Page 188 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

The Interpreter’s Role and Responsibilities 173

She then describes the characteristics of oppressors as a group.
They believe their way is the best way, the right way, and they
regard all differences as inappropriate or inferior. From their feel-
ing of superiority comes the belief that the oppressed group wants
to be like them. Their paternalistic attitude reveals itself through
sentiments such as “I know what’s best for you” or “You people
need me.” They resist the idea of empowerment of the oppressed,
in part because that would lead to a reduction in their own power.
One curious characteristic of oppressors listed by Baker-Shenk is
their desire for approval and gratitude from the group they op-
press.
Baker-Shenk cautions interpreters to keep in mind that by vir-
tue of their hearing status, they may be seen as members of the
powerful dominant group, as the oppressors. And when interpret-
ers interact with Deaf people, they may unconsciously be “influ-
enced by the way oppressors think and feel about oppressed
people” (67).
In the end, our understanding of and sensitivity to these is-
sues are invaluable, even though as interpreters we cannot change
the societal roles in which Deaf people are cast. It is up to us as
members of the hearing community committed to developing skills
and earning a living as sign language interpreters to understand
the impact of oppression on Deaf people, to make sure that we do
not engage in oppressive behavior, and, when doing so does not
conflict with our role as interpreters, to act to alleviate it.
One way to check our attitudes and behavior is to scrutinize
ourselves individually and collectively to see if we are guilty of
audism. This term (originally coined by Tom Humphries in 1977)
is used by Lane in The Mask of Benevolence to refer to “the pater-
nalistic, hearing-centered endeavor that professes to serve deaf
people” (Lane 43). Althrough Lane includes interpreters in the list
of professions that make up the “corporate institution for dealing
with Deaf people” along with administrators of schools for the
deaf, experts in counseling the deaf, deafness rehabilitation work-
ers, and teachers of the deaf, he goes into no details about our
profession.
Do We Behave as Audists While Interpreting?
The biggest point of contention between the Deaf community and
the administrators and educators mentioned above centers on
the hearing experts’ refusal to accept ASL as the natural language

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