I HATE my 'terp at times

Lissa · 05-17-2009, 06:57 PM

Grrr does my head in......
she comes with me to placement to help me and to make sure i can understand the children and the staff. She really bugs me because as soon I say something she repeats what Iv said even though I know the children have understood, she critizes me and make me feel really down and she is supposed to interpret what the children are saying to me but instead sh etalks to them and doesnt tell me what they said in the first place. If the staff are asking me something and I dont understand she will answer for me and not tell me.

Bottesini · 05-17-2009, 07:01 PM

Report her. She shouldn't be working.

Lissa · 05-17-2009, 07:02 PM

She has been with me for the past 3 years. I am just going to grin and bear it for the next 3 weeks.

shel90 · 05-17-2009, 08:54 PM

When I taught a classroom full of hearing kids with a terp, I encountered the same problems. I was like "forget this" after reporting her and getting no support from the school district. I quit...never again.

Nathan · 05-17-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafLissa90

She has been with me for the past 3 years. I am just going to grin and bear it for the next 3 weeks.

Grin like this?

LDNanna · 05-17-2009, 11:33 PM

Lucky you. One terp moved, the other is 19 and ADD. sigh. 19 and very, very sweet. But he is just as likely to be texting rather than 'terping. ha!

JennyB · 05-18-2009, 01:41 AM

If my terp (well, main terp) every did that I would probably kick her. She never would though! The only thing she sometimes does that drives me crazy is voice-voice interpret for me if I speak, which is rare but if I am speaking it is because I want direct communication with that person. She doesn't do it now though.

Have you talked to the terp yourself? Give her your feedback? I won't work with an interpreter that can't accept feedback.

***VamPyroX*** · 05-18-2009, 03:04 AM

Don't feel bad.

It has happened to me a lot of times.

When I was growing up, most of the interpreters that I had also had the same authority as every other teacher. They could write me up. They were treated like every other teacher. It was always their word over ours.

I had a Trigonometry class in high school where the teacher did a lot of overhead projection work for notes. I would look at the projection and take notes myself. The interpreter tried to get my attention by hitting my desk, but ended up hitting the pencil that was at the edge of my desk. This caused the pencil to fly over her head through the doorway into the hallway. When everyone looked because of the sound, the interpreter looked at the teacher and pointed at me saying that I threw the pencil over her head. I tried to explain what really happened, but the teacher took her word over mine and I was scolded as well as being asked to go pick up the pencil that I "threw".

Another time in another class in junior high school, the teacher had left the room for a moment to get something from the front office. While he was gone, a couple of students started telling each other jokes. One of the jokes was a dirty joke. When the teacher returned, the interpreter reported that student to the teacher and that student got in trouble for talking dirty in class.

These are just a couple of hundreds of problems I've had to deal with while growing up in school. It sucks and there was nothing I could do since it was always their word over mine.

I don't know about now. I hope it has improved.

deafbajagal · 05-18-2009, 06:58 PM

Answering for you is a big NO NO. Meet with her one-on-one and set it straight. You might need to provide a copy of RID's Code of Ethics for her to read.

Do not tolerate it. You deserve to be treated with respect.

Phillips · 05-18-2009, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

Grin like this?

DeafDoc1 · 05-18-2009, 09:38 PM

Unethical and unacceptable. Do NOT grin and bear it; you do yourself and the next clients an injustice. Remind of her responsibilities as a professional and if she is unable to follow those, she should be replaced. I don't want to work with her next...

missywinks · 05-18-2009, 09:57 PM

i know you have 3 weeks left, but i strongly recommend that you follow everyone's suggestion and give the interpreter feedback otherwise, she will keep doing it and the next student would probably suffer the same way you did.

depending on where you are from but it is likely that you have three options:
1) give her feedback directly.
2) contact the professional association in which the interpreter is a member of. (in canada, all interpreters have to be members of association of visual language in canada, and they have a complaint resolution process).
3) contact the university (or her employer) directly and let them what is happening and see if they can provide you with alternative solutions such as annew interpreter or add a teamer.

