For my consumer interview I wanted to interview a good friend of mine—Joe Shmo. Due to the plethora of information that I already knew about him, I decided to inquire about something that I did not know about him (something that he generally does not like to talk about because it is a sensitive subject). I asked him the following questions. He had some very interesting, new perspectives to bring to the table.
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How do you feel about the interpreters you have had in educational settings?
The most impactful and memorable experience with an interpreter for him was in middle school when his interpreter took the role of the "mandatory reporter" a little too far. He said that he was always being watched, always being singled out, and that he did not feel he was equal with the rest of his classmates because of that fact. He said he would try to pass notes or drink a soda in class, and because of his deafness there was always one person watching him closely--the other students could get away with a lot more. The interpreter he had in middle school was very controlling, and tried to "baby" him, telling him what to do and how to act. He said that besides that there really have not been any other negative experiences.
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What was the best and/or worst experience that you have had with an interpreter?
See question #1 (Basically his entire Middle School career).
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Do you have any preferences (male, female, looks, etc.)?
"A hot interpreter that I could daydream about. Nope, just kidding. I have no preference, only that they are clean and don't smell bad." (He laughed at this because he and I always joke about deaf people having an exceptional sense of smell.) As far as a gender preference I asked him if he preferred a male for more private things, but he said, "We are all adults here, there's no need to request a different interpreter for those purposes." An interesting point, however, was when I specifically asked him if he preferred a more English-based sign (contact or SEE) to ASL, and he said that he did, in fact, preferred more English signing. I was curious and asked him why that was. His answer, "Because interpreters try to hard to put things into ASL, and it gets really confusing for me; I can't understand it." His mainstreamed and English upbringing is also a factor in this, but I have never experienced that preference before.
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Do you have any pet peeves with interpreters?
Joe said that he absolutely hated it when an interpreter singled him out, or made him be a distraction to the class. For example, one experience in particular was when the interpreter did not think he understood what was going on and proceeded to get closer to the overhead to point at certain things. He said it was very disruptive to the class, and that he wished the interpreter would have just treated him like any other student (no special treatment).
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Have you ever realized that your interpreter was misrepresenting you? What did you do? How did you feel?
Surprisingly, he said that he rarely experienced an interpreter who misrepresented him. I felt a huge rush of relief when he said this because that is one of my biggest fears. He did say, however, that it occasionally happens, and when it does he usually makes a joke in order to make the situation less awkward. Mostly the interpreters would correct themselves, so again—he did not have to joke with them much.
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How do you feel about piercings, jewelry, nail and hair color, etc.?
"As long as it does not disturb the signing (for example: hands getting caught on earrings) I do not mind rings or dyed hair." This question was of particular interest to me because I do have piercings and crazy colored hair (but I do not plan on doing that for the rest of my career, just to clear things up). He really did not have much to say after that. Perhaps he was just trying to butter me up, or not offend me?
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Have you ever been completely confused by an interpreter?
Joe said that he was not often confused by an interpreter because of his many years of experience translating things for himself. He did say that extreme forms of ASL from inexperienced interpreters were a bit confusing and quite annoying.
I have interviewed many people over the last couple of years, trying to gain insights on how interpreters impact a situation, what the general strengths and weaknesses are, and how I can be a sufficient communication facilitator in the future. All of the people I have talked to previously have never really given me the same answers and perspectives as Joe. It was very refreshing to hear that Joe understands that interpreters are only human. I was also happy that he felt comfortable enough with me to share that information. |
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