Page 118 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

American Deaf Culture 103

Mediated Introductions. In the second category of introductions,
Jane introduces Fred to George (all are Deaf). Jane will attempt to
speed up the connection search between Fred and George. She
will introduce them by name, tell where they live, the school they
attended, and her own connection with them. The occupations of
Fred and George are not usually related because this line of ques-
tioning is another dead end (unless one of them works at a resi-
dential school, which would likely lead to mutual Deaf acquain-
tances). If necessary, Jane will tell the names of Fred’s and George’s
current friends, former girlfriends, and so forth, in order to find a
link between them. Of course, if no other connection can be found,
Jane is herself a de facto mutual acquaintance.
A note about name signs (which will be described in more
detail in the next section): name signs are not usually volunteered
during the first introduction, unless specifically requested or un-
less one is introducing a renowned person with a name sign that
is widely known. They may be shared at a later meeting or—
since their main purpose is to refer to someone who is not physi-
cally present—they may come up more naturally in a situation
where the person being talked about is not in the room. However,
in a group of Deaf people with limited English proficiency, name
signs may be employed instead of spelling out names, since they
may refer to a small group of possible mutual friends. In fact, it is
not unusual to know people by name sign only and not know the
spelling of their English names, because names themselves carry
less importance than in mainstream culture.
When a Hearing Person Is Introduced. The introduction of a
hearing person to a Deaf person, either directly or by another
Deaf person, does not share the same emphasis on the search for
a mutual connection. Unless the hearing person grew up in the
Deaf community (as a CODA), he or she will not have the same
history of friends and associations. Two items that are often
checked out are the hearing person’s “attitude” and why and how
he or she has learned sign language. The “how” might involve the
name(s) of some Deaf people or well-respected sign language
teachers, at which point these individuals serve as a point of con-
nection, and the discussion may lead off in their direction.
Something that hearing people—even interpreters—often
misunderstand is that when the Deaf person questions them re-
garding their Deaf connections, for example, “Who taught you
sign language?” the Deaf teacher named in response will gener-

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