Page 237 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

222 Reading Between the Signs

ending time or risk arriving late to the next one. Although we may
not schedule every appointment back-to-back, we unfortunately
do not have the luxury of adding one or two hours between as-
signments in case these happen to run over their predicted time
slots. Human events being what they are, quite often appoint-
ments run longer than expected. This puts us in the uncomfort-
able position of not only having to run to our car after a hasty
good-bye but also sometimes actually deciding that we must leave
an assignment before it is officially over.
What can we do when this awkward situation arises? The best
way to minimize antagonism is to warn all parties involved upon
our arrival that we have to leave at a preestablished time. We hope
that information can help them tailor their conversation to end
accordingly. Commonly, however, people get so involved in their
communication that they, like Cinderella, forget that time will soon
run out. It is helpful, therefore, to give them a few advance warn-
ings: “Remember, the interpreter has to leave at three,” “Just to
remind you, the interpreter is leaving in ten minutes.” If you give
the last warning ten minutes or so before you must leave, the
parties have a chance to wrap things up, reiterate their most sig-
nificant points, or ask one last question. Although it may not need
mentioning, I would suggest that conveying an air of regret about
leaving prematurely may also be appreciated. “Sorry I have to go
now. Wish I could stay longer” can go a long way toward smooth-
ing what might otherwise seem like insensitivity on your part.
Asking for Feedback
Interpreting can be a lonely profession. Often we want so much
to do a good job, but without a team interpreter we have no one
to give us feedback on our work. In interpreter preparation pro-
grams, we may never enjoy the critiques of our interpreting, yet
we value the information we receive from the instructor and fel-
low students to help us improve our skills. Once we are out work-
ing, we may feel the need to get a sense of our effectiveness as
interpreters, so we ask the people who have been watching our
signing, our Deaf consumers. Common solicitations for feedback
(especially from novice interpreters) are “Was that okay?” or “Any-
thing you want to tell me about my work?” These questions seem
to be open invitations for any and all comments, but what hap-
pens when the Deaf person honestly replies like this: “I don’t think
you are ready to work as an interpreter,” “You are not as clear as

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