if you are really not comfortable doing it during the last weeks of your school, you can always do it afterwards but its really important that you follow up. good luck!

jillio · 05-18-2009, 11:08 PM

Just a quick question: do they allow you to do evaluations of the terp's services at mid-term and final? I request that the student complete the evals and turn them in so they can be used to provide feedback to the terp as to ways in which they can improve their service. With a problem such as this, though, I would want the student to report it immediately and not wait for the eval time. This is not something minor like "Her jewelry is distracting and her fingerspelling is too slow."

Lissa · 05-20-2009, 07:00 PM

I was given a sheet the other week to fill in about her and how good or bad she is and I just ticked that she was good, (oops) but it is only in the last 2 weeks she has really gotten to me.

Like today her and my maths teacher was talking about me behind my back in front of the class. I could hear exactly what they was saying due to my ci. I didnt acknoledge that I heard them

my 'terp was also observed yesterday by her boss. They have to be observed regularly just to make sure they are doing their job properly. She was given feedback by her boss today I think.

Im one of those people who doesnt like to say anything bad or anything at all about people. It's just my personality

DeafDoc1 · 05-24-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafLissa90

Im one of those people who doesnt like to say anything bad or anything at all about people. It's just my personality

You don't have to say something bad, but providing constructive criticism allows people the opportunity to learn and grow. By not speaking up, you deny her that chance.

jillio · 05-24-2009, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafDoc1

You don't have to say something bad, but providing constructive criticism allows people the opportunity to learn and grow. By not speaking up, you deny her that chance.

You hit that nail on the head, Doc!

LuciaDisturbed · 05-27-2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

Don't feel bad.

It has happened to me a lot of times.

When I was growing up, most of the interpreters that I had also had the same authority as every other teacher. They could write me up. They were treated like every other teacher. It was always their word over ours.

I had a Trigonometry class in high school where the teacher did a lot of overhead projection work for notes. I would look at the projection and take notes myself. The interpreter tried to get my attention by hitting my desk, but ended up hitting the pencil that was at the edge of my desk. This caused the pencil to fly over her head through the doorway into the hallway. When everyone looked because of the sound, the interpreter looked at the teacher and pointed at me saying that I threw the pencil over her head. I tried to explain what really happened, but the teacher took her word over mine and I was scolded as well as being asked to go pick up the pencil that I "threw".

Another time in another class in junior high school, the teacher had left the room for a moment to get something from the front office. While he was gone, a couple of students started telling each other jokes. One of the jokes was a dirty joke. When the teacher returned, the interpreter reported that student to the teacher and that student got in trouble for talking dirty in class.

These are just a couple of hundreds of problems I've had to deal with while growing up in school. It sucks and there was nothing I could do since it was always their word over mine.

I don't know about now. I hope it has improved.

We had the same old shit happen with our interpreters at our public schools back in Milwaukee. One example would be during homeroom in the mornings and when the usual announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance are being voiced over the loudspeakers to the entire school, the interpreters would interpret everything that is being said, and if a Deaf student was not looking at the interpreters they would kick the desk of the Deaf student not paying attention. I also have also gotten a 72 so many times (Hear Again might know what this means

) from all of my interpreters not to mention from the teachers as well. I probably hold the world record for the most 72's ever written in the history of Milwaukee Public Schools as well as the most suspensions ever received. I was always in the principal's office. The interpreters would exert their authority over anybody and everybody and did not care that their job is to interpret only and nothing else - they acted like they owned the classroom and the hallways. It was always so much bullshit. For the longest time I had no idea that this kind of behavior from my interpreters were considered to be unprofessional and inappropriate. I actually did not learn how a professional interpreter was supposed to behave until college, despite my stints at the state school for the Deaf (WSD) from time to time growing up between the age of 6 to 18 years old. No one ever told me. I notice that interpreters who work in the public schools system (K-12) tends to be more unprofessional and tend to take advantage of the authority that they aren't supposed to have and they did not know their place as interpreters, while college and university interpreters as well as interpreters that come to your doctor's appointments and other such things are so much more advanced, more professional, and more mature, and they knew their place. I think something really needs to be done about those interpreters that exhibit unprofessional behavior in the K-12 public schools system. Professional interpreters who are truly professional know that their job is to interpret and nothing else, period. They know their place.

