Sorenson, Shame on You!

Hello Banjo,

Never been to Canada.
Sorry about what happened with sorenson.
 
I can understand the argument about setting up call centers in Canada as Canadians cannot use the services when calling any country other than the USA...but one thing no one seems to be considering in all this-

Supply and Demand--

If Deaf people were not using VRS then Sorenson and the other companies would not be "taking" interpreters from the community. Obviously intepreters should have a balance...for the community as well as their own development...but interpreters are needed in VRS too--- Deaf people complain when their VRS interpreters take too long, but yet complain there aren't enough in the community, for current interpreters dodo?
 
signer16 said:
I can understand the argument about setting up call centers in Canada as Canadians cannot use the services when calling any country other than the USA...but one thing no one seems to be considering in all this-

Supply and Demand--

If Deaf people were not using VRS then Sorenson and the other companies would not be "taking" interpreters from the community. Obviously intepreters should have a balance...for the community as well as their own development...but interpreters are needed in VRS too--- Deaf people complain when their VRS interpreters take too long, but yet complain there aren't enough in the community, for current interpreters dodo?
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That's a very good point. Keep in mind that the FCC requires VRS calls to be answered within a certain amount of time. So it's not just that deaf people want their calls to be answered fast...it's REQUIRED that they are answered fast. And almost everyone I know who uses VRS loves it, they don't want to give that up either.

So we need terps in VRS and we also need terps in the community. What this means is that we need more people to BECOME interpreters.
 
Oh no, I feel sorry for Banjo, and deaf Canadians. :( I wish they should make a deaf friendly community. :twisted: Shame on Sorenson. IMO.

I never tried a Video Relay Service before in my life. I thought they sometimes make miscommunicate with deaf people at the VRS.
Any interpreters make up went wrong into the voice that it is miscommunications with a deaf person who signing from at the home. I seen it on the youtube:

YouTube - ASL Version of Sorenson VRS

I don't like miscommunication with deaf people talking with the Sorenson.
Not deaf people are fault. Interpreters are fault!
 
Banjo said:
Not when it is interfering with the deaf Canadians' rights to an interpreter in Canada.
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Banjo, you're right. It is not business. It is horrible business with
deaf and hard-of-hearing people who using with the Sorenson.
 
CCfan said:
I don't like miscommunication with deaf people talking with the Sorenson.
Not deaf people are fault. Interpreters are fault!
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I challenge you to come sit next to me for a day of work and then try to say that again. :mad2:
 
CCfan said:
I never tried a Video Relay Service before in my life. I thought they sometimes make miscommunicate with deaf people at the VRS.
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VRS is SO much more comfortable than TTY. You never used VRS? You are missing out!

I know of a situation where a woman had better conversations when using VRS than with TTY relay. It took more than 50 years for her to finally express concepts to her hearing mother, concepts she could not express in a language foreign to her. The first VRS call, for her, was very emotional.

Those who use VRS get addicted fast because of ease of use and fluidity of conversation. You are missing out!

(don't use numbers with VRS operators, though . . . if they do not have a feature where you can type and send the numbers, directly, to the operator, all hope is lost.)
 
Wokamuka said:
I know of a situation where a woman had better conversations when using VRS than with TTY relay. It took more than 50 years for her to finally express concepts to her hearing mother, concepts she could not express in a language foreign to her. The first VRS call, for her, was very emotional.
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That is both beautiful and sad. It makes me happy that she could finally communicate how she felt to her mom, but it makes me sad that for such a long time they could not communicate.
 
I don't like miscommunication with deaf people talking with the Sorenson.
Not deaf people are fault. Interpreters are fault![/QUOTE]

What an insult!!!!
 
interpreter said:
CCfan said:
I don't like miscommunication with deaf people talking with the Sorenson.
Not deaf people are fault. Interpreters are fault!
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What an insult!!!!
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first, I was confuse as I thought it was your words. Until I realize it's Cfan's quote you're refer to.

Yeah, that's kind insult. However, only I can complain that I don't like the idea when student just graduation and jump into VRS to make easy money without actual experience social with individual deaf's communication. That what I have been agree with someone that explain in certain point of view. I find are few miscommunications that slow increase new complain while VRS are in big demand for interpreter need. Oh well.
 
There seems to be a misunderstanding here. Sorenson consistently pays LESS THAN community/VR rates. You can get benefits if you are full-time. Not many people can handle full-time Video Relay interpreting, and that rate is even LESS because of the benefits. So, in essence, it's harder work, for much less pay.
 
In comparison to freelance interpreting, Sorenson, what little they pay (out of $6.50 a minute), is stable income.

That's what I hear from the locals.
 
terpguy72 said:
There seems to be a misunderstanding here. Sorenson consistently pays LESS THAN community/VR rates. You can get benefits if you are full-time. Not many people can handle full-time Video Relay interpreting, and that rate is even LESS because of the benefits. So, in essence, it's harder work, for much less pay.
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I can only work 6 hrs/day when I am in VRS. I tried doing 8 when I started, and every night I would get home exhausted. I couldn't spend time with my wife because I was so tired. So I cut back to 6 hrs/day and I can handle that. I know terps who work VRS for 8 hrs/day and even more, but I cannot do it. I would make more money that way, but it's not worth missing time for family and hobbies. I agree, full-time VRS is extremely difficult.
 
Wokamuka said:
In comparison to freelance interpreting, Sorenson, what little they pay (out of $6.50 a minute), is stable income.

That's what I hear from the locals.
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There is a BIG difference between stable income and high income. The reason a lot of interpreters like VRS is because it guarantees them a certain number of hours per week. When I used to work freelance, I did a lot of educational interpreting, so during summer I made very little money. That is the nature of the job, sometimes you have a lot and sometimes you have nothing. So for VRS, it means you always know you will get paid every day, all year. (Many people also like having stable hours so they can spend time with kids, and a stable location to commute to so they don't have to drive all over town a lot.)

I would be absolutely shocked if interpreters got even 10% of the FCC rate. Saying that Sorenson gets $6.50 a minute has nothing to do with what its interpreters get paid.
 
jillio said:
Please use this link to sign the petition:

Open the Directory!
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I'm very confused why you posted that, jillio. Isn't is about making Sorenson VPs able to call other VRS providers and users of other VPs? That has been possible for at least a year and I think maybe even two years. Sorenson is no longer a closed network, has not been for a while. Was there another reason why you posted that? Maybe I missed something? :confused: :confused:
 
Etoile said:
I'm very confused why you posted that, jillio. Isn't is about making Sorenson VPs able to call other VRS providers and users of other VPs? That has been possible for at least a year and I think maybe even two years. Sorenson is no longer a closed network, has not been for a while. Was there another reason why you posted that? Maybe I missed something? :confused: :confused:
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Passing on an email link I received from deafread yesterday.
 
jillio said:
Passing on an email link I received from deafread yesterday.
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Oh, well it is a pretty old link! I checked, Sorenson opened up in Feb. 2006! :)
http://www.sorenson.com/press/press_releases_06.php

It's a shame that link is still circulating. It's bad for all VRS providers. For Sorenson, people will be mad at them for a reason that is no longer true. For others, because that link is still going around, some people might not know they can contact any VRS service they want from their Sorenson VP.
 
PowerON said:
ha. Nice. I have been told the same thing he saying. Nobody listen to me and keep support Sorenson. I have to saying I'm glad someone make a better step than I do. *sign up*
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I am just going to have to make a vlog about this...
 
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