Page 228 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

Cultural Sensitivity Shouldn’t End at Five O’Clock 213

ingly personal or embarrassing, it was just that I was not prepared
to disclose it.
This dilemma is not limited to interactions between the deaf
and hearing. Priscilla, who works as a Deaf relay interpreter in
the courts, reports that she is sometimes taken aback when the
Deaf person she is interpreting for inquires about her address or
other personal details that she would feel uncomfortable disclos-
ing. Her solution is to “be prepared,” to plan ahead of time what
she might comfortably answer to questions that could arise. As an
example, when I was in my thirties and not yet a mother, I would
often get the question “Why don’t you have any children?” during
the first few minutes after meeting a Deaf person at an assign-
ment. I had a reply ready to use, something like, “We have been
trying for a while. Seems like it’s taking a long time. Just have to
be patient, I guess.” This pat explanation steered clear of details
that I did not feel like sharing with a stranger, and it was delivered
in a way that seemed to imply that I did not wish to discuss the
subject any further.
What are some of the questions we might be asked? They can
range from inquiries about our marital status or our religion to
queries about how much money we earn or how much we paid
for our car. Sometimes it may happen that we are not asked a
direct question; instead, the Deaf person tells us a long story about
his or her marital problems or health problems. At that point, we
may wonder if we are expected to reciprocate by relating some-
thing equivalent from our own lives. If we notice our companion’s
lack of eye contact with us, however, and the continuous stream
of the narrative, we may reasonably conclude that it is more im-
portant for that person to get his or her story out than to hear
ours. Showing that we understand and sympathize, if appropri-
ate, can be done with signs such as UH-HUH, REALLY? DIDN’T-
KNOW THAT, with appropriate facial expression. Be prepared,
however: at the conclusion of the story, he or she may ask if a
similar situation ever happened to us. It would be appropriate to
make a comment that shows we listened but that also concludes
discussion on this topic if we wish to do so (e.g., “I remember a
similar thing happening to a friend of mine, but eventually it all
worked itself out”).

09 MINDESS PMKR 213 10/18/04, 12:03 PM