Page 176 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

The Interpreter’s Role and Responsibilities 161

about two distinct objects doing different things. For example, the
following complex English sentence would be needed to translate
a description of an event that could be expressed in basically one
signed movement: “I was in the process of making a left turn
when the other vehicle, which had been following very closely
behind me, attempted to move around my car to the left, but then
struck my car forcefully on the driver’s side, which resulted in my
car careening out of control.”
This point about the difficulty in interpreting “just the linguis-
tic elements” between any two languages brings us back to spo-
ken language interpreters. Spoken language interpreters, like those
trained by the Monterey Institute, are keenly aware that, unlike oil
and water, language cannot be easily separated from culture. In
translating almost any sentence or interpreting any remark, they
are daily reminded of the subtle cultural differences that color a
choice of terms or a line of reasoning. Among the clients for whom
they interpret, however, there is a widely held misconception that
an interpreter’s job merely consists of picking the proper equiva-
lent word in another language (like those new little computers for
foreign travelers). So spoken language interpreters are not always
afforded the latitude to make the necessary adjustments for cul-
tural differences which we sign language interpreters seem to have
accepted as an essential part of our job.
Perhaps surprisingly, the professors at the Monterey Institute
told me that they consider sign language interpreters very ad-
vanced in our discussions about the cultural aspects of interpret-
ing and in the idea of interpreters as bicultural mediators. In cer-
tain ways we are role models for them. Spoken language inter-
preters are cognizant that, as Condon and Yousef state, “some-
times a faithful rendering of the original into the second language
but without adjustment to culture differences can lead to new
misunderstandings” (Condon and Yousef 202–203). Even though
spoken language interpreters are constrained by tradition and
expectations, sometimes they too feel compelled to make adjust-
ments for cultural differences, although perhaps with a figurative
furtive glance over their shoulder.
In my visit to the Monterey Institute, it was enlightening to
compare jobs with spoken language interpreters. There may be
many more differences between us than would appear at first
glance. One thing we could all agree upon, however, was the near
impossibility of successfully interpreting a joke into another lan-

07 MINDESS PMKR 161 10/18/04, 12:02 PM