Interpreters Corner

TinCanSailor said:
Several years ago, our church had it's annual men/boys weekend retreat at a lake camp. Since it was all male, Reba could not be there to interpret for our one deaf member.

The music director at the church allowed me to pick out 10 hymns days ahead. That made it easier for me since I had signed them before. There was going to be announcements and a short preaching challenge. What I did not know, was that skits were added with sound effects. I was told days ahead of time it would last about an hour to an hour and a half. The other part of the day was for relaxation.

After 3 hours, and not realizing what was happening, another guy asked me, are you ok? I looked around and realized that I just zoned out completely while signing. :dizzy:

I asked the speaker if we could take a break? Everyone in the room laughed at me including the deaf man. :giggle: He understood. Me? :Oops:
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On the bold statement, three hours is too long and you need to exchange another interpreter. That is why we need two interpreters or three interpreters to sign for whatever hours you and the interpreters spend on interpreter. It is like the same for car driving and you need someone to take over your driving just like exchanging turns so that no one get tired or weary. Sorry that you had to go through like this. :(
 
Bebonang said:
Usually the Deaf man would just copied the other people for laughing, even if he could not understand what you asked the speaker. He probably have no idea what you were saying to the speaker. But if he understood what you told the speaker with lipreading, then he gets it by laughing along with the camp members. :dunno:
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He is a pretty good lipreader. I cannot remember if I signed for a break or not.
 
Wirelessly posted

Reba said:
Rio said:
Wirelessly posted

I have a situation , regarding private conversations, do hearing people have the right to tell the interpreter , don't interpret our conversation ? For example, teacher and student having a private conversation. Any interpreter encounter this before ?
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If a hearing person doesn't want something interpreted then that hearing person shouldn't make the utterance.

Same for the deaf person--you sign it, I say it.

Usually if the hearing person says, "Don't sign that," I sign that to the deaf consumer plus whatever it was the hearing person didn't want signed.

If the terp is conversing "off the clock" before or after an assignment with someone away from the interpreted setting, then that would be private.

Or do you mean the interpreter is accidentally overhearing a conversation that isn't meant for the rest of the group? In that case, if the rest of the hearing group can overhear the conversation, I would interpret it. If they can't hear it, then I would not.
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That's where it gets sticky, the hearing teacher and student are in private conversation in whisper tone where overhearing is the key word. This particular student wants to be part of it and wants to know what their saying. The two hearing persons don't want us interpreting.
A good point Reba, about on/off the clock. The interpreting process in my case go according to the timed scheduled class time. If the teacher / student are talking after the class no need to interpret that particular conversation.
 
Rio said:
Wirelessly posted

That's where it gets sticky, the hearing teacher and student are in private conversation in whisper tone where overhearing is the key word. This particular student wants to be part of it and wants to know what their saying. The two hearing persons don't want us interpreting....
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Could the other hearing students hear and understand the conversation?
 
Reba said:
Could the other hearing students hear and understand the conversation?
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Good question. I personally, can't hear it at times if in whispered tone.
 
Rio said:
Good question. I personally, can't hear it at times if in whispered tone.
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If other hearing people in the same location as the deaf consumer can't hear it either, then you don't need to interpret it. The deaf consumer is entitled to equal access, not super access.

Yes, I've had deaf consumers ask me to interpret conversations in the next room or across a noisy crowded gym. Hello! I'm not Supergirl with super hearing! When I informed the deaf consumer that I couldn't possibly hear those conversations, I was accused of either lying or being hard of hearing. Sometimes you can't win.
 
One more point.

Terps don't have ESP.

We can interpret only what people either say or sign. We can't interpret what they think.

Please don't ask me later "why" someone said something or what their motives are for saying something. I have no idea what's behind their reasons and judgments. If you want to know, ask the other person while you're having the conversation. Don't ask me to psychoanalyze the other person after.

