A few questions for interpreters

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Cane Corso

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I am curious, why did you want to learn ASL? Why are you interested to work with deaf clients? What was your first purpose to have this job as an interpreter?
 
I learned ASL when I was very young because I was interested in it. When I got to college I took a couple of classes but they were all too easy for me! I have wanted to work with deaf clients all my life though. I used to work in the computer industry and I didn't know how I could work with deaf people there. So when I lost my computer job I started looking for other options and I decided to become an interpreter. :)
 
Both of my parents were deaf, so I grew up learning ASL from the time I was about 3 years old. I interpreted for my parents all my life. They are gone now, but I started interpreting for others several years ago.

-AS-
 
I, like Etoile (Hey there!), learned sign language as a child. My elementary school had a mainstream program, so I picked up sign from friends at school. I never took a formal class (beyond elementary, basic SEE classes) until I was 19/20, and by then I was too advanced for the class, so I dropped the program.

I've known since I was very young that I wanted to be a teacher/interpreter. I'm glad I'm now doing what I want. Not too many 21 year olds can say that.
 
I'll be going off to college to be a teacher/interpreter this August and I can't wait! None of my family are deaf, I just took a liking to ASL when I saw an interpreter at my church one day. I've taken some classes but they didn't give any credit for it, it was just for "further education." I've been teaching myself mostly. I can't wait!
 
I really admire each of you who learned ASL simply because you were exposed to it. I think we do not hear enough about how much hearing people gain from learning ASL. One good thing to say for mainstreaming is that the hearing kids get to see something they never would otherwise.
 
MorriganTait said:
I really admire each of you who learned ASL simply because you were exposed to it. I think we do not hear enough about how much hearing people gain from learning ASL. One good thing to say for mainstreaming is that the hearing kids get to see something they never would otherwise.
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Thanks! I'm not a staunch supporter of either residential or mainstream programs, since I think they each have their good and bad parts, but I think that exposure for hearing students is important.

What makes me sad is seeing how few students actually benefit from it. Of everyone I went to school with (elementary school), I'm the only one doing anything with ASL. One girl, now a junior in college, was inspired to take more sign classes, but that's about it.
 
how i learned asl

i come from an all deaf family so it was my native language... i started signing at 8 months old..never wanted to be an interpreter growing up..because its all i did.. but here i am 23 and i couldnt think of anything better to be doing
 
I hate the hearing people because we are ungrateful for our hearing ability. I include myself because sometimes I forget it is there (weird?). I do rely on ASL more often than speaking because my friends are deaf. Is it weird for me to abandon my own culture and try and "force" my way into the Deaf culture?
 
Pluto said:
I hate the hearing people because we are ungrateful for our hearing ability. I include myself because sometimes I forget it is there (weird?). I do rely on ASL more often than speaking because my friends are deaf. Is it weird for me to abandon my own culture and try and "force" my way into the Deaf culture?
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Wow, there's lots to respond to here. I don't think it's necessarily weird for you to abandon your own culture...but trying to "force" your way into Deaf culture sounds rude to me. You have to be welcomed in - you can't force your way in. Hearing people will pretty much always be on the outside of Deaf culture anyway, though...that's the way cultures are.

As for hearing people being ungrateful that we can hear - I don't think that's fair. For one thing, I don't think many people are actually ungrateful. Most people just don't think about it, for one thing; if you don't have exposure to deaf people then you have no reason to think about it. I guess I just feel that "hating" hearing people isn't the appropriate response...pity, maybe, that some people don't think about that kind of thing, but "hating" hearing people sounds like an overreaction to me.
 
i think he just worded his post poorly.


he sounds similar to me, my friends are deaf. when i am out socializing with them, hearing voices of people talking to me messes with my head. When im in "sign mode" things are different in the way i percieve them, so when i hear a voice, it kinda "rips me out of my world". ambient noises around me dont bother me, i tune them out, but people talking to me can really mess me up.

i also think "force" was a poor choice of words, i assume he just meant prefers to socialize with deaf. how exactly would you force your way into deaf culture? can you force hearing people to be your friends? heh


as to the original question.....im not an interpreter, but im a hearie who uses sign everyday. i work at a residential school for the deaf. ive been signing for almost 2 years now. while i think i still have a long ways to go, i get complimented on my sign everyday. i dunno what my life will bring in the future, but sign language and deaf people will be a part of it, of that im sure.
 
