Page 119 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

104 Reading Between the Signs

ally become the focus of the conversation. The hearing person
may feel bewildered, as if he or she has somehow lost a place in
the limelight. Hearing people who are involved with the Deaf com-
munity should become accustomed to the fact that the names of
the Deaf people with whom they have had connections serve as
an invisible “set of references” that helps newly introduced Deaf
people know how to place hearing people in context. In Deaf cul-
ture name-dropping serves the important function of validating
one’s place in the community. One way to accomplish this is to
find the appropriate moment to explain a little about your “back-
ground” and then mention the names of some well-known Deaf
people with whom you have had connections. While in mainstream
American culture name-dropping is seen as showing off, for hear-
ing people involved in the Deaf community, it shows that you can
be trusted.
In Deaf culture, with its emphasis on insider/outsider distinc-
tions, it is extremely important that hearing people be immedi-
ately identified as such. Often the hearing person’s nonfluent sign-
ing style will give that person away, but if there is any doubt, it is
always safer to say right away, “Hi. My name is Anna and I’m
hearing” or “I’m an interpreter.” One of the strongest taboos in
Deaf culture is for a hearing person to try to “pass” as a deaf
person.
When a hearing person is introduced to a Deaf person by an-
other Deaf person, the information he or she relates (or subtly
conveys) tells the other Deaf person if the hearing person is to be
trusted: “An introduction is a gift, not to be given lightly…[it pro-
vides] entree, a certain stamp of approval” (Smith 1996, 100). If
the hearing person is a novice signer, quickly signed comments
can be made in front of that person’s face that will probably not
even be noticed (e.g., “Lousy attitude. Tell you later.”). As discussed
earlier, hearing status carries a generic set of (negative) assump-
tions. If Deaf people feel positive about the hearing people they
are introducing, they must present information to counter the ste-
reotype, again using a but. For example, “This is Mary. She is hear-
ing…” (1) “…but she has helped me a lot with my community
work,” (2) “…but she is a CODA,” or (3) “…but she is a very good
interpreter.”

The Name Sign System in ASL
Name signs represent the identity of individual Deaf people and

05 MINDESS PMKR 104 10/18/04, 12:00 PM