Sign Language Interpreting

Track

Overview

Sign language interpreters facilitate communication between d/Deaf and hearing individuals in every setting imaginable, including educational, medical, mental health, legal, religious, and more. Regardless of the setting, the interpreter’s primary job is not to help Deaf people, rather it is to facilitate communication between sign language users and people who use a spoken language (in the US that is typically American Sign Language and English, but it may not always be the case). Below is a description of the three most common areas where interpreters work:

Educational Interpreters working in K-12 to post-secondary (associate, graduate, and post-graduate) settings. Each of these settings have unique challenges and characteristics. Interpreters typically work full time directly for the school system which hires them. They follow the school system’s academic calendar schedule. The interpreter may be hired to interpret for a Deaf employee or a Deaf student.
Community Interpreters are often freelancers who work in a variety of settings within a 24 hour period. They must be highly skilled and flexible to be able to thrive in this type of setting because the “setting” is never the same and they often do not get to see the same clients/consumers on a regular basis. A typical day might start off in a medical office for a routine exam and end up in an AA meeting at night. For example, community interpreters may work in courthouses, remote, hospitals and medical offices, office and government buildings, colleges, warehouses, and conference settings. Interpreters who work in the community typically subcontract with multiple agencies. The agencies act as brokers between the interpreter and the client (the one who is requesting/paying for the interpreting services). Each agency has various rates and pay schedules depending on their policies and procedures; and, also the size of the organization can vary from mom-n-pop agency (Deaf or hearing owned) to more corporate level.
Video Remote Interpreters facilitate communication for callers through the Federal Communications Commission and work either in their home offices or at central calling centers. There are many types of video remote providers these days - some Deaf owned and some interpreter owned. These agencies are generally corporate organizations and can vary in size. VRS interpreters facilitate any business that a typical hearing person might conduct on a phone which includes but is not limited to: appointments, take-out orders, chats with loved ones, job interviews, bill payments, and more. VRS is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and agencies typically allow interpreters great flexibility in choosing their schedule. Though VRS interpreters cannot predict the topic of their next call, they can expect to change calls and topics at least every seven minutes. Some find VRS interpreting quite challenging since the communication is received in a two-dimensional format, lack of context for the calls, the language variations of consumers across the US, and the nature of technical skill that is required to facilitate communication in remote settings.

Overall, interpreters play a critical role in facilitating communication access for deaf individuals in all aspects of society. The interpreted content and social norms may vary greatly depending on the setting an interpreter works.

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