Page 22 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

Introduction 7

s/he may conclude that someone is being rude, irrel-
evant, boring, or not talking sense at all. Or often hear-
ers become lost in a maze of words or ideas that do not
seem to cohere. (Gumperz and Cook-Gumperz 1982,
18)

To what can these types of misreadings of the other person’s
motives, personality, and intelligence lead?
It is no exaggeration to say that continuous mispercep-
tion, misinterpretation and misunderstanding in face-
to-face linguistic encounters can develop into stereo-
types that are reinforced over time. (Young 1982, 84)
As bilingual/bicultural interpreters we presumably have an
understanding of both our Deaf and hearing clients’ cultural pre-
suppositions, worldviews, and the ways in which they structure
their discourse in order to achieve their goals. This confers upon
us a serious responsibility for seeing to it that mere cultural varia-
tions in communicative style do not escalate to the point of un-
founded stereotypes. In a positive light, our role also accords us a
wonderful opportunity to use our knowledge and skills subtly yet
effectively to ensure that our clients’ messages get through to each
other, unhampered by erroneous judgments based on cultural dif-
ferences.
To reemphasize, each interpreting situation is unique, and
cultural factors are complex and multilayered; therefore, no book
can offer all the possible solutions to our daily load of puzzles.
What a work like this can do is stimulate thought and discussion
and outline certain areas of special concern, where it would be
wise to anticipate cultural differences. I also hope to convey the
intercultural perspective, an open-minded flexibility that can help
us to better adjust to any situation involving persons of cultural
backgrounds different from our own.

Legal Interpreting

In the course of this book, we will examine several common inter-
preting situations that take place in medical, business, and educa-
tional settings. The principles discussed should then be applicable
to other interpreting situations. A cautionary note is necessary,
however: for the most part, I am intentionally not including legal
interpreting situations. This is not to say that cultural factors are

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