YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
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WHERE DO INTERPRETERS WORK?
Any time a hearing person who doesn't sign interacts with a Deaf person who does, interpreters may be found there.
Examples include: academic settings at all levels, press conferences, depositions, job trainings, staff meetings, medical appointments, weddings, funerals, celebrations, camps....
Interpreters provide communication between all parties in both languages.
WHO DO I TALK TO?
When interacting through an interpreter, speak directly to the person you are communicating with, not to the interpreter.
Interpreters are meant to remain as neutral as possible so that the two parties can talk to each other as they might if they shared a language.
IS ASL UNIVERSAL?
Just as every country has its own spoken language(s), so too, each country has its own signed language(s).
Signed languages develop and change over time just as spoken languages do and are rooted in the history, culture, geography and politics of each society in which they live.
Signed languages are passed on from one generation to the next just as spoken languages are.
Hearing parents of Deaf children often do not learn to sign and in those cases, Deaf children are often given their language by the Deaf community.
SHOULD I TIP MY INTERPRETER?
As professionals, interpreters set rates factoring in any degrees we hold, years of experience, number and level of certifications and the standards in our field and bill accordingly.
Since interpreters are not part of the "service industry," etiquette does not call for tipping.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIGNING AND INTERPRETING?
Think of speaking Spanish to your friend vs telling your other friend what she said.
That's interpreting.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERPRETING AND TRANSLATING?
Interpreting happens live and either in person or through technologies such as video phones, Zoom or any other virtual platform. It can be performed either simultaneously, the interpreter working into the target language while receiving the source language, or consecutively, the interpreter waiting until a complete thought is produced in the source language and the speaker or signer pauses, to then produce her interpretation. Interpreting is an art, not an exact science, and involves cultural and linguistic meditation and adjustments such that errors are inevitable. A skilled interpreter monitors the exchange attentively and pauses to clarify with all parties when necessary.
Translating is done from text to text, such as book or document translations, and is not done simultaneously or live, but rather takes as long as the translator needs to render the information accurately into the target language.
ARE INTERPRETERS TEACHERS?
No.
Interpreter training has nothing to do with teaching.
Teachers obtain degrees in teaching and interpreters obtain degrees in interpreting and must test to become nationally certified and locally licensed.
ARE INTERPRETERS EXPERTS IN "HEARING LOSS," AUDIOLOGY, HEARING AIDS, CAPTIONING OR SPEECH THERAPY?
No.
Audiology, hearing devices, captioning and speech therapy are largely irrelevant to most interpreting work.
Interpreters deal with languages and ensuring communication between people who do and do not sign.
WHERE CAN I LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE?
There are many in-person and online opportunities to learn sign language. The main thing to make sure of is that your teacher is Deaf and preferably a native signer. There are many hearing people teaching sign language out there without truly knowing the language. Sign language should not be learned from a book, but rather from those who use it as their primary language and can convey cultural, linguistic, social and historical aspects of the entirety of the language. The only way to really master the language is to interact with those who use it; language is a living, breathing, ever-changing creature.