Page 159 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

144 Reading Between the Signs

of telephone relay services (state-run programs where specially
trained operators translate spoken messages into typed messages
that deaf people can read on their TTYs and vice versa).
Why is telephone interpreting so difficult? Because speaking
on the phone is a cultural set based totally on sound, and since
deaf people have no access to backup modes of acquiring infor-
mation (such as the facial expression or body language of the
person to whom they are talking), they must rely totally on the
interpreter.
In telephone behavior there are many unspoken and untaught
rules regarding silence, such as how long a silence is tolerated and
in which situations, and how to alleviate these silences through
phrases and nonverbal sounds. There are protocols about how
much and what information to give the other party in different
situations. For example, when calling to check on the time a movie
starts or to inquire if a store carries a certain item, giving your
name at the beginning of the call is inappropriate, yet your name
is expected or even required when checking to see if your dry-
cleaning order is finished or when calling to renew a prescription.
And we are only too well aware of the difficulties involved in com-
plicated electronic call-routing systems, for example, “For inter-
national flights, press 1 now!”
Hearing people converse on the phone many times a day with-
out a thought as to how much information they pick up from the
length of silences and the range of vocal intonation they experi-
ence. To appreciate the aural intricacies involved, imagine that
you are calling a local bookstore to see if they have a certain title
in stock. After you explain your request to the clerk there will
usually be a period of silence followed by an affirmative or nega-
tive answer. Judging by the length of the silence and by back-
ground noise, you will make an educated guess as to whether the
clerk (a) punched the title into the computer, (b) asked a coworker
if he or she knew of the book, or (c) actually walked to the appro-
priate aisle to look for the book in question. Suppose that in all
three instances the clerk responds, “We have it.” Each of the pos-
sible scenarios listed above would color the same three words
with a different vocal inflection, which you might interpret to mean
(a) “Well, it shows up on the computer,” (b) “Fred, here, thinks we
have it,” and (c) “Eureka! I found it for you!” Using all those clues,
only in the last case might you decide it would definitely be worth
a trip to the store.

06 MINDESS PMKR 144 10/18/04, 12:01 PM