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Rio

Rio

Brady lady
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Wirelessly posted

I hope this is ok, to bring any concerns, issues and joys of being an interpreter. Please no names of people you work with just present the issue. Such as switching 20/20 and the other terp doesn't cooperate etc .. Please no clients names as well. Let's be professional about it , thank you in advance.

Note : maybe the issue can be of another go ahead and discuss.
 
Oh I have so many terp stories, I don't know where to begin! :run: :laugh2: Good thread start. :D
 
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Mewtilation said:
Oh I have so many terp stories, I don't know where to begin! :run: :laugh2: Good thread start. :D
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Do start one , maybe other interpreters will follow lol


I can begin , switching wth your team. When your team says, come back in 20 mins and continues this habit. They say, oh the teacher started late. So, you switch it doesn't matter a switch is a switch.
 
Rio said:
Wirelessly posted

Do start one , maybe other interpreters will follow lol

I can begin , switching wth your team. When your team says, come back in 20 mins and continues this habit. They say, oh the teacher started late. So, you switch it doesn't matter a switch is a switch.
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I don't follow. Can you describe this scenario a little more?
 
Oh I'm not a terp, I'm deaf but use them quite regularly. I was referring to terp stories that make me :run: :laugh2:
 
Mewtilation said:
Oh I'm not a terp, I'm deaf but use them quite regularly. I was referring to terp stories that make me :run: :laugh2:
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This thread is stories of being an interpreter. Best left to them. We can start our own thread about our issues with interpreters or there is already one.
 
MangaReader said:
This thread is stories of being an interpreter. Best left to them. We can start our own thread about our issues with interpreters or there is already one.
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Right, it's Interpreters Corner where interpreters share experiences/stories with each other.

Reba, are you going to share?
 
CrazyPaul said:
Anything that you find bizarre or funny, or a bad experience that you had such as passing out while interpreting or something like that. Up to you.
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I've never passed out while interpreting. I've felt light-headed but stayed conscious. :)

I've been ill while interpreting, and kept an empty disposable cup nearby "just in case." Thankfully, I didn't need to use it.

The agency I used to work for had a standing assignment for a large professional business at their monthly all-hands meetings. It was the same routine every month--all employees met at a civic auditorium, dressed in Friday-casual. They made announcements, handed out awards, did skits, and ended with a pizza lunch. I and another terp took turns covering the event. The month that it was my turn, my colleague neglected to tell me that the format had changed just for that one month. Instead of the usual casual atmosphere, they were doing a "Night at the Oscars" event--full glam, tux, gowns, etc. Well, needless to say, I wasn't dressed for a full-glam event. Fortunately, I wasn't dressed Friday-casual either. I was in a basic black "office" outfit. I could have done better though.

Another time that I wasn't appropriately garbed was for an OJT assignment. I hadn't been accurately informed of the setting situation. It was mid-summer in South Carolina. I was wearing black sandals (not flip flops, not flimsy sandals, but old lady sturdy sandals) with my outfit. Quite normal in our area for business attire. However, it turned out that this OJT was considered light industrial, so closed toe shoes were required. The staff was not happy with me breaking their safety rules. :(
 
Some difficult interpreting environments were HAZMAT with people fully suited-out, farm fields in the blazing SC sun, hospital rooms, and photography dark rooms.

Many of my assignments were in classrooms where there were no comfortable areas to either stand or sit. I've perched on some precarious objects. I've balanced on tall stools, stood on tiny little platforms, and dodged instructors pacing around and bright projector lights in my eyes. I drew the line when one instructor asked me to sit with my legs dangling on the corner of his desk at the front of the class. I told him that was unprofessional.

Often I would have to arrive early for class, go up and down the hall snooping into classrooms for chairs I could borrow, then return them after the class was over.
 
I learned to be flexible with assignments.

Frequently I would be in one setting then get a call to go straight to another one in a totally different environment.

I would be at church and have to leave a service and go straight to a long hospital assignment in my not very comfortable church clothes.

