Page 168 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

7

The Interpreter’s Role

and Responsibilities

Suppose you have been invited to a masquerade ball and you are
standing in front of a rack of costumes wondering which one to
pick. Your behavior will be limited in certain ways depending on
your choice of outfit. If you assume the role of the Tin Man, your
tight metallic suit will restrict your movements and speaking. If
you pick a belly dancer’s costume, on the other hand, you will be
able to move about freely, but you will have to accept the fact that
you will expose more of yourself and that people may expect you
to dance. Even though as sign language interpreters we do not
don a costume when we do our work, we do assume a certain
role that, in part, dictates our behavior. So what is the appropriate
role for us to play? Since a look at comparable occupations and
the similarities and differences between their work and ours may
illuminate this issue, let us begin by examining the roles of media-
tor and spoken language interpreter.

The Role of Mediator

It is interesting that our profession, for at least the past ten years,
has been using the term bicultural mediator to describe what we
do without much inquiry into the mediator half of the term. By
examining the duties of professional mediators, we will see if this
is really an appropriate title for us.

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07 MINDESS PMKR 153 10/18/04, 12:02 PM