Interpreter Ethics

[gnulinuxman]

Interpreter does NOT have any right. He/She should call the agency to get replacement and keep the appointment. I would like to know where it happened. I knew it happened in Florida many times.....

It is UNETHICAL!!! shame on that interpreter! He/she should be banished.

It pisses me off how interpreters play God over Deaf community!

AMEN!!! Somebody who agrees with me!

While I am a hearing person, I've seen my fiancee get stung way too many times by bad interpreters.

And I have a feeling I'm going to get flamed by Interpretrator and Etoile for this, even though I don't think all interpreters are bad people.

 

[gnulinuxman]

"Banished"? Like from the brotherhood of interpreters? The deaf community? The United States? Who is in charge of "banishing" people and from where?

If the agency owner says "this is the way the agency works," an interpreter who hasn't been through an ITP may simply not know any better. Don't jump to conclusions that the interpreter was trying to "play God." I definitely blame the owner for setting up this system but not all interpreters know how legitimate agencies operate (i.e. VamPyroX's procedure).

How in the world could this not be the interpreter's fault??? There's no valid excuse for that.

And, since you brought this up in your post, why do many interpreters distance themselves from the deaf community? Some seem to think they own it and don't want to be a part of it.

 

[ayala920]

AMEN!!! Somebody who agrees with me!

While I am a hearing person, I've seen my fiancee get stung way too many times by bad interpreters.

And I have a feeling I'm going to get flamed by Interpretrator and Etoile for this, even though I don't think all interpreters are bad people.

I won't speak for Interpretrator, and even though I know Etoile well, I won't speak for her either. However, I will give you my opinion on why people "flame" you. While you may not think all interpreters are bad, you come off with a know-it-all, holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to all things Deaf. I applaud you for being active in the Deaf community where you live and for learning ASL; those are both admirable. However, you've been involved in a very complex culture for a very short amount of time (a year, if I recall correctly), and you seem to think you have a handle on everything. I've been signing and involved with Deaf culture for over 15 years (I'm 21), and I am far from all-knowing.

Let Deaf people be their own advocates. Contrary to popular belief, they don't need hearing people to speak up for them all the time.

 

[gnulinuxman]

I won't speak for Interpretrator, and even though I know Etoile well, I won't speak for her either. However, I will give you my opinion on why people "flame" you. While you may not think all interpreters are bad, you come off with a know-it-all, holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to all things Deaf. I applaud you for being active in the Deaf community where you live and for learning ASL; those are both admirable. However, you've been involved in a very complex culture for a very short amount of time (a year, if I recall correctly), and you seem to think you have a handle on everything. I've been signing and involved with Deaf culture for over 15 years (I'm 21), and I am far from all-knowing.

Let Deaf people be their own advocates. Contrary to popular belief, they don't need hearing people to speak up for them all the time.

Since you are a 'terp, you are not the right person to say or judge this. My Deaf friends think I understand Deaf Culture better than almost all other hearing people they met, and that would include interpreters.

And did you know that flaming is against the rules, no matter who said what?

I am most active in the cochlear implant area, and I stand up and even sometimes challenge their claims there too. Stop treating me like I'm an advocate who thinks Deaf people are poor and helpless. I am not that kind of person.

I've had disputes with cochlear implantees on this board and hearing parents, but they don't insult me as strongly as you 'terps have. (Reba is the only one who doesn't always flame me and she's been quite helpful to me on this board too.)

I'm going to end my replies here, and I'm not afraid to use the report button.

 

[ayala920]

Since you are a 'terp, you are not the right person to say or judge this. My Deaf friends think I understand Deaf Culture better than almost all other hearing people they met, and that would include interpreters.

And did you know that flaming is against the rules, no matter who said what?

I am most active in the cochlear implant area, and I stand up and even sometimes challenge their claims there too. Stop treating me like I'm an advocate who thinks Deaf people are poor and helpless. I am not that kind of person.

I've had disputes with cochlear implantees on this board and hearing parents, but they don't insult me as strongly as you 'terps have. (Reba is the only one who doesn't always flame me and she's been quite helpful to me on this board too.)

Again, it's great that your friends think you're knowledgable about Deaf culture. I'm just pointing out that you can't learn everything about a culture in a matter of a year.

And for the record, I was signing for over 13 years before I started interpreting, so my opinions and views are formed as a hearing person involved in Deaf culture, not as an interpreter.

As for your threats against me, that's fine. I've been witness to you attacking people, but if you'd like to report me for putting forth my beliefs in what I believe was a calm, mature manner, that's your prerogative.

 

[deafmedicalpoet]

Watch what you say against Gnulinuxman

Again, it's great that your friends think you're knowledgable about Deaf culture. I'm just pointing out that you can't learn everything about a culture in a matter of a year.

And for the record, I was signing for over 13 years before I started interpreting, so my opinions and views are formed as a hearing person involved in Deaf culture, not as an interpreter.

As for your threats against me, that's fine. I've been witness to you attacking people, but if you'd like to report me for putting forth my beliefs in what I believe was a calm, mature manner, that's your prerogative.