I once got a call to go straight from a lab class assignment to a funeral a couple towns over. I threw a black jacket over my basic outfit and transformed into looking like a funeral home staff member. The other twist on that one was it wasn't the traditional service that I was expecting.
 
Reba said:
I don't follow. Can you describe this scenario a little more?
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this job, the teaming is not like "real world" one of us is relieved out of the room. In this case, the other interpreter never switches in the timely manner, she tells me all the time to come in 10-15 mins later. Which is not right. This job is only two interps with permanent positions. Hope that helps.
 
The hardest assignment was being present at someone's death while I was in the hospital room, before, during, and after, especially since I knew all the people present. It was very traumatic. :(
 
Rio said:
this job, the teaming is not like "real world" one of us is relieved out of the room. In this case, the other interpreter never switches in the timely manner, she tells me all the time to come in 10-15 mins later. Which is not right. This job is only two interps with permanent positions. Hope that helps.
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I've never experienced the team member leaving the room except maybe for a quick potty break. Team members are not off duty when the other one is interpreting. The non-interpreting member is supposed to be available for feeding and assisting the signing terp. Also, appropriate breaks for switching aren't always in convenient time frames, so the other terp needs to be ready to go. It would seem like coming and going out of the room would be disruptive.

Also, how is it this other interpreter can "tell" you what to do? Is the other terp senior to you in some way?

If this is not the real world, what is it? Another dimension? :lol:
 
Reba said:
The hardest assignment was being present at someone's death while I was in the hospital room, before, during, and after, especially since I knew all the people present. It was very traumatic. :(
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:hug:

last night at dinner, my friend terp was telling us about his most difficult assignment... ACS...

after a bit while, he couldn't take it anymore and finally stopped terping for ACS. he's a big sturdy heavyset italian guy but it broke him. too many cases of child abuse, molestation, etc. we were talking about job. my other friend just graduated from college and now wants to be a case manager/social worker but I warned her - "you do realize that the lifespan of social worker for children in NYC is less than 3 years?"
 
Jiro said:
:hug:

last night at dinner, my friend terp was telling us about his most difficult assignment... ACS...

after a bit while, he couldn't take it anymore and finally stopped terping for ACS. he's a big sturdy heavyset italian guy but it broke him. too many cases of child abuse, molestation, etc. we were talking about job. my other friend just graduated from college and now wants to be a case manager/social worker but I warned her - "you do realize that the lifespan of social worker for children in NYC is less than 3 years?"
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It would have been nice if you would have said what ACS is. People come to this site from all over the world and cannot be expected to be familiar with agencies in New York City.
 
My guess is that it's like Child Protective Services...I happen to have worked in adult case management and social services in general but the context of the post also holds a clue-
 
Jiro said:
:hug:

last night at dinner, my friend terp was telling us about his most difficult assignment... ACS...

after a bit while, he couldn't take it anymore and finally stopped terping for ACS. he's a big sturdy heavyset italian guy but it broke him. too many cases of child abuse, molestation, etc. we were talking about job. my other friend just graduated from college and now wants to be a case manager/social worker but I warned her - "you do realize that the lifespan of social worker for children in NYC is less than 3 years?"
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Yes, terps often suffer from reflected trauma, especially since we can't share our experiences with others.

In the one experience that I mentioned, the other terp was also present. We knew that it was near the end, so we both wanted to be present with the family. It was a long night. It took a long time for the other terp to be able to enter that hospital for other assignments. Eventually, she moved away.

As a community terp, I've had many assignments that were emotionally stressful, at doctors' offices, social services departments, funerals, employe discipline, etc. Sometimes individuals lash out at the terps when confronted with bad news. I don't take it personally, as long as they don't touch me. One hearing person touched me once, which I didn't expect, and I didn't like that.
 
Jane B. said:
It would have been nice if you would have said what ACS is. People come to this site from all over the world and cannot be expected to be familiar with agencies in New York City.
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That's why he included the link.
 
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