***VamPyroX*** · 05-27-2009, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuciaDisturbed

We had the same old shit happen with our interpreters at our public schools back in Milwaukee. One example would be during homeroom in the mornings and when the usual announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance are being voiced over the loudspeakers to the entire school, the interpreters would interpret everything that is being said, and if a Deaf student was not looking at the interpreters they would kick the desk of the Deaf student not paying attention. I also have also gotten a 72 so many times (Hear Again might know what this means

) from all of my interpreters not to mention from the teachers as well. I probably hold the world record for the most 72's ever written in the history of Milwaukee Public Schools as well as the most suspensions ever received. I was always in the principal's office. The interpreters would exert their authority over anybody and everybody and did not care that their job is to interpret only and nothing else - they acted like they owned the classroom and the hallways. It was always so much bullshit. For the longest time I had no idea that this kind of behavior from my interpreters were considered to be unprofessional and inappropriate. I actually did not learn how a professional interpreter was supposed to behave until college, despite my stints at the state school for the Deaf (WSD) from time to time growing up between the age of 6 to 18 years old. No one ever told me. I notice that interpreters who work in the public schools system (K-12) tends to be more unprofessional and tend to take advantage of the authority that they aren't supposed to have and they did not know their place as interpreters, while college and university interpreters as well as interpreters that come to your doctor's appointments and other such things are so much more advanced, more professional, and more mature, and they knew their place. I think something really needs to be done about those interpreters that exhibit unprofessional behavior in the K-12 public schools system. Professional interpreters who are truly professional know that their job is to interpret and nothing else, period. They know their place.

The interpreters that you had to deal with... were they older or younger?

Out of all interpreters that I put up with (at least 20 different interpreters), 4 were very professional. The ones that weren't professional were the ones who were older and had been around for years.

The ones that were professional were either younger or took their jobs seriously. One older woman was from Germany and grew up here. She learned sign language and became an interpreter. She took her job seriously. Another was also older, but had 2 adopted kids that were very close to her. She understood their position as students and took her job seriously. One was a younger woman who probably started a few years before they interpreted for me. She acted like a college interpreter. Another was also a younger woman, but she took pleasure in her job. When she wasn't interpreting and we were in a neutral setting (in the hallways, out of class, etc), she was always telling us funny jokes.

LuciaDisturbed · 05-28-2009, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

The interpreters that you had to deal with... were they older or younger?

Out of all interpreters that I put up with (at least 20 different interpreters), 4 were very professional. The ones that weren't professional were the ones who were older and had been around for years.

The ones that were professional were either younger or took their jobs seriously. One older woman was from Germany and grew up here. She learned sign language and became an interpreter. She took her job seriously. Another was also older, but had 2 adopted kids that were very close to her. She understood their position as students and took her job seriously. One was a younger woman who probably started a few years before they interpreted for me. She acted like a college interpreter. Another was also a younger woman, but she took pleasure in her job. When she wasn't interpreting and we were in a neutral setting (in the hallways, out of class, etc), she was always telling us funny jokes.

I would say they were in their mid-30s to 40s and older. I think there was only one that was about I think 28. Almost all of them were CODAs, I believe. I only had one professional interpreter, but at that time I was not there most of the time, I was always ditching classes to go to the mall downtown so I rarely saw her. She was real nice though. (I would pretend I was getting ready for school and as soon as my foster moms went to work I would fuck around on the computer on the internet for a couple of hours and then leave and go downtown and hang out with my friends and not go to school at all, MPS was lame anyway.

).

Milwaukee · 05-28-2009, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuciaDisturbed

We had the same old shit happen with our interpreters at our public schools back in Milwaukee. One example would be during homeroom in the mornings and when the usual announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance are being voiced over the loudspeakers to the entire school, the interpreters would interpret everything that is being said, and if a Deaf student was not looking at the interpreters they would kick the desk of the Deaf student not paying attention. I also have also gotten a 72 so many times (Hear Again might know what this means

) from all of my interpreters not to mention from the teachers as well. I probably hold the world record for the most 72's ever written in the history of Milwaukee Public Schools as well as the most suspensions ever received. I was always in the principal's office. The interpreters would exert their authority over anybody and everybody and did not care that their job is to interpret only and nothing else - they acted like they owned the classroom and the hallways. It was always so much bullshit. For the longest time I had no idea that this kind of behavior from my interpreters were considered to be unprofessional and inappropriate. I actually did not learn how a professional interpreter was supposed to behave until college, despite my stints at the state school for the Deaf (WSD) from time to time growing up between the age of 6 to 18 years old. No one ever told me. I notice that interpreters who work in the public schools system (K-12) tends to be more unprofessional and tend to take advantage of the authority that they aren't supposed to have and they did not know their place as interpreters, while college and university interpreters as well as interpreters that come to your doctor's appointments and other such things are so much more advanced, more professional, and more mature, and they knew their place. I think something really needs to be done about those interpreters that exhibit unprofessional behavior in the K-12 public schools system. Professional interpreters who are truly professional know that their job is to interpret and nothing else, period. They know their place.

Agree
Most time when they get old and they think they can control what we do.
I have 1 interpreter that alway report me to teacher for what I do something. That day I lost patient and told interpreter I am done with you what you been do is Wrong. After that I got new interpreter. That interpreter still remember what I say It was first time they got feedback from me in their 20 years of interpreter at school.

I like male interpreter over female because they don't strict and normal.

05-17-2009, 06:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
Lissa Just me....Lissa Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,130 Blog Entries: 3	I HATE my 'terp at times Grrr does my head in...... she comes with me to placement to help me and to make sure i can understand the children and the staff. She really bugs me because as soon I say something she repeats what Iv said even though I know the children have understood, she critizes me and make me feel really down and she is supposed to interpret what the children are saying to me but instead sh etalks to them and doesnt tell me what they said in the first place. If the staff are asking me something and I dont understand she will answer for me and not tell me. __________________ Proud to be deaf and a CI user!!

05-17-2009, 07:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
Bottesini Bodhar agus leath dall Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Middle of dog pack Posts: 16,102	Report her. She shouldn't be working. __________________ It's a joke Nathan!

05-17-2009, 07:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
Lissa Just me....Lissa Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,130 Blog Entries: 3	She has been with me for the past 3 years. I am just going to grin and bear it for the next 3 weeks. __________________ Proud to be deaf and a CI user!!

05-17-2009, 08:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
shel90 In a pink and black world Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: In the land of the free Posts: 24,046 Blog Entries: 3	When I taught a classroom full of hearing kids with a terp, I encountered the same problems. I was like "forget this" after reporting her and getting no support from the school district. I quit...never again. __________________ Shel~ "A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

05-18-2009, 01:41 AM	#7 (permalink)
JennyB Deaf Activist! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 784	If my terp (well, main terp) every did that I would probably kick her. She never would though! The only thing she sometimes does that drives me crazy is voice-voice interpret for me if I speak, which is rare but if I am speaking it is because I want direct communication with that person. She doesn't do it now though. Have you talked to the terp yourself? Give her your feedback? I won't work with an interpreter that can't accept feedback. __________________ Queer, Deaf, radical disability theorist, feminist, activist, advocate, and linguist. Fear me! Jenny~B http://journysofadeafgirl.blogspot.com/

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05-17-2009, 11:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
LDNanna Everything purple is mine Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 891	Lucky you. One terp moved, the other is 19 and ADD. sigh. 19 and very, very sweet. But he is just as likely to be texting rather than 'terping. ha!

05-18-2009, 03:04 AM	#8 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 31,473	Don't feel bad. It has happened to me a lot of times. When I was growing up, most of the interpreters that I had also had the same authority as every other teacher. They could write me up. They were treated like every other teacher. It was always their word over ours. I had a Trigonometry class in high school where the teacher did a lot of overhead projection work for notes. I would look at the projection and take notes myself. The interpreter tried to get my attention by hitting my desk, but ended up hitting the pencil that was at the edge of my desk. This caused the pencil to fly over her head through the doorway into the hallway. When everyone looked because of the sound, the interpreter looked at the teacher and pointed at me saying that I threw the pencil over her head. I tried to explain what really happened, but the teacher took her word over mine and I was scolded as well as being asked to go pick up the pencil that I "threw". Another time in another class in junior high school, the teacher had left the room for a moment to get something from the front office. While he was gone, a couple of students started telling each other jokes. One of the jokes was a dirty joke. When the teacher returned, the interpreter reported that student to the teacher and that student got in trouble for talking dirty in class. These are just a couple of hundreds of problems I've had to deal with while growing up in school. It sucks and there was nothing I could do since it was always their word over mine. I don't know about now. I hope it has improved. __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)

05-18-2009, 06:58 PM	#9 (permalink)
deafbajagal Jasmine's Tiger "Lilly" Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: USA Posts: 2,634	Answering for you is a big NO NO. Meet with her one-on-one and set it straight. You might need to provide a copy of RID's Code of Ethics for her to read. Do not tolerate it. You deserve to be treated with respect.

05-18-2009, 09:38 PM	#11 (permalink)
DeafDoc1 hiding in plain sight Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,019	Unethical and unacceptable. Do NOT grin and bear it; you do yourself and the next clients an injustice. Remind of her responsibilities as a professional and if she is unable to follow those, she should be replaced. I don't want to work with her next... __________________ What's up, Doc?

05-18-2009, 09:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
missywinks Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 456	i know you have 3 weeks left, but i strongly recommend that you follow everyone's suggestion and give the interpreter feedback otherwise, she will keep doing it and the next student would probably suffer the same way you did. depending on where you are from but it is likely that you have three options: 1) give her feedback directly. 2) contact the professional association in which the interpreter is a member of. (in canada, all interpreters have to be members of association of visual language in canada, and they have a complaint resolution process). 3) contact the university (or her employer) directly and let them what is happening and see if they can provide you with alternative solutions such as annew interpreter or add a teamer. if you are really not comfortable doing it during the last weeks of your school, you can always do it afterwards but its really important that you follow up. good luck!

05-18-2009, 11:08 PM	#13 (permalink)
jillio Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 32,396	Just a quick question: do they allow you to do evaluations of the terp's services at mid-term and final? I request that the student complete the evals and turn them in so they can be used to provide feedback to the terp as to ways in which they can improve their service. With a problem such as this, though, I would want the student to report it immediately and not wait for the eval time. This is not something minor like "Her jewelry is distracting and her fingerspelling is too slow."

05-20-2009, 07:00 PM	#14 (permalink)
Lissa Just me....Lissa Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,130 Blog Entries: 3	I was given a sheet the other week to fill in about her and how good or bad she is and I just ticked that she was good, (oops) but it is only in the last 2 weeks she has really gotten to me. Like today her and my maths teacher was talking about me behind my back in front of the class. I could hear exactly what they was saying due to my ci. I didnt acknoledge that I heard them my 'terp was also observed yesterday by her boss. They have to be observed regularly just to make sure they are doing their job properly. She was given feedback by her boss today I think. Im one of those people who doesnt like to say anything bad or anything at all about people. It's just my personality __________________ Proud to be deaf and a CI user!!

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