Ariakkas said:
how exactly would you force your way into deaf culture? can you force hearing people to be your friends? heh
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Ugh. I've seen it. And it isn't pretty. In one case it involved a student who was literally forbidden to go to classes with deaf students (they weren't his classes, he was just going there with him). We called him the "deaf stalker" and we were to report on any instances where he showed up in class with a deaf student.

Another deaf stalker would hang out with the deaf people and be a big clown and throw himself at them in a fairly disturbing way...and he didn't even sign. That creeped me out. He also wanted to be best friends with the interpreters and I just wasn't having it.

Please note I'm NOT saying this is what Pluto is doing. I'm sure it isn't! I'm just saying...it happens.
 
Ariakkas said:
i think he just worded his post poorly.


he sounds similar to me, my friends are deaf. when i am out socializing with them, hearing voices of people talking to me messes with my head. When im in "sign mode" things are different in the way i percieve them, so when i hear a voice, it kinda "rips me out of my world". ambient noises around me dont bother me, i tune them out, but people talking to me can really mess me up.

i also think "force" was a poor choice of words, i assume he just meant prefers to socialize with deaf. how exactly would you force your way into deaf culture? can you force hearing people to be your friends? heh


as to the original question.....im not an interpreter, but im a hearie who uses sign everyday. i work at a residential school for the deaf. ive been signing for almost 2 years now. while i think i still have a long ways to go, i get complimented on my sign everyday. i dunno what my life will bring in the future, but sign language and deaf people will be a part of it, of that im sure.
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A good test of your own proficency would be to participate with deaf community that do not know you and allow them to identify whether you're deaf or not. That will show you on "how far you are" into sign language. I know of an interpreter who used to participate in deaf community in another state, fully integrated as a "deaf individual" and was NEVER spotted as a hearing guy. His attitude was a lot like that in deaf society, when he went to video store (knowing perfectly well about that cashier's attitude towards deaf community), picked a movie and went over to cashier's register, he dropped it off in front of her, then looked at me and started convo. Cashier was asking something to him, after few attempts, she started to tap him on shoulder. He looked at cashier, "oh" me no hear *shrugs*, then point at video tape, then look at cashier awaiting further instruction. That cashier got fed up too easily, sighed audibly and visually, got frowned upon. He then pulled out debit card, tossed on the table like if he care (very common with deafies), pointed it out then looked at me and continued the convo. The cashier mumbled something awful and did her work. She had to get his attention for pin and things like that constantly. He then smiled, waved at her, thumbed up, picked up the bag and left. When we walked out of that store, he told me what she mumbled was something awful. "dumb deaf f---" was what she mumbled.

Another time when I spoke with my hearie friend, he is starting to lose his hearing (very sloooowly, but can manager to hear without lipreading) and wanted to learn sign language and to familiarize himself with deaf community. I told him to do one experiment: Attend fast food service that he never went to, act as if he is totally deaf and try to communicate that way. Use paper and pen, ignore what cashier was trying to say vocally (including "lack to lipread") and listen to their comments about him before, during and AFTER the transactions. He went on and did that. He returned and told me that his experience to that restaurnant was horrible. When he walked away with his orders, cashier was saying to other something that I can't remember, really devalued the deaf community as whole.

These things might help you to better understand the deaf community and to fuel your desire to learn better -- to become one of the deaf norms.
 
