Miss-Delectable
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Putting words in motion - Newsday.com
Judith Rackovitch and Joe Fresolo stood inside the small, bright office, chatting with the staff of the Day Habilitation Center in Oyster Bay, a resource center for deaf, developmentally disabled adults.
They were telling a story about being called by police to help a deaf man who had been found wandering in a field near the Rockaways. But because the man didn't understand sign language, the pair were not having much luck.
"He had written what looked like a train number on his arm," Rackovitch said to the others in the room, as her hands deftly signed along with Fresolo, who is deaf. "He led us to his home."
"He felt a lot better once we got him home," Fresolo signed to Rackovitch, who interpreted out loud for others in the room.
Their colleagues joined in the conversation, signing and speaking simultaneously. Eyes jumped expertly from one pair of hands to another. They interrupted each other, much like in any other conversation. Even when speaking to another hearing person, Rackovitch signed as she spoke, her hands in unconscious and fluid motion.
Rackovitch is the coordinator at Mill Neck Interpreter Service in Westbury, which gets thousands of requests a year for deaf interpreters from schools, hospitals, religious institutions and businesses on Long Island and throughout the metropolitan area. She has interpreted for the elite - President George W. Bush at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy commencement in June, former President Bill Clinton at a conference at Hofstra University in 2005 - as well as other political figures.
She also interprets for deaf patients at local hospitals, deaf participants in court hearings and deaf parents at school parent-teacher conferences. Mill Neck has more than 125 interpreters who work either under contract or per diem, and it provides 24-hour coverage for hospitals and police. Institutions such as hospitals or courts pay for the service when mandated by law. Sometimes individual clients bear the expense, such as at a wedding. Costs typically range from $50 to $80 an hour but can be more depending on complexity.
Learning a new language
Rackovitch started life as an interpreter in her early 40s, after a successful career in retail. She said she was drawn to it because of her love and compassion for an older brother who is both deaf and developmentally disabled. "I knew how to sign before I knew how to talk," she said. She has spent much of her life being her brother's biggest advocate.
Despite her proficiency in signing, she had to return to college to learn how to interpret professionally. She spent two years at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City.
"There's a misconception," Rackovitch said. "People think it's just signing, but it's interpreting from an entirely different language," similar to language interpretation. Interpreters have to study the topic beforehand for most events they work - Rackovitch reads college textbooks to familiarize herself with the jargon of a particular subject before accompanying a deaf student to class. Many interpreters specialize in one area, such as medicine or law.
Rackovitch said her job can take her anywhere, from an in-home visit by Child Protective Services to a kindergarten holiday party.
Loretta Murray, director of adult services for Mill Neck, said there is a confidentiality agreement between client and interpreter, both in terms of their shared conversation and client identity. "It's similar to attorney-client privilege," said Murray, who is deaf but can speak.
Rackovitch agreed: "It used to be a helping profession." Formerly, interpreters were advocates for the deaf, she said. Now interpreting is more of a profession and interpreters merely interpret. "Being impartial is one of our codes," she said.
One of the more interesting aspects of signing is the difference between dialects, much like spoken language. Instead of a different twang, a signer might use a subtle twist of the hand.
"New signs are coming up all the time," Murray said. "There also can be regional differences."
The deaf who were not evaluated properly or taught to sign at a young age often will have their own signs, called home signs, making some jobs even more challenging, she said.
Mill Neck Interpreter Service is part of Mill Neck Services for the Deaf, which has a comprehensive menu of services for preschool children through adults, including those with developmental disabilities. The organization was established in 1986.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for the deaf community, interpreters agreed, is a lack of understanding about laws requiring that services be provided to the deaf. The public needs to be educated, Rackovitch and Murray said, that public institutions such as schools and hospitals are required by law to accommodate the deaf.
"I would welcome an opportunity to work with entities to do training, especially medical schools, nursing schools," Rackovitch said. "I would love to do a course on how to work with people with disabilities."
Interpreters share the load
Interpreting, especially for long periods, is an athletic endeavor. After realizing interpreters were suffering injuries in the shoulders, neck and arms, Mill Neck insists on "team interpreting," in which two interpreters work a long event, each taking 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Rackovitch, for example, partnered with colleague Heather Rossi at a West Hempstead High School holiday concert.
The work is demanding in other ways, too, such as interpreting for deaf sexual abuse victims.
"We journal a lot," said Rackovitch, who finds writing helps relieve stress. "It's emotionally and physically exhausting."
They lean on each other for help. Murray, who is an expert in lip-reading and sign language, asked Rackovitch to interpret at her aunt's funeral. Murray knew the emotion of the moment would have made it hard for her to concentrate. Rackovitch, as a gesture of friendship, interpreted the service, standing next to the priest to convey the words of the sermon.
