Page 143 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

128 Reading Between the Signs

By stage three, you have seen the same transactions repeated
so many times that you have now become capable of prediction!
You know what behavior is expected in a range of situations and
can act accordingly. These small successes mean a lot. You feel a
thrill of accomplishment when you go to the bakery and actually
leave with the precise item you had planned to buy. Your feeling
of pride is increased when the baker’s facial expression informs
you that you used the appropriate greeting to the people in the
store. Now you are even able to anticipate when your ingrained
values are likely to clash with those of the locals, so you can pre-
pare yourself mentally beforehand.
As sign language interpreters, we face a similar challenge. Since
the majority of us learned ASL as adults, we went through the
same three stages as the foreign traveler described above when
we entered the Deaf community. Our job now, however, is to be
bicultural mediators, so we had better operate as often as pos-
sible on a stage three—prediction—basis, foreseeing the inevi-
table cross-cultural clashes that lie in wait for us. If we are still in
stage two—delayed understanding—we won’t be able to do any-
thing except commiserate with our Deaf or hearing consumers
over the rudeness of the other.
With the goal of prediction in mind, let me offer the following
scenarios. The following are examples of culturally influenced mis-
communications. In order to focus on the points of cultural differ-
ence, I will not attempt to represent the exact signs used by the
Deaf consumers either by gloss or by any written version of ASL.
For the sake of flow, I am assuming that an interpreter was present
and translated the statements back and forth in a literal manner
without making any cultural adjustments. They take place in set-
tings familiar to most interpreters: the doctor’s office, the class-
room, and the workplace. I will try to cover common exchanges
that we are likely to encounter daily. I am sure that you will be
able to add your own experiences to the list. So much the better!
The more thoroughly we anticipate the cultural misunderstand-
ings that are likely to come our way, the more successfully we can
plan our strategies for dealing with them.

06 MINDESS PMKR 128 10/18/04, 12:01 PM