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MAIf you know, you know. 😅 (laughing emoji)
In all seriousness, this has happened to me several times. Many hearing people don’t realize that it’s interpreters’ job to facilitate effective communication and interpret everything that is spoken/heard. When interpreters are interpreting a conversation, they are focused on interpreting; they are not there as a third-party to the conversation. Qualified interpreters will interpret everything that is said, regardless of who the message is directed to. All of my preferred, qualified interpreters will even sign, “Tell HER….” if the hearing person uses this language, which allows me to make a decision whether to gently inform them that they can and should address me directly.
I always appreciate it when interpreters remain committed to their job and refrain from making personal interjections, as this ensures the deaf consumer is not disempowered and power dynamics are not impacted for the most part. I find this to be an example of an interpreter exercising their power ethically. One of my preferred, qualified interpreters who I work with frequently is often asked, “What’s your name?” by a hearing person at the beginning of an interaction. This interpreter will always interpret what the hearing person asks, and I will usually say something along the lines of, “you can respond if you’d like.” The interpreter will then say, “This is the interpreter speaking. My name is _____.” This helps clarify the interpreter’s role and does not disempower the deaf consumer.
Have a funny story involving a hearing person and interpreter? Share in the comments!
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Transcript and reel description pinned in comments.
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#DeafCulture #Deaf #SignLanguage #ASL #AmericanSignLanguage #SignLanguageInterpreter #ASLInterpreter #Interpreter
@maryharman
