Page 130 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

American Deaf Culture 115

ness, and “those who consistently do not contribute are not readily
supported” (Smith 1996, 158).
One way the community keeps tabs on who helps out and
who doesn’t is that credit must be given to whomever it is due.
“Oh, you like the new color of my house. Jackie helped me paint
it.” Collective memory spans generations. One Deaf couple were
known for their generosity in helping their Deaf friends and neigh-
bors. When their daughter needed help moving to a new house,
her parents’ old friends showed up in droves.
In her telecourse, “Cross-Cultural Comparisons,” Philip ex-
plained that even if someone she didn’t know asked her for help,
she couldn’t refuse. If she did, that person would tell his or her
friends, “Marie is so busy she couldn’t help me!” If this continued,
when Marie needed help herself, she would be turned down.
Philip also described conflicting expectations between inter-
preters and the Deaf community in regard to reciprocity. Some
interpreters see themselves as having learned sign language from
one program or a few teachers, a transaction which is now fin-
ished. Since they have worked so hard to attain a professional
standard of competence in the language, they now expect to be
paid for services rendered. On the other hand, Deaf people often
view the language skills interpreters acquire as coming from the
Deaf community as a group. Since interpreters have gained so
much (skill in the language, the means to make a comfortable
living), they are now expected to give back proportionally to the
community (Philip 1993).

Group Decision Making
In an individualist culture like that of the United States, people
pride themselves on making up their own minds. We mark our
ballots the way our conscience tells us and are suspicious of any-
one who wants to sway our vote. In collectivist cultures, by com-
parison, the welfare of the group takes precedence over the inter-
ests of the individual. Or as it is probably internalized: the good of
the group is the interest of each individual. In Deaf culture, “con-
sensus, not majority rule, is the managing principle. Decisions are
made by a majority vote, but rarely is there a close vote. Most
pass unanimously, or with only one or two abstentions. Disagree-
ments are resolved before the vote is taken” (Smith 1996, 261).
This does not mean that there is no discussion. On the con-
trary, in collectivist cultures there are often lengthy discussions of

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