Personal Narrative: Hearing Interpreters

Superior Essays
Another weakness I noticed in my work is I would apply my own knowledge and logic to my interpretations, which is a skill that can be great, but it can also backfire. For example, one docent signed something that I was certain was accidental, so I decided to correct her mistake in my interpretation. This was a strategy that I have seen other interpreters use, and know it to be effective, but I found it was the wrong choice for this moment. The docent caught my correction and made me reinterpret her statement, believing that what she signed was accurate. I noticed I struggled to interpret information that I knew was wrong. As an interpreter, I do not usually have the luxury to share my thoughts and views on a situation. Tenet 2.5 of RID’s Code of Professional Conduct (Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf, 2005) …show more content…
My hearing audiences were usually very small groups, and at times just a single guest. I liked this because small groups allow for more questions and interaction. The tour can also be more personalized this way with questions like “what’s your favorite play from Shakespeare?” Which I cannot do with a group of 15 guests, as time does not permit it. The main challenge with hearing guests was that I worked through an interpreter. Since I am hearing, the audience member spoke to me directly, but I still responded in ASL. The dynamics of any situation changes the moment you use an interpreter. Using an interpreter influenced how I signed and even controlled my word choices. My pacing became a lot slower, with extended pauses after comments to give the interpreter time to process the information. This is not something that I usually do if only one language is being used. Working with an interpreter that I socialize with outside of the classroom was far easier. Since we socialize often, she does not have to work so hard to process my language, which allowed me to have a more natural

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