Page 235 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

220 Reading Between the Signs

dessert as slowly as possible. At yet other times you may be look-
ing forward to having lunch with your Deaf consumer, who may
be a friend with whom you like spending time.
If there are no clear protocols, however, the moment can be
awkward. The Deaf person asks, “Where are you going for lunch?”
You and your partner glance at each other, realizing that the hour
of gabbing you had planned may not happen. The pause lasts too
long and the Deaf person, sensing that you two want to be alone,
lets the subject drop and walks off. Is he or she offended? Should
you change your plans and resign yourselves to having a different
lunch break than you had hoped for? From his perspective as a
social worker, Daniel cautions interpreters who feel it is always
their duty to have lunch with the Deaf person to examine them-
selves for possible feelings of codependency. Perhaps there are
those, on the other hand, who feel “the more the merrier” at lunch-
time.
Priscilla advocates honesty as the best policy. If you can fore-
see that there is no way you will be able to effectively interpret
the afternoon session without a mental break, you may want to
inform the Deaf client ahead of time that during the lunch break
you will need to close your eyes because you are exhausted, have
to run an errand, or need to be alone. Another diplomatic way of
handling the situation is to tell the Deaf person that she or he is
welcome to have lunch with you, but that you and the other inter-
preter had planned to discuss a topic in which you share a com-
mon interest (an upcoming camping trip, dog breeding, potty train-
ing, or whatever). That leaves it up to the Deaf person to decide
whether he or she finds your proposed discussion boring or is as
interested in it as you are.
In situations such as these, it seems we need to have com-
mand of polite ways to decline an offer in ASL. Make use of ap-
propriate facial expression with signs such as DON’T-MIND, as in
“If you don’t mind, I have something I need to do during lunch.”
In the end, you must make your own decision for each situation,
balancing your needs and the good or bad feelings they may en-
gender. Of course, the solution might arise spontaneously if, when
comparing restaurant plans, you find that one of you longs for
sushi and the other for a fast-food burger. Groaning and laughing
at each other’s choice of nourishment, you may each go your
own way with no hard feelings at all.

09 MINDESS PMKR 220 10/18/04, 12:03 PM