How, then, to reconcile both points of view? Deaf people need interpreters to become more highly skilled.   Deaf professionals need interpreters capable of voicing their presentations at professional conferences; Deaf diplomats need interpreters able to interpret conversations with foreign heads of state; Deaf concert goers need interpreters willing to stand on stage at Madison Square Garden and interpret rap lyrics. None of these jobs is easy, and no interpreter graduates from her ITP ready to take them on. The highly trained interpreters who provide this specialized work build their skills over time, by taking increasingly difficult and high-pressure assignments. And it’s safe to say that on the way they occasionally failed to keep up with the speaker, or understand the content, or grasp the protocol expected in highly formal situations.

Doing one type of job exclusively will lead to an atrophy of your skills and limit your ability to explore new realms of interpreting. Yet, accepting work well above your abilities is not only a recipe for failure and a disservice to your consumers, it is also prohibited by the RID/NAD Code of Professional Conduct. Consider, then, taking jobs that challenge you in only one of the many variables involved. Maybe you’re asked to interpret a PhD-level philosophy class for a Deaf student. You have never interpreted such complex academic information before, but you know the Deaf student and understand his signing, you know your team and trust her skills, and you are assured the agency will provide you with the syllabus and other materials to help you prepare. You may be nervous about the academic language and complicated content you will face, but every other variable is in place to provide a safety net if you become overwhelmed. The added benefit that you can prepare before each class and become familiar with vocabulary and names that may come up makes this a good job to stretch your skills.

You’re asked to interpret for a Deaf presenter lecturing at a public event. You’ve voiced for Deaf presenters before, but never to a full auditorium using a microphone. As it may be quite possible that you will not be able to stop the presenter if you get lost, one compensatory strategy is already out the window. Possible solutions? Ask the presenter to meet with you beforehand to practice, and to send you a copy of the presentation early enough for you to review it and to research how to pronounce technical words with which you may not be familiar. Also, make every effort to secure a team whom you know to be a strong voicer, which will compensate for not being able to stop the speaker if you miss a word or phrase.

There are many ways to address the risk of interpreting new content, or for a new person, or in a new setting that would allow you enough of a safety net to comply with the CPC. There are, however, some reasons interpreters accept challenging jobs that do not justify the risk. One reason is the money. Do not take a difficult job because the money is just too good to pass up. If you don’t feel you will have the back up you need and the appropriate supports in place to help you succeed, no amount of money is worth failing your consumers. Likewise, if the job does not pay at all, don’t make the mistake of thinking, “It’s a volunteer job, so it’s okay if I mess it up. Having me is still better than having no interpreter at all.” Every consumer deserves a qualified interpreter, regardless of how much the job pays.

High profile jobs are always tempting. But don’t be enticed by a job just because it is high profile. Yes, it would be cool to interpret on stage or on TV for a famous actor, politician or well-known member of the Deaf community, but jobs with high visibility also invite public criticism. Remember that the job does not end with the presentation; your performance may end up on someone’s cell phone or video and go viral, leading to widespread comments and critiques.   In addition, technical issues like lighting and staging may make it impossible to follow a script, stop the speaker or even see your team for a feed. Do not take a risk when several of your supports are unavailable.

This may seem counterintuitive, but don’t take a challenging job simply because you like the consumer, or your team. Liking the people you work with is a definite plus and can make a difficult job easier, but merely liking the consumer as an individual doesn’t mean you’re the best interpreter for her dissertation defense, or court appearance. You may get along well with certain interpreters, but if they don’t have the requisite skills for a specific job, you are missing a key variable that can help you successfully provide access. It’s more important to work with someone who has the technical vocabulary required, than to work with someone you enjoy hanging out with.

Of course, even the most prepared interpreter can get caught off guard. Once, I stated clearly to the institution hiring me that my accepting the voicing job was contingent upon getting the Deaf presenter’s PowerPoint well in advance of the event. After asking for it two week prior, one week prior, and then two days prior, the presenter still refused to send me a copy of her presentation. On another voicing assignment for a public event, the presenter promised to meet with my team two hours before the presentation. He ended up giving us less than a half hour of his time, time we also needed to spend reading through his slides for the first time.

You cannot predict everything that can go wrong with an assignment — a teacher with a strong accent; a doctor who refuses to speak directly to his Deaf patient; a Deaf consumer with limited vision. We can, however, prepare as much as possible, trust our training and our team, and learn from each catastrophic or less than perfect experience. And by honestly assessing our performance, we learn to differentiate between a challenge worth taking and a risk that should be avoided.

