The main aim of this study was to examine verbal characteristics of deception, such as the amount of details, the verifiable
details, and the presence of contradictions in different conditions of conducting interviews.
Sample: 65 people (51 women and 14 men), university students from different faculties (average age — 20). Participants
were divided into 4 subgroups: by type of interview — 37 people talked in native language with an interpreter and 28 — used a
foreign language. According to the type of task — the instruction to tell the truth was given to 33 subjects, 32 of the remaining
subjects had to report false information during the interview.
Data were analyzed using a one-dimensional variance analysis (GLM Univariate Analysis). Results show the absence of
significant differences in the total amount of details and verifiable details for both groups: the interview type (with interpreter or
without) and the task type (truth — lie). A significant difference was found only for the amount of contradictions in the subgroup
of deceivers, but it was not related to the type of interview. Also qualitative differences were identified for the characteristics of
«Contradictions».
This research has shown that the use of an interpreter did not reveal any significant differences in recognition of verbal
characteristics of the deception. Thus, the presence of the interpreter during interviews, conversations or interrogations with not
a native speaker, will not significantly change the verbal deception signals.