Page 201 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

186 Reading Between the Signs

discuss what we do. On several occasions, I have tried to talk
about cultural adjustments with other interpreters, only to be re-
duced to such explanations as “Well, I did this sort of thing….” It
is hard to be precise without a special vocabulary that more clearly
delineates our options. As a result, I have come up with eight
terms for things that we may have been doing for years without
having any labels for them (see pages 190–98). I do not pretend
that this is the last word on the subject. It is only a starting point;
others may add to or modify my terms or throw them out alto-
gether. But it will give us a start in talking and thinking about
these subtle yet vital aspects of interpreting. *

Successful Cultural Adjustment Scenarios

1. “Information, please”
A meeting takes place between a foreign-born Deaf employee and
his supervisor at the large store where they work. The supervisor
is in charge of over two hundred employees. The Deaf worker is
very upset; he feels that he was not informed of the change from
a weekly to biweekly pay schedule. The supervisor responds that
a notice about the change in pay periods was posted in the break
room. The worker’s comments to the supervisor appear to be ac-
cusations, and if they were interpreted literally would come out
something like this: “You are trying to take advantage of me be-
cause I’m deaf. Why didn’t you tell me about this change? Were
you deliberately trying to keep this from me?”
The interpreter asks herself, What is this really about? What is
the Deaf employee’s intent? The answer may reside in the pre-
ciousness of information and the difficulties a foreign-born Deaf
person may have with accessing it in the workplace. So the inter-
preter voices the worker’s comments as, “You know, I don’t really
notice the signs on the wall. English is my third language and I
don’t read it well. It’s very upsetting when I feel I am missing
important information here at work. How can I find out about
changes like this in the future?” To which the supervisor, clearly

* I want to thank several superb interpreters who shared their insight and ex-
perience with me for this chapter: Aaron Brace, Patricia Lessard, Nikki Norton
Rexroat, and Daniel Veltri.

08 MINDESS PMKR 186 10/18/04, 12:02 PM