Page 223 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

208 Reading Between the Signs

see interpreters, I wanted to include some opinions from mem-
bers of the Deaf community. So I invited two of the Deaf con-
sultants who have been working with me on this book, Daniel
Langholtz and Priscilla Poynor Moyers, to share their views on the
topics covered herein. I believe we can benefit from their wisdom
and experience. Of course, they do not speak for all Deaf people,
but through their various roles in the Deaf community, they know
Deaf individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ages, and educa-
tional levels. Hence, their viewpoints represent not only their in-
dividual preferences, but in all likelihood, they reflect those of
large sectors of the Deaf community as well.

Personal Issues

ATTITUDE
A common theme underlying the topics in this chapter can be
expressed by the ASL sign ATTITUDE (which carries more specific
connotations than the English word attitude). ATTITUDE seems to
hold strong cultural significance, as we saw from some Deaf
people’s comments in chapter 6. ATTITUDE is frequently the ba-
sis for negative judgments or downright rejection of otherwise
competent interpreters. For example, “Oh, So-and-so, yes, he is
very skilled…but I don’t want him to interpret for me. Why? Atti-
tude.” A written transcription of that remark does not do justice
to the facial expression used by the Deaf person when making the
final sign. It would be more accurate to translate the last term as
BAD-ATTITUDE, in contrast to GOOD-ATTITUDE as in “Oh, Such-
and such, yes, I like her. Her skills are…okay, but she has a GOOD
ATTITUDE.”
Over the years, I have questioned many Deaf people about
what they mean by a good or bad attitude. Because it appears to
be a key to understanding what Deaf clients appreciate or dislike
in an interpreter, I think it is crucial to understand its connota-
tions. One of the central elements of a GOOD ATTITUDE is re-
spect for Deaf people and their language, ASL. Other elements, as
they relate to interpreters, are a certain humility regarding our
ASL skills and Deaf people’s desire to see us act as compassionate
human beings, not professional robots who are only doing this
job for the money. Deaf people have many stories regarding their
experiences with interpreters of varying attitudes. One man told

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