Page 240 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

Cultural Sensitivity Shouldn’t End at Five O’Clock 225

the time, even if you are talking to another hearing person. It goes
without saying that if no Deaf people are paying attention to your
conversation, your signing need not be as clear as if you were
interpreting on stage. In fact it will probably be pretty murky, be-
cause we all know as native English speakers that when we speak
and sign at the same time, it is the signing that suffers. The point
I would like to make, however, is that hearing people can access
several conversations simultaneously by catching a word here or
a phrase there, and can then move closer to join one of them.
Since we can sign, we possess the means to make the situation
equally accessible to Deaf people. If a Deaf person, glancing around
the room, glimpses something you signed and is interested enough
to come over and join your conversation, you can decide if you
want to switch to ASL or pay more attention to clarifying your
signed English as you continue speaking.
This polite behavior may come more naturally at a party where
there are both Deaf and hearing people present. At a work assign-
ment, however, it is easy to forget to sign during breaks, when we
grab a few minutes to catch up with our team interpreter. Even
though we have no intention of slighting the Deaf people for whom
we are working, their seeing the two interpreters chatting and
giggling in a corner can give an impression of exclusion. I sug-
gest, therefore, that if you need to communicate something per-
sonal, perhaps about the very assignment at hand, find a private
space where you can talk alone and unobserved.
Priscilla advocates frankness. She says that during a break,
she would prefer it if, when absolutely necessary, the interpreters
tell her they are tired and ask if she would mind if they chatted for
a few minutes without signing. “That way,” she explains, “I will
know that it’s not that they are trying to keep something from me,
they just want to take a break from signing.”

The Interpreter as Part of the Reciprocal Pool
As we discussed in chapter 5, an informal yet important system
of reciprocity operates within the Deaf community. As “visiting
members” of that community, are we expected to contribute to
the pool of resources from which all may benefit? The answer, I
believe, is yes—if we want to show our respect for Deaf culture
and express gratitude to the community that shares its language
with us and thereby enables us to follow our profession. What can
we contribute? There is a great range of possibilities, limited only

09 MINDESS PMKR 225 10/18/04, 12:03 PM