BTW, if the hearing person asks me the same questions about the deaf person, I give the hearing person the same answer.
 
Reba said:
If other hearing people in the same location as the deaf consumer can't hear it either, then you don't need to interpret it. The deaf consumer is entitled to equal access, not super access.

Yes, I've had deaf consumers ask me to interpret conversations in the next room or across a noisy crowded gym. Hello! I'm not Supergirl with super hearing! When I informed the deaf consumer that I couldn't possibly hear those conversations, I was accused of either lying or being hard of hearing. Sometimes you can't win.
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I wonder why you call a deaf student a consumer instead of a client. In Calif, the interpreters call us clients.
ˈ
A client is a person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company.

A consumer is a person who purchases goods and services for personal use.
 
CrazyPaul said:
I wonder why you call a deaf student a consumer instead of a client. In Calif, the interpreters call us clients.
ˈ
A client is a person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company.

A consumer is a person who purchases goods and services for personal use.
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The client is the person or organization who pays the interpreter.

The consumer is the person who uses the interpreter.

For example, I interpret for a business meeting. The company XYZ is my client because they make the appointment and pay for my services. I send all billing to XYZ. At the business meeting, I interpret for the deaf consumer (employee) and hearing consumer (business supervisor).

Almost never is the deaf consumer also the client. In a rare case where the deaf person pays for the interpreter, then that deaf person would be the client.

In a school system, the school is the client, and the deaf students are the consumers.

Summary:

Client pays.

Consumer uses.
 
The client/consumer discussion is interesting. It seems interpreters across the US haven't settled on a single term yet. And we get concerned because we are language professionals after all and word choice is very important to us...

Interpreting is a profession, but not a fully licensed one like accountants or lawyers. Also, doctors and dentists are professions, but they call the people that use their services "patients" not "clients".

RID CPC uses the term "consumer".

Also, I would say the Deaf students are not the consumers...The Deaf students, the teachers, and the other students are the consumers (or clients).
 
DavidJ said:
...Also, I would say the Deaf students are not the consumers...The Deaf students, the teachers, and the other students are the consumers (or clients).
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That's why I use the terms "deaf consumers" and "hearing consumers" depending on the assignment setting and context of the post. Interpreters serve both deaf and hearing individuals at their assignments.
 
Here's a scenario, interpreter and deaf student in a vocational education setting. Interpreter, always follows and asks where the deaf student went. Do you like your interpreter to give you space or prefer the interpreter to always keep tabs on you?
 
Hi
Im from the philippines and I work in a call center. The reason Im here because i need help in translating the song Who you are by Jessie J into a sign language. I want to join the contest in our company and raise awareness about caring for those who cant have a job here in the philippines because of their disabilities, color, physical appearance, sexual preference. I was bullied before so I wanna sing this for them and i want to extend the message to those who cant hear what this song is all about. I tried to self study ASL but there are phrases i dont know how to translate. For example the phrase "Why am doing this to myself".I was thinking if a professional will teach me how to do it. I just wanna make sure i will do it correctly. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you.
 
Last year, i was interpreting conversations for a friend. i tried the meetings. I sucked. (I'm still studying to be a terp, so i only practice with friends.) people kept approaching him with these things in their mouths that make weird noises when they talk. It was like they had built in kazoos in their mouths, or something. he kept asking what they were saying. I kept saying I don't understand. After a while, i was annoyed then started to tell the people to express non verbally what they wanted. they didn't seem too willing to take the awkward objects out of their mouths. Til this day, i hate those things.
 
Just took my certification tests

VQAS (Virginia Quality Assurance Screening) and EIPA performances are done... finish my ITP in the Spring. Can't wait to start working, I get results back in December for a January internship. I am excited to have terp stories of my own one day!! :wave::wave::wave:
 
once a court case was dismissed because the terp signed the wrong sight for right.
supposed to be right two hand together with both finer out., not the left-right sign
 
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