Page 218 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

Techniques for Cultural Adjustments 203

or TROUBLE with the appropriate facial expression would be more
likely to get the student’s attention. In the next sentence, “I’m not
sure it is strong enough…,” the professor again tries to be polite
by picking his words carefully. What he is really saying is that the
thesis is weak. If we sign something like WEAK or NOT GOOD or
NEED CHANGE, it will likely lead to a discussion between the stu-
dent and professor focused on what specifically needs to be
changed in order to make the thesis statement effective.
We can use ourselves as a barometer. If we don’t know what
the point is ourselves, we cannot convey it in our interpretation. If
the professor uses a lot of academic jargon, it may be necessary
to ask him or her directly, “Excuse me, but the interpreter wants
to make sure she understands clearly. Your point about the paper
is what?” Otherwise, it is very possible that real communication
will not take place.

Job Interview Scenarios
It is interesting that notwithstanding our discussion of the cultural
set of job interviews and the necessity for knowing the rules of
the game beforehand, there are still some cultural adjustments
we can try in order to make the playing field more level. Remem-
ber that it is impossible to generalize. Despite the stressful situa-
tion and different set of cultural expectations, some Deaf people
give excellent interviews (and some hearing people don’t). Nov-
ice interpreters should be especially careful about job interviews
and realize that there are no hard-and-fast rules about what is
most effective.

Scenario 1
Hearing Interviewer: Why do you want this job?

Deaf Applicant: I need the money and you have dental insur-
ance. I have to get a couple of crowns.

Suppose that you interpret the first question straightforwardly
and receive this statement in reply. You have several options. One
is to increase the register and reduce the amount of context in the
answer to make it sound more businesslike, such as the following
(which I appropriated from another interpreter): “I believe I am
ready for a salary as competitive as what you are offering and

08 MINDESS PMKR 203 10/18/04, 12:02 PM