Another deaf stalker would hang out with the deaf people and be a big clown and throw himself at them in a fairly disturbing way...and he didn't even sign. That creeped me out.
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That's just increadably wierd! There's also a yahoo-group of people who kinda take that to another level; they want to become deaf. I can't find it right now, but I lurked for a while to see what was up, and they actually suggest ways to destroy their hearing so they can "legitimately" fit into deaf culture.
 
wow, I thought Reba and Interpretrator are only members who are interpreter around here...

I would love to hear why, how and what make you all interest to learn sign...


Interesting thread here.
 
Yes, I´m surprised that Reba and Interpretrator are not only one around here...
 
LinuxGold said:
I know of an interpreter who used to participate in deaf community in another state, fully integrated as a "deaf individual" and was NEVER spotted as a hearing guy.
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I don't know if community norms differ from place to place, but I was taught that one of the worst things a hearing person can do is pretend to be deaf for whatever reason, like not have to deal with other hearing people and so forth. I have heard, at least in my area, that it's a major breach of Deaf culture for a hearing person to do that and I myself never have although I have been SO sorely tempted at times. Is this different in different areas?

Gobae said:
There's also a yahoo-group of people who kinda take that to another level; they want to become deaf.
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I know what you're talking about! I saw that group once when I was looking for something else and...wow. I always remember what my teacher (a CODA) said about Deaf culture, how some people are drawn to it because they feel they don't fit into their own culture and have the impression that Deaf culture is a better place to be. She didn't really have anything to say about this as far as "civilians" but her point regarding interpreters was that we really have to watch out for this in ourselves, because we cannot abandon our own culture but have to be able to function in both. That the type of person who wants to reject hearing culture in favor of Deaf culture would not make a good interpreter; neither culture can be rejected.

I have to say I agree with this. With non-interpreters, I don't really care up to a point, but when it comes to people like the deaf stalkers I mentioned or that Yahoo group, it really weirds me out.

As far as my reasons for becoming an interpreter, it is a long and very uninteresting tale but also I am wary about putting too many personal details on a public forum. If I ever meet you in person I'll be happy to bore the hell out of you with the whole story!
 
Interpretrator said:
I don't know if community norms differ from place to place, but I was taught that one of the worst things a hearing person can do is pretend to be deaf for whatever reason, like not have to deal with other hearing people and so forth. I have heard, at least in my area, that it's a major breach of Deaf culture for a hearing person to do that and I myself never have although I have been SO sorely tempted at times. Is this different in different areas?
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I'm not sure if it's different in different areas, but I will admit that I have done it a couple of times. It's my secret weapon in case of harassment. I used to have to walk through a park to get to work and there were a bunch of homeless people that always hung out there. I would get the "hey baby" comments every morning and sometimes if I didn't respond they would yell at me for being a b*tch. One time one of them came after me and pushed me, and I spun around and signed "I'm deaf, what do you want?!" He got scared and left. That is the only scenario in which I would do it, though...as a way to get away from somebody who is trying to hurt or harass me.

I have also been mistaken for being deaf when I simply wasn't disclosing my hearing status, but that's not me pretending. That's just a matter of chatting with a Deaf person and them not realizing I'm hearing until I do something that is obviously hearing behavior. It usually happens at Deaf happy hours around here...I'm not hiding the fact that I'm hearing, I'm just not mentioning it because there are other things to talk about! :)
 
Interpretrator said:
I don't know if community norms differ from place to place, but I was taught that one of the worst things a hearing person can do is pretend to be deaf for whatever reason, like not have to deal with other hearing people and so forth. I have heard, at least in my area, that it's a major breach of Deaf culture for a hearing person to do that and I myself never have although I have been SO sorely tempted at times. Is this different in different areas?
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Hmm... breach of Deaf culture -- hmm to some it might be, but not to me. United States stands for "Freedom" and I do not see that such as a "breach" thing. How about any deafies in here?
 
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