"It was an act of love," Murray said.
Judith Rackovitch and Joe Fresolo stood inside the small, bright office, chatting with the staff of the Day Habilitation Center in Oyster Bay, a resource center for deaf, developmentally disabled adults.
They were telling a story about being called by police to help a deaf man who had been found wandering in a field near the Rockaways. But because the man didn't understand sign language, the pair were not having much luck.
"He had written what looked like a train number on his arm," Rackovitch said to the others in the room, as her hands deftly signed along with Fresolo, who is deaf. "He led us to his home."
"He felt a lot better once we got him home," Fresolo signed to Rackovitch, who interpreted out loud for others in the room.
Their colleagues joined in the conversation, signing and speaking simultaneously. Eyes jumped expertly from one pair of hands to another. They interrupted each other, much like in any other conversation. Even when speaking to another hearing person, Rackovitch signed as she spoke, her hands in unconscious and fluid motion.
Rackovitch is the coordinator at Mill Neck Interpreter Service in Westbury, which gets thousands of requests a year for deaf interpreters from schools, hospitals, religious institutions and businesses on Long Island and throughout the metropolitan area. She has interpreted for the elite - President George W. Bush at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy commencement in June, former President Bill Clinton at a conference at Hofstra University in 2005 - as well as other political figures.
She also interprets for deaf patients at local hospitals, deaf participants in court hearings and deaf parents at school parent-teacher conferences. Mill Neck has more than 125 interpreters who work either under contract or per diem, and it provides 24-hour coverage for hospitals and police. Institutions such as hospitals or courts pay for the service when mandated by law. Sometimes individual clients bear the expense, such as at a wedding. Costs typically range from $50 to $80 an hour but can be more depending on complexity.
Learning a new language
Rackovitch started life as an interpreter in her early 40s, after a successful career in retail. She said she was drawn to it because of her love and compassion for an older brother who is both deaf and developmentally disabled. "I knew how to sign before I knew how to talk," she said. She has spent much of her life being her brother's biggest advocate.
Despite her proficiency in signing, she had to return to college to learn how to interpret professionally. She spent two years at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City.
"There's a misconception," Rackovitch said. "People think it's just signing, but it's interpreting from an entirely different language," similar to language interpretation. Interpreters have to study the topic beforehand for most events they work - Rackovitch reads college textbooks to familiarize herself with the jargon of a particular subject before accompanying a deaf student to class. Many interpreters specialize in one area, such as medicine or law.
Rackovitch said her job can take her anywhere, from an in-home visit by Child Protective Services to a kindergarten holiday party.
Loretta Murray, director of adult services for Mill Neck, said there is a confidentiality agreement between client and interpreter, both in terms of their shared conversation and client identity. "It's similar to attorney-client privilege," said Murray, who is deaf but can speak.
Rackovitch agreed: "It used to be a helping profession." Formerly, interpreters were advocates for the deaf, she said. Now interpreting is more of a profession and interpreters merely interpret. "Being impartial is one of our codes," she said.
One of the more interesting aspects of signing is the difference between dialects, much like spoken language. Instead of a different twang, a signer might use a subtle twist of the hand.
"New signs are coming up all the time," Murray said. "There also can be regional differences."
The deaf who were not evaluated properly or taught to sign at a young age often will have their own signs, called home signs, making some jobs even more challenging, she said.
Mill Neck Interpreter Service is part of Mill Neck Services for the Deaf, which has a comprehensive menu of services for preschool children through adults, including those with developmental disabilities. The organization was established in 1986.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for the deaf community, interpreters agreed, is a lack of understanding about laws requiring that services be provided to the deaf. The public needs to be educated, Rackovitch and Murray said, that public institutions such as schools and hospitals are required by law to accommodate the deaf.
"I would welcome an opportunity to work with entities to do training, especially medical schools, nursing schools," Rackovitch said. "I would love to do a course on how to work with people with disabilities."
Interpreters share the load
Interpreting, especially for long periods, is an athletic endeavor. After realizing interpreters were suffering injuries in the shoulders, neck and arms, Mill Neck insists on "team interpreting," in which two interpreters work a long event, each taking 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Rackovitch, for example, partnered with colleague Heather Rossi at a West Hempstead High School holiday concert.
The work is demanding in other ways, too, such as interpreting for deaf sexual abuse victims.
"We journal a lot," said Rackovitch, who finds writing helps relieve stress. "It's emotionally and physically exhausting."
They lean on each other for help. Murray, who is an expert in lip-reading and sign language, asked Rackovitch to interpret at her aunt's funeral. Murray knew the emotion of the moment would have made it hard for her to concentrate. Rackovitch, as a gesture of friendship, interpreted the service, standing next to the priest to convey the words of the sermon.
"It was an act of love," Murray said.