wait?
- for the operation
Easy to miss: Short segment: render it as a question about waiting time, not about surgery duration.
The waiting list here is about six weeks, and the operation itself usually takes only fifteen minutes.
Model answer and marking points
La lista de espera aquí es de unas seis semanas, y la operación en sí normalmente dura solo quince minutos.
What an examiner checks here:
- waiting list here
- about six weeks
- operation itself
- usually only fifteen minutes
Easy to miss: Two different numbers and units: six WEEKS for the wait, fifteen MINUTES for the operation.
¿Tendré que usar gotas después, y por cuánto tiempo?
Model answer and marking points
Will I have to use drops afterwards, and for how long?
What an examiner checks here:
- question: will I need drops afterwards?
- question: for how long?
Easy to miss: Keep both questions; 'después' means after the surgery, not 'later today'.
You'll use antibiotic drops four times daily for two weeks. If you notice increasing pain or redness, contact us immediately—don't wait for your next appointment.
Model answer and marking points
Usará gotas con antibiótico cuatro veces al día durante dos semanas. Si nota que el dolor o el enrojecimiento aumentan, contáctenos de inmediato; no espere a su próxima cita.
What an examiner checks here:
- antibiotic drops
- four times daily
- for two weeks
- if increasing pain or redness, contact immediately
- don't wait for next appointment
Easy to miss: Four times DAILY for two WEEKS; and the instruction is 'contact immediately', not 'mention it at your next appointment'.
¿Podré conducir al día siguiente de la operación?
Model answer and marking points
Will I be able to drive the day after the operation?
What an examiner checks here:
- question: can I drive?
- the day after the operation
Easy to miss: 'Al día siguiente' is THE DAY AFTER, not 'the same day' or 'the next few days'.
Not on the first day; you'll need someone to drive you home, and most patients resume driving within a week once vision stabilises.
Model answer and marking points
El primer día no; necesitará que alguien la lleve a casa, y la mayoría de los pacientes vuelven a conducir en una semana, una vez que la visión se estabiliza.
What an examiner checks here:
- not on the first day
- needs someone to drive her home
- most patients resume driving within a week
- condition: once vision stabilises
Easy to miss: Opening 'Not on the first day' is a negation that must survive; 'within a week' is a timeframe, not 'after a week'.
Gracias, doctor, ahora me siento mucho más tranquila con toda esta información.
Model answer and marking points
Gracias, doctor; ahora me siento mucho más tranquila con toda esta información.
What an examiner checks here:
- thanks the doctor
- feels much calmer now
- because of all this information
Easy to miss: Segment is Spanish, so the model goes into English: 'Thank you, doctor, I feel much more at ease now with all this information.'
Terms in this dialogue that cost marks
CCL is marked on information transferred. These Australian terms have no direct word in most test languages — get one wrong and the segment's information is gone.
- MedicareSe deja tal cual, 'Medicare', ya que es un nombre propio de un programa australiano sin equivalente en países hispanohablantes.
- Waiting listSe traduce como 'lista de espera'.
Practise it
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Start this dialogue →More Spanish dialogues
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How the test works
Practice dialogue written to the CCL specification (two speakers, segments of 35 words or fewer, about 300 words). It is a practice text, not a NAATI test paper, and the AI score is this site's estimate, not a NAATI result. All Spanish dialogues · All languages