Page 109 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

94 Reading Between the Signs

plained departures are unacceptable” (Lane 1992, 18). Unlike the
hearing, deaf people do not have access to the noises that clue us
in to what others are doing when out of view (e.g., typing, mow-
ing the lawn, flushing the toilet). Holcomb describes his house-
hold as resembling Grand Central Station in that his three chil-
dren are continually zooming by their parents with information
about their next destination: “I’m going upstairs now,” “I’m going
outside,” or “I’m going to take a shower.” They know this is some-
thing they have to do so that their parents can locate them if nec-
essary.
“Sharing information is the norm in the Deaf community. Es-
pecially when there is a change in the routine or expectations, an
explanation is warranted” (Smith, Lentz, and Mikos 35). Deaf
people tend to describe in greater detail than hearing people the
reasons why they are late or must leave early for an appointment.
Given the narrative mode of discourse, these explanations often
take the form of a recitation of a chain of events instead of a
summary. In a classroom situation, for example, most hearing
students arriving late will try to slip quietly into their seats unno-
ticed, while Deaf students arriving late would more likely bring
the classroom discussion to a temporary halt to explain the cause
of their tardiness (e.g., a car accident, a malfunctioning alarm
clock, or unexpected traffic).
On a broader level, Deaf people feel obligated to tell other
Deaf people pertinent information about their health, relation-
ships, work, travel plans, and other significant aspects of life. To
have a great change in one’s life and keep it to oneself would be
perceived as an insult. As in a small town or a large family, news
travels fast in the Deaf community by what some people ruefully
refer to as the “deaf grapevine.” Since Deaf people often have
contacts all over the country, it is not surprising that word of one’s
serious illness or troubled marriage can spread fast. With the in-
creasing popularity of fax machines and e-mail, the circulation of
news is even more efficient. Although some Deaf people com-
plain about the lack of privacy, others feel comforted knowing
that news of their troubles will be disseminated to their acquain-
tances without much effort on their part. Because of the Deaf
community’s preferred direct style of communication, it is far more
likely that one will receive a fax or an e-mail that says, “Heard you
have cancer, I’m so sorry” than a seemingly polite but irritatingly
ingenuous, “So…how are things?”

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