What Sign Language Interpreters Do

Statistics indicate that over 21 million Americans are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Members of this group might be encountered as customers, employers, clients, fellow employees, audience members, or in any social relationship imaginable. Differences in communication styles can make these interactions difficult.

Enter the sign language interpreter.

Sign language interpreters are professionals who bridge the gap between hearing members of society and deaf or hard-of hearing members. They are fluent in one or more spoken languages (usually including English), and American Sign Language (ASL). The sign language interpreter allows easy communication between native English speakers and native users of ASL. Contrary to popular myth, ASL is not “English on the hands” but rather a full and complete visual-gestural language, grammatically and structurally different from spoken English.

In our daily lives, most of us are unfamiliar with the use of any kind of language interpreters, even less so with the specific protocols of ASL-English interpreters. Yet this process can become smooth and easy by following a few simple guidelines about effectively interacting with interpreters and deaf people.

Using An Interpreter

Let’s imagine that you are a hearing businessperson responsible for a presentation at a client’s office. The client informs you that one of the meeting participants is deaf, and that an interpreter will be provided. How will this change your presentation?

The Initial Meeting

The interpreter may come to the meeting independently or in the company of the deaf client. If they come together, don’t fall into the trap of assuming that the two of them have worked together in the past; they may have only met moments before. In many cases, since the deaf and interpreting communities are small, the deaf client and the interpreter may be acquainted, but remember: you are also the interpreter’s client, not only the deaf person. Interpreters are bound by professional codes of ethics to present a fair and accurate interpretation to both parties. The interpreter is not on one person’s “side.”

If you have a few moments before the meeting begins, there are two things you should address with the interpreter:

1) discuss the interpreter’s physical placement;

2) brief them about any special audio or visual presentations.