Category: Community & Culture
Sign Language Interpreters and the Quest for a Deaf Heart
A recurrent phrase that has been appearing in frequent discussions is “Deaf heart.” Our national interpreter organization, RID, has long been characterized as needing a Deaf heart. Recently, changes have been made to move RID to a more Deaf-centered perspective on the field of interpretation. The most recent evidence of this is the addition of [...]
Modern Questor: Connecting the Past to the Future of the Field
Lynnette presented, Modern Questor: Connecting the Past to the Future of the Field, at StreetLeverage – Live. Her talk examined how the shift from a Deaf/centric to a market/centric locus of power has left both the Deaf community and sign language interpreters feeling powerless. The Modern Questor “The modern questor now takes up the search, His quest the same; [...]
The Cost of Invisibility: Codas and the Sign Language Interpreting Profession
I recently attended an interpreter retreat where the purpose was to examine privilege, how it manifests in our individual work lives, our relationships with each other, and within the sign language interpreting profession as a whole. Privilege is a topic that makes for a hard discussion for any group of people. Those of us in attendance [...]
A Salute to Big Thinking Sign Language Interpreters
What do projectile vomiting, cancelled and delayed flights, and an unrelenting Nor’easter have in common? StreetLeverage—Live. As anyone who has organized a live event will tell you, there are always unforeseen challenges that arise and StreetLeverage—Live had its fair share. Despite these challenges, the event was a success. Talent Salute I salute Nigel Howard, Trudy [...]
4 Obsessions of a Qualified Sign Language Interpreter
Sign language interpreters come to the profession from a variety of avenues; each possessing a range of life experience that makes their daily work distinct. Though the work from interpreter to interpreter is unique, it occurs to me that there are 4 primary preoccupations shared by qualified practitioners. Some might consider them obsessions, the non-clinical [...]
Leadership in Sign Language Interpreting: Where are We?
History of Leadership It is difficult to discuss the history of leadership in the field of sign language interpreting without first selecting a starting point for our history as a “field.” Some consider this point the juncture at which the shift from volunteer interpreter to paid interpreter began, and the time at which training standards [...]
A Deaf Perspective: Cultural Respect in Sign Language Interpreting
A chip on her shoulder. An angry Deaf person. I will definitely NOT be attending her workshops in the future. The workshop seemed to be a venting session for the Deaf people. These were just some of the evaluation responses to a workshop I presented at a state-level sign language interpreting conference recently. I [...]
Sign Language Interpreters: Recognizing & Analyzing Our Power & Privilege
Are sign language interpreters intrinsically connected to the fight for humanity, as suggested by Brandon Arthur in his post, The Goo Inside a Sign Language Interpreter? What is our role working within a marginalized and oppressed community? What is our connection to solidarity? Do we have a broader sense of responsibility to the community that [...]
Overcoming Challenges as a Sign Language Interpreter of Color
At times we may question whether our peers value what we bring to the sign language interpreting profession. Regardless of our confidence level about what we bring, I believe we would likely agree that it is a diversity of backgrounds that makes the tapestry of the sign language interpreting profession so beautiful. On my road [...]
Do You Resemble the Sign Language Interpreter in Your Head?
Its part of the human experience to tell ourselves a story about the kind of person we are and why we choose to do what we do. This innate storytelling tendency extends to the professional personas we build as sign language interpreters. Have you ever paused to question if you actually resemble the sign language [...]
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