Page 59 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

44 Reading Between the Signs

Reciprocity
Reciprocity, or giving to and taking from the collective pool of
skills in the group, can be a feature of collectivist cultures as well.
In comparison, members of individualist cultures do not like to
feel obligated beyond the present moment and operate more on
a quid pro quo basis. Therefore, if a member of a collectivist cul-
ture needs help to repair a car, move to a new apartment, or paint
a house, he or she has a network of friends and relatives upon
whom to rely, while one from an individualist culture might have
to hire a stranger. In Deaf culture, there is an unspoken system of
reciprocity, which we will examine in depth in chapter 5. Even
though no one keeps a tally of what each person gives or takes
from the collective pool, the members of the community censure
those who fail to do their share in assisting others.

Names as a Reflection of Group-Oriented Culture
In “Cross-Cultural Training across the Individualism-Collectivism
Divide,” authors Harry C. Triandis, Richard Brislin, and C. Harry
Hui (1988) make an interesting point about names and how they
illustrate cultural values: “In Individualistic cultures we put the
person’s [given] name first (e.g., Harry Triandis); in many collec-
tivist cultures the family name comes first (e.g., Hui Chi-chiu).” In
Deaf culture, too, names, or more specifically name signs, are
subject to the preeminence of the group. Name signs, which will
be described in depth in chapter 5, are used mostly to refer to a
person when he or she is not present and thus belong more to the
group than to the person being referred to. Although Deaf people
cherish their own name signs, it is the group’s prerogative to change
a person’s name sign. This is not done lightly but happens most
often when a name sign is physically uncomfortable to make or
duplicates another person’s existing sign and is therefore confus-
ing to the group (Mindess 1990; Supalla 1992).

Crossing the Individualist/Collectivist Divide
Though Triandis, Brislin, and Hui make no mention of Deaf cul-
ture and may not have even been aware of its existence, their
points are quite valid across the hearing-Deaf divide. For example,
collectivists who interact with individualists are cautioned that
the written word carries great importance in individualist cultures.
They are also warned that individualists take pride in their own

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