Page 28 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

Introduction 13

It is not surprising that a field as young as ours has not come
to a consensus about exactly what our role entails. Fant explains
that the first interpreters “grew up in an atmosphere suffused with
patronization…. So as adults we saw ourselves as helpers, avail-
able any time, day or night to assist deaf people out of their diffi-
culties” (Fant 12). Subsequently, the profession has used various
labels to help interpreters grasp where the borders of their re-
sponsibility lie. In reaction to the “helper” model came the “ma-
chine” or “conduit” model, which greatly limited our responsibil-
ity for either party’s understanding of the other’s message. Like a
typewriter or telephone answering machine, we were only to trans-
mit what we had received without altering its contents in any
way. When a machine was judged to fall short of what was re-
quired in a complicated human interaction, we moved on to “com-
munication facilitator” and “bicultural mediator.” The latter ac-
knowledged the fact that cultural influences on the messages we
deliver must be taken into account. There has been talk recently
about adopting a new model, “the ally,” which interestingly seems
to take us back in a circular path to include some of the features
of the helper model. Although the term ally has not yet been ad-
equately defined or debated, it seems to address Deaf people’s
desire that we be supportive without being patronizing. As our
profession matures, we will undoubtedly redefine and refine our
role many times.
A recent development within the field has been an acknowl-
edgment that the image of the bilingual-bicultural relationship
between Deaf and hearing cultures in America is an oversimplifi-
cation. Deaf culture, as now perceived, is a complex mixture of all
the elements present in American society at large. Therefore the
needs and preferences of African American, Latino, Native Ameri-
can, and Asian American Deaf people must be recognized and
respected. One way to increase cultural sensitivity is by encourag-
ing the recruitment and training of more interpreters who are
themselves members of these ethnic groups. Another avenue,
which I believe would increase the cultural competence of the
entire interpreting profession, is the study of intercultural com-
munication. This field focuses on the ways individuals from vari-
ous cultural backgrounds perceive events and express themselves
differently. Just as we cannot assume that the hearing doctor will
be a white middle-class male from the Midwest, so we must be
prepared for Deaf clients coming from various cultural and ethnic

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