Page 171 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

156 Reading Between the Signs

The Role of Spoken Language Interpreters
The next role we need to consider is that of spoken language in-
terpreter. Since both sign language and spoken language inter-
preters interpret between English and another language, it would
seem at first glance that their jobs are more or less identical. There
are a number of important differences, however. One is visibility.
In certain circumstances (e.g., consecutive interpreting or legal
depositions) spoken language interpreters, like sign language in-
terpreters, have a visible presence right there with the participants
and can interrupt, if necessary, to ask for repetition. In many in-
stances, however, spoken language interpreters are strikingly re-
moved from the participants and are in no position to ask a speaker
for clarification. In simultaneous conference interpreting, for ex-
ample, interpreters work in a soundproof booth above the back of
the meeting hall and sometimes in a completely separate moni-
tor-equipped room. In both of these cases, their interpretations
are relayed through a system of microphones and earphones.
In the courtroom or a small-group meeting, when there is only
one foreign speaker, the spoken language interpreter may be placed
in an inconspicuous position—seated next to the foreign speaker,
for example, where he or she whispers in the person’s ear the
proceedings of the event, although if the foreign speaker testifies
on the witness stand in court, the spoken language interpreter
will be up front and visible, too.
Sign language interpreters, by contrast, need to be clearly vis-
ible to the Deaf participants (and vice versa). Consequently, we
often place ourselves next to the hearing person who will be speak-
ing the most, so that we end up on stage next to the podium, at
the front of the classroom, or in the middle of the courtroom. At a
small discussion table, we and our Deaf clients sit across from
each other instead of side by side (as most people who are used
to working with spoken language interpreters expect). This con-
stant visibility, along with the fact that sign language is often a
novelty, sometimes makes us, instead of the Deaf (or hearing)
speaker, the focus of attention.
A more significant difference between sign and spoken lan-
guage interpreters is the perceived identity and allegiance of the
interpreter. Although it is not necessary for foreign language in-
terpreters to be native speakers of the language(s) they interpret,
it is common that a Japanese/English interpreter, for example, is

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