Reaching Through the Silence
Most of the time, to most of
us, American Sign Language interpreters are almost invisible. We see them
standing near the speaker at a graduation ceremony or a press conference, but
once the speaker gets started, the interpreter tends to fade into the
background. Sometimes, true, an interpreter is so dynamic that it’s hard to
look away. In 2012, when Hurricane Sandy threatened New York, Mayor Bloomberg’s
interpreter, Lydia Callis, just about stole the show with her exuberant
signing. And in 2013, people again took notice when the man supposedly
interpreting for President Obama at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela
turned out to be an imposter using nonsense signs. Usually, though, it’s easy
to ignore the interpreters who provide a vital service for some members of our
communities.
One of my daughters, Sarah
Gershone, has always been fascinated by American Sign Language. She started
studying it while still in high school and earned her national certification as
an interpreter after graduating from college. At her suggestion, I wrote first
a short story and then a novel with an ASL interpