Should I become a terp?
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javapride
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hi travis!
in addtion to reba's comment abt the police and tesitify issue...
if you are questioned by the cops theres 2 ways u can go abt this. one u can inform him/her you have a code of ethics that you are bounded by with exeption to, reporting to the authorities abt a possible child abuse, OR reporting abt a client maybe harming self or threatening to harm others thats the only time u talk to the police. other ways whever a hearing consumer leaves the room UR to leave the room too.. this prevents stickiness and miscommunication and u being stuck in the middle
now as for reba;s comment abt testifying... she has a good clear idea but also wanted to add this:
Terps can be subpoened to testify in court about interpeting assignments. However, they are only required to testify as to their interpretation of the testimony that was already given by the other parties. That is, suppose there is a malpractice case. The hearing doctor has testified, "I told the patient that his test was positive". The Deaf patient has testified, "The doctor told me that the test was negative". The terp can be required to testify as to the interpretation of the event. The terp says, "I signed this...", and then signs the sentence. Then the lawyers will debate the accuracy of what the terp signed, using sign language expert witnesses.
(p.s. this is why terps must carry "malpractice" liability insurance)
the testifying in court is only to be used when discussing cross cultural mediation and the lingustics order of communication. nothing more
in addtion to reba's comment abt the police and tesitify issue...
if you are questioned by the cops theres 2 ways u can go abt this. one u can inform him/her you have a code of ethics that you are bounded by with exeption to, reporting to the authorities abt a possible child abuse, OR reporting abt a client maybe harming self or threatening to harm others thats the only time u talk to the police. other ways whever a hearing consumer leaves the room UR to leave the room too.. this prevents stickiness and miscommunication and u being stuck in the middle
now as for reba;s comment abt testifying... she has a good clear idea but also wanted to add this:
Terps can be subpoened to testify in court about interpeting assignments. However, they are only required to testify as to their interpretation of the testimony that was already given by the other parties. That is, suppose there is a malpractice case. The hearing doctor has testified, "I told the patient that his test was positive". The Deaf patient has testified, "The doctor told me that the test was negative". The terp can be required to testify as to the interpretation of the event. The terp says, "I signed this...", and then signs the sentence. Then the lawyers will debate the accuracy of what the terp signed, using sign language expert witnesses.
(p.s. this is why terps must carry "malpractice" liability insurance)
the testifying in court is only to be used when discussing cross cultural mediation and the lingustics order of communication. nothing more
angelstar819
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go for it
DUDE..go for it! i heard they make a lot of money..n it's easy work isn't it?!
DUDE..go for it! i heard they make a lot of money..n it's easy work isn't it?!
travisdoesmath
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angelstar819 said:
uhh..
god I hope you're kidding.
in any case, if I wanted easy money, I could easily be pursuing a career track that makes buckets of money ($150k/year) for relatively easy work, but in the end, it's almost entirely meaningless and worthless to me. Providing a truly valuable service and directly affecting the lives of people around me? That's meaningful. I'd be willing to pay $100k/year for meaning.
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Travis,
Good luck to you regardless of your decision and props for your attitude. Few people are able to go out, enjoy their work AND make tons of money. Most working stiffs have to choose between money and pleasure/meaning. Spending years and years chasing the biggest paycheck can become cruel and unusual punishment in its own way. Talk about a 'rat race'.
Angelstar,
If becoming a terp was so easy, why is there a SEVERE storage of qualified terps in almost every part of the country?? I doubt that I will ever hear or see someone complaining about having too many terps unless it's outside the US. Such a place would be a Deaf/HoH Nirvana.
Good luck to you regardless of your decision and props for your attitude. Few people are able to go out, enjoy their work AND make tons of money. Most working stiffs have to choose between money and pleasure/meaning. Spending years and years chasing the biggest paycheck can become cruel and unusual punishment in its own way. Talk about a 'rat race'.
Angelstar,
If becoming a terp was so easy, why is there a SEVERE storage of qualified terps in almost every part of the country?? I doubt that I will ever hear or see someone complaining about having too many terps unless it's outside the US. Such a place would be a Deaf/HoH Nirvana.
travisdoesmath said:
Literarcy or lack there of has an enormous impact on the quality of life.
Take a look around and see if there is a literacy programme for deaf children in your community.
Take a real look at what you can do to impact the lives of people around you.
jmho
travisdoesmath
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loml said:
that's an excellent consideration. Along the same vein, I've thought about providing tutoring services in math, when my ASL gets better
Yes,I'm one.
I've known ASL now for 31 yrs, and I do interpreting on the side.
Find yourself a good deaf orainzation and volunteer your time,and It might lead to an interpreting job.
Also advertise your interperting, give them all your contact information, and how much your gonna charge.
Good Luck.
Margie
Dir. of Comunication Services
OCDAC
I've known ASL now for 31 yrs, and I do interpreting on the side.
Find yourself a good deaf orainzation and volunteer your time,and It might lead to an interpreting job.
Also advertise your interperting, give them all your contact information, and how much your gonna charge.
Good Luck.
Margie
Dir. of Comunication Services
OCDAC
Etoile
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I actually make pretty decent money, but that's probably because I live in the Washington DC area where interpreters are in extremely high demand.angelstar819 said:
But the easy part? Oh heck no. I usually tell people that interpreting takes twice as much effort as anything else you could do. If you are interpreting for a two-hour meeting, when you leave it feels like you just sat through a four-hour meeting and you are really tired. In almost all other jobs, you can have a mental break and let your mind drift for a couple of seconds. That doesn't happen when you're an interpreter. (Well, okay, it does! But not as often.) You are working hard every second you are interpreting. It's not an easy job. Paperwork can be minimal (although this also depends on where you live...many terps have administrative duties as well) but the sheer effort of interpreting is intense.
Etoile
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It's true that interpreting was not as well-established as a profession 20 years ago. It's only been around as a profession for about 40 years total. But this is the era of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and getting a certification is highly recommended. The ADA requires qualified interpreters, and the overwhelming majority of hiring bodies take that to mean "certified." VRS is the fastest growing job market for terps, and it is illegal to work VRS if you are not certified. Yes, you can work as a terp without a certification, but you won't have as many options for where to work, you won't make as much money, you may find it hard to get a position with benefits, and depending on where you are the deaf people may be uncomfortable with an uncertified terp. So 20 years ago it was okay not to be certified, but these days it's almost essential. I don't know a single uncertified interpreter who doesn't want to try to get their certification ASAP.webexplorer said:
Endymion
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Travis, I think you would be a wonderful addition to the interpreting community, especially given your taste for math. Many interpreters I know (who are great, friendly people themselves) simply cannot interpret math at a satisfactory level.
I have gone through my math education reading the textbook in class simply because the interpreters did not have the necessary background nor ability to interpret math effectively. There was one time a few years ago I remember we were covering complex indefinite integrals and my interpreter simply sat there, threw up her hands and said, "I can't do this." And she was the best interpreter in my area for the subject!
She was very honest about her ability to do the job and for that I hold her in high esteem.
Back on point. If you ever wow the deaf world with your flying hands, I'll definitely borrow you for any technical presentation or conference I go to!
I have gone through my math education reading the textbook in class simply because the interpreters did not have the necessary background nor ability to interpret math effectively. There was one time a few years ago I remember we were covering complex indefinite integrals and my interpreter simply sat there, threw up her hands and said, "I can't do this." And she was the best interpreter in my area for the subject!
She was very honest about her ability to do the job and for that I hold her in high esteem.
Back on point. If you ever wow the deaf world with your flying hands, I'll definitely borrow you for any technical presentation or conference I go to!