I got to say I am shocked out of my shoes at you about Gnulinuxman. He has been my student for over a year and is still learning. I have been signing about the same amount of time you have, and I am still learning myself.

Please give him a break and calm down, he is just trying to get a kind point on what he learned. We all have points but many of us look at certain points as an attack when they aren't. They are just information and we all need that sometime.

Deaflinuxgeek

 

[ayala920]

I got to say I am shocked out of my shoes at you about Gnulinuxman. He has been my student for over a year and is still learning. I have been signing about the same amount of time you have, and I am still learning myself.

Please give him a break and calm down, he is just trying to get a kind point on what he learned. We all have points but many of us look at certain points as an attack when they aren't. They are just information and we all need that sometime.

Deaflinuxgeek

I respect your opinion, though we don't agree 100%. Again, I'd like to point out that I stated simple facts (no matter how immersed you are in a culture, you can't learn everything in a year), and did so in a calm manner.

May I ask why you refer to him as your "student"? Isn't he your fiance?

 

[LinuxGold]

Guys, this is going into a war, please do not get personal against one other. If someone continue to do so will end up in temporary ban effective immediately (I dont care whether you are replying or not). We are here to discuss about the interpreter/client relationship, and not attacking on one's personality, one's experience or what's what. What CAN that client DO to prevent that from reoccurence? What is the BEST alternaitve? IS there another interpreting agency that a client CAN use?

Now, in my opinion, this is not enough information, therefore questions araises to clarify the situations in detail:

How long ago was that appointment appointed?
WHERE do you live? (not the exact address please )
HOW many interpreting agencies are there in your area?
If there is no interpreting agencies in your area, then how many freelance interpreters are there?
Have you checked around for that agency/interpreter's reputation?
How long have you been researching into finding interpreting agencies and have you questioned their Code of Ethics practices before you called up for one?

 

[Eve]

I too am from an area where choice of terp services is extremely limited, ergo they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want to. So far, my husband and I have been very lucky and have had no problems with terps at all.
I find it interesting that some people like to clump ALL terps together. Terps are just like everyone else, HUMAN, meaning they make mistakes. Not ALL terps like to "play God", just like not ALL deafies read on a third grade level. These blanket statements seem extremely stereotypical to me.

 

[Reba]

I too am from an area where choice of terp services is extremely limited, ergo they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want to. So far, my husband and I have been very lucky and have had no problems with terps at all.
I find it interesting that some people like to clump ALL terps together. Terps are just like everyone else, HUMAN, meaning they make mistakes. Not ALL terps like to "play God", just like not ALL deafies read on a third grade level. These blanket statements seem extremely stereotypical to me.

Right you are, availabilty is a big problem in some areas.

Sometimes our own terps here are stretched to the limit with scheduling. But I know that least myself and the terp that I sometimes team with, we think of each client as the most important client and assignment, no matter how many we have. (Obviously emergencies pop up, and sometimes we have to prioritize.) But cancelling an appointment is something we don't take lightly. Sometimes we go to appointments sick (terps have an amazing ability to hold off vomiting until break time), or on crutches, or borrowing a neighbor's car (yep, done that). I maintain an "office" and "home" in my car so I can be ready for whatever job, whatever time or place, on short notice. (I wish my agency could give me a Garmin for driving directions, ha, ha.)

Guess what? Terps are human, AND Deafies are human. Terps don't like to be stereotyped, as I am sure Deafies don't like to be stereotyped. It works both ways.

Also, keep in mind, when a terp cancels an appointment that doesn't annoy just the Deaf consumer; that also annoys the paying hearing client as well. Most terp businesses don't like to annoy the person or company paying their bills, so they do try to avoid cancellations (if they're smart). That is just good business sense.

(Sorry Eve, these comments aren't all related to your post; I got carried away. )

 

[Etoile]

And, since you brought this up in your post, why do many interpreters distance themselves from the deaf community?

I do want to answer this as it is on topic and not personally addressing anyone - I am only addressing the concept of interpreters distancing themselves.

This is a tough one. Obviously involvement in the community is essential - going to deaf events, interacting with deaf people, etc. - to be a good interpreter. But there's also a professional/personal line there that is very hard to know when to cross.

For example, I have been doing freelance interpreting in my local gay community for a year and a half. Originally these were just clients - we were friendly, of course, but I didn't socialize with them because we weren't really friends. Now I am actually getting a lot more involved, and seeing these people outside of interpreting situations, and I am starting to call a lot of them my friends. But it feels REALLY weird. I'm used to maintaining a professional boundary in my daily job, but this is freelance and I'm starting to feel like I'm interpreting for friends. It becomes harder to maintain professionalism and neutrality if you are buddies with your clients. You have to jump roles a lot more frequently, which is tiring and can be upsetting.

So I think that's why some interpreters are distancing themselves from the community - because it's hard to maintain professionalism when you're interpreting for friends. Interpreters should always be friendly with clients, but being friends makes life a lot harder.

