Interpreting Practice

[Brenda Dencer]

I'm an interpreter and in my various stages of professional development and
different working locations, I've *blushing* done what you've talked about and
called that act exactly what you've called it.  However, I've never been
comfortable with the term 'assessing language,' 'assessing language preference,'
etc.  Those terms seemed pretentious (to me, knowing MY skill level) and placed
me in an artificially superior position.  I just didn't know another way to to
express what I needed to know.

One interesting thing I have found out over the years is that if I ask the
deaf/hh consumer what they prefer I "do," I usually get this answer:  "Whatever
is comfortable for you [the interpreter]."  Eeeeeeekk.

I'm trying to respect the consumer when I ask those questions.  I'm trying to
explain to hearing consumers, who usually don't have an understanding of Sign
Language, what intricacies are involved.

Once, I asked a teacher who is deaf how to resolve this problem that I have--to
figure out what to sign.  His answer was, "You'll know without asking."  From
that response I learned not to ask, or at best, to somehow rephrase the
question, because I believe that the phrasing is the problem.  I'm not assessing
language.  Who am I to do that?  I'm not a linguist or a native speaker, and
even if I were, would I still be qualified to assess?

Dare I say it?  I am trying to please the consumers--both deaf/hh and hearing.
I just have this issue of using a phrase that is uncomfortable and untrue for me
and which was coined 20 years ago and doesn't match the place where we are now.
I think the phrase you ask about places the focus on the deaf person when, in
reality, the focus should be on us, the interpreters.

Whew, I am so glad you brought up this issue. I am eagerly looking forward to
the discussion and hopefully, will find an answer to my problem.

Thanks to you all,

Brenda Dencer, CSC, CI & CT, SC: L

"Karlin, Ben" wrote:

> Give me a little time to get around to my point, if you don't mind.  Will
> try to limit the rambling.  I am broaching this topic here because I don't
> know where else to get an intelligent discussion that does not break down
> into flames rapidly.
>
> Sign language interpreters here in the U.S. typically will take time to meet
> with a Deaf consumer before interpreting between "sign" and voice.  Several
> who I have asked say it allows them to 'assess language preferences' or
> 'language use' of the consumer.  Aside from most interpreters not being
> trained to assess language, I wonder about the impact.
>
> Does this help perpetuate the idea that ASL (which is a real language) is
> only on a par with the various codes used to try to represent English?
>
> That's the big question I have about it just now.  Do other countries have
> non-linguistic codes to represent the majority spoken languages?
>
> Ben Karlin <mfkarlb at mail.dmh.state.mo.us>
> Lic. Interpreter, St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center
> The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or
> the Missouri Dept. of Mental Health