The post Challenge or Risk: How to Determine If an Interpreting Job is Over Your Head appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

The Deaf students in my high school went on an end of the year field trip and I joined them as the interpreter.  The students wanted a group picture in front of the museum that included me.  Can I be in a group picture with the kids, on the kids’ phones? I don’t know how they will use the picture.  (I also want a picture with the kids and me because I’ve been working with them all year and I’m fond of them.) What should I do?

Signed,

I Promise Not to Instagram the Picture

Dear Not Instagramming,

Cameras are ubiquitous these days. It’s impossible to avoid getting shot on camera, intentionally or not. (Who knows how many shots I’ve photo-bombed.) However, this group shot commemorates an important event and the end of a school year.

Humanity is allowed, though confidentiality must be in the forefront of your mind. Not only are you on an interpreting job, you’re on a job with minors.  Take your cue from the teachers and other members of the educational team. Teachers are permitted to be included in group pictures with their students.  So, you are, too.       Yet, you have some restraints.

• Do not post the picture on any personal social media site, as per the NYC DOE social media policy.  This isn’t even an ethical issue, it’s a legal one: “The posting or disclosure of personally identifiable student information or confidential information via personal social media sites, in violation of Chancellor’s Regulations, is prohibited.” (NYC Department of Education Social Media Guidelines.)
• Additionally, if a student posts the picture on their personal site, do not tag yourself in the photo. You shouldn’t be following student on social media, anyhow.
• A teacher may post the group picture to an appropriate school social media site if each of the students has signed a written waiver and you’ve given oral permission.  Still, do not tag yourself.
• Do not take pictures with individual students.
• If you snap a couple of selfies–sans students–it would be prudent to resist posting them to social media.  Confidentiality breaches turn up in unsuspecting ways.  If you must post the selfie of you in front of the Hamilton box office, at least wait a few days after the event.

Of course, if you feel more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, offer to take the group shot. In most likelihood,  the students will be so focused on their own appearances that they won’t realize you’re not in the picture.

The post Ethics: May I be Included in a Group Photo with my Students? appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

Jon Wolfe-Nelson

Working with technology and a live audience simultaneously is always tricky.

Technology will invariably glitch in some way and participants can behave in a surprising fashion. Even the most well-meaning helper can wreak havoc on your little interpreting utopia. Having experienced that exact situation recently I can share with you what I did and what I wish I had done.

While interpreting for a live Internet broadcast workshop I wandered a bit out of frame. A very well meaning participant; long-time volunteer, advocate and friend of the hosting organization decided the camera should be adjusted. What the participant did not know was that the presentation team and the interpreters had been in the room adjusting the single camera shot to be on an angle that would make my signs easily legible to the remotely viewing audience and set so as to not block the sight lines of the Deaf participants who were present in the room.

When I detected the interloper in my peripheral vision the participant was already reaching for the camera. I blurted out in a strong directive, “Please do not do that!” The response from the participant was, “You were off camera.” At which point the producer of the event took focus and made a general announcement that it is best that no one outside of the interpreting team adjust the audio/video equipment.

I made eye contact with my partner and we mutually agreed to be mindful of monitoring the frame of the broadcast screen. After all it is much easier for me to move back into frame than to re-position a camera on the fly.

Taken during live broadcast event

Reflecting on the situation brings me to the following conclusions. I wish that I had insisted that my team interpreter sit closer to the interpreting area. Due to logistical demands, my partner was seated across a wide expanse of a dais and behind a table.  If we had stationed a chair in front of the table it would have been easier for my partner to intercept the well-meaning helper. Additionally, the speakers may not have had to be interrupted and I could have gone on interpreting. I also suppose I could have addressed the participant more sotto voce as not to draw additional intention.

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We do not have the answers to all scenarios and cannot possibly predict all of the “what ifs” in different environments. What is critical, however, is how we handle situations on the spot and then reflection with colleagues once the event is over. Thank you, Jon, for your sharing and your insights!

Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT – Professional Relations Consultant

The post Dilemma #1 Response appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

SignTalk affiliate, Jon Wolfe-Nelson, hard at work.

Dilemma Question:

Jon, what do you do when you are
interpreting in front of a large room of
people while being simultaneously broadcast
across the web to multiple states and countless
viewers and someone comes to “adjust” your video camera?

And in this adjustment you are distracted
from your work, irritated that you were not
consulted as to the needs of the camera,
and now you are less centered in the picture
than before.

How do you handle this scenario?

The post Dilemma Question #1 appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.