Page 182 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

The Interpreter’s Role and Responsibilities 167

intercultural encounters than others. These include patience, not
taking oneself too seriously, and the ability to accept the fact that
two different worldviews are not necessarily mutually exclusive
(Althen 150).
Conversely, there are occasions when we work with hearing
people who may have some signing skills and an academic knowl-
edge of or an interest in Deaf culture. I am thinking here of a
researcher or a therapist who would be familiar with and want
the exposure to elements of Deaf culture. Again in this case, we
can just focus on interpreting the content of the message, trusting
that cultural differences will not impede communication and may
actually become the basis of an enlightening discussion between
the participants.
Fourth, we need to consider the nature of the involvement
between the participants. Is it a one-time meeting or an ongoing
relationship? In an ongoing relationship there will be many oppor-
tunities for the Deaf and hearing participants to associate with
each other and figure out ways of communicating without the
presence of an interpreter. This is a common situation at a work
site. An interpreter may be hired only for a specific weekly or
monthly staff meeting, where there are many people present, or
for a matter of extreme importance such as an annual perfor-
mance review or safety demonstration. During most workdays,
however, the Deaf and hearing employees and supervisors man-
age to communicate the necessary information through a variety
of methods, which may include lipreading, writing notes, typing
back and forth on a computer screen, e-mail, or limited use of
basic signs and fingerspelling. This means that they have created
their own in-house communication style. If the interpreter at that
monthly meeting makes so many unnecessary cultural adjust-
ments that the Deaf person seems to have a whole new personal-
ity, the hearing workers may be quite puzzled. Whatever cultural
adjustments seem necessary to get the meaning across are still
justified.
Another example of an ongoing relationship would be a fam-
ily event. We are sometimes asked to interpret at a family gather-
ing such as a wedding rehearsal dinner, a family reunion, or a
Passover seder. Obviously, many of the participants have known
each other for a period of years. They want to see dear Aunt Sally
or funny Cousin Bert just the way they remember them, except
with the greater ease of communicating through an interpreter.

07 MINDESS PMKR 167 10/18/04, 12:02 PM