Page 23 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

8 Reading Between the Signs

not important in the courtroom. On the contrary, it is in legal
situations that culture most needs to be taken into consideration.
While many of the same principles will apply (e.g., being sensi-
tive to presuppositions on both sides, focusing on intent of the
speakers), a multitude of complicating factors are also present:
complex and specialized legal language, great power differences
between the participants, assumptions about previous knowledge,
the often unspoken yet serious implications of the proceedings,
and strategies for negotiating optimal interpreting conditions
within the limitations of courtroom protocol. In short, the subject
of how to handle conflicting cultural influences in the courtroom
should be pursued in a separate book. My message is this: do not
try to apply the ideas in this book to legal situations without specific
training in interpreting in such settings and many years of experi-
ence as an interpreter. The consequences of one misjudgment can
be too grave.

Scope of the Book

This book will proceed from the general to the specific, which is
typical of hearing American discourse style, as we shall discover
later. Part 1 will give you necessary background material. We will
begin with the topic of culture. Then we will narrow our focus to
the field of intercultural communication and look briefly at its
history. Some of the many areas that fall under this domain will
be examined. Chapter 3 will focus on four major topics in the
field of intercultural communication: collectivism versus individu-
alism, high-context versus low-context cultures, time orientations,
and variations in rhetorical style. Not only are these some of the
basic ways of categorizing world cultures, but they also constitute
the major differences between the American Deaf and mainstream
cultures.
In chapters 4 and 5 our attention will be focused on the two
cultures we work with: American mainstream culture and Ameri-
can Deaf culture. Perhaps you resist the idea that many of your
beliefs and actions are culturally influenced. We will examine this
common American sentiment. Most people never take a class in
their own culture because they learn it naturally. There are several
reasons, however, why it is imperative that sign language inter-
preters explicitly study American culture. First, we must be well

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