 

[Interpretrator]

How in the world could this not be the interpreter's fault??? There's no valid excuse for that.

If her boss says "This is the way I want it done and no questions" and the interpreter doesn't know better due to not having gone through an ITP, not being familiar with the way professional agencies are run, then it is not her fault. Like I said, I would never in a million years work for a place that was run like this. However I have encountered numerous people who grew up signing and decided to become interpreters, and had very little information or experience in the realm of ethics. A CODA may not know it's not okay for an interpreter to reschedule an appointment for a client because maybe she's been doing this her whole life.

Luckily the CODAs I've known have been very aware of where they need to improve their education so I haven't run into anything like this personally, or in any of the agencies I've worked for.

It becomes harder to maintain professionalism and neutrality if you are buddies with your clients. You have to jump roles a lot more frequently, which is tiring and can be upsetting.

And frankly I have seen some extremely poor behavior from interpreters when this happens and they aren't careful about their role-jumping. Which is why when I socialize in the deaf community it's with people I am very unlikely to end up working with, but I am very lucky in that I live in an area with many different deaf communities, so am able to do this.

 

[Reba]

... Which is why when I socialize in the deaf community it's with people I am very unlikely to end up working with, but I am very lucky in that I live in an area with many different deaf communities, so am able to do this.

That's what usually happens for me but in my case it is mostly a generational thing. Most of my clients are young singles. Most of the Deaf social groups that I attend are older married people. It just happens that way.

It does bother me that at Deaf functions, I almost never see another terp, except for a few CODA terps (who show up as family members rather than terps). I mean, years go by without seeing another terp at a Deaf get together. I notify them of events, invite them, remind them, offer rides, etc. But they don't show up. The worst thing is, the lack of participation in the Deaf community by public school terps. I never see them at terp workshops or conferences either. What's up? (Oh, oh, don't get me started.)

In situations where clients are also friends, we are aware that our roles are different during "working" hours than during our "social" hours. If there is any problem or confusion about the roles, it is best to clarify the situation before or after the assignment (depending on the circumstances), privately.

I guess I'm used to the role switching, even before I became a terp. When I was in the Navy, I was an enlisted person. Enlisted and officer are not supposed to fraternize. But my best friend (and maid of honor) was an officer. When we were in uniform, I called her Lieutenant XYZ, said "yes m'am", and saluted. She called me Petty Officer ABC, and gave me orders. After hours, we used our first names and were as casual as can be. No problem.

Maybe it helped that we literally dressed differently for each role. I guess, in a way, I do that with terping. At work, most of my clothes are plain and dark. After hours, I dress in bright patterns, with shiny, sometimes noisey, jewelry.

 

[Interpretrator]

It does bother me that at Deaf functions, I almost never see another terp, except for a few CODA terps (who show up as family members rather than terps). I mean, years go by without seeing another terp at a Deaf get together. I notify them of events, invite them, remind them, offer rides, etc. But they don't show up.

I know in my area there have been some problems with deaf events inviting everyone, hearing and deaf, to come...but in reality, hearing people (including signers and terps) were not, in fact, welcomed. I don't know if this had to do with inappropriate behavior from previous hearing people, but a) then they shouldn't continue to invite hearing people and b) if they do, my friends and I shouldn't be punished for it. This turned me off going to deaf events for quite a while.

I have some other reasons I haven't gone to many deaf events run by one of the major organizers in the area, but it has to do with drama involving my former ITP classmates. :roll:

By the way, Reba, I didn't mean to imply that it can't work if you socialize with the same people you work with. I was really only talking about a few ethically inappropriate people I know. I also know people who have no problem drawing that line.

 

[Reba]

I know in my area there have been some problems with deaf events inviting everyone, hearing and deaf, to come...but in reality, hearing people (including signers and terps) were not, in fact, welcomed.

I can understand that would be a problem, especially for signing students. It is intimidating enough to show up at a Deaf event as a "newbie" without the additional stress of hostile attitudes. That's not the situation in the examples I gave. If the atmosphere was hostile I wouldn't show up either. You're right, it does depend on the group.

By the way, Reba, I didn't mean to imply that it can't work if you socialize with the same people you work with. I was really only talking about a few ethically inappropriate people I know. I also know people who have no problem drawing that line.

I understand.

 

[Interpretrator]

That's not the situation in the examples I gave. If the atmosphere was hostile I wouldn't show up either. You're right, it does depend on the group.

Right, and most of the events I've attended haven't been like that. In fact I've seen incredible amounts of tolerance from deaf people who want to share their language and culture with "newbies." In my ITP we learned a certain amount of language and culture before we were sent to deaf events, but apparently other programs are sending students out in ASL 1. So I would see these students coming up to deaf people asking them how to sign certain song lyrics. DUH! And yet these deaf folks would come back again and again, not just to socialize among themselves. It was fairly amazing, actually; I'm not sure how much patience I would have had in that situation. I credit those gatherings with helping me to learn a great deal about all kinds of things, not just ASL.

Somehow things just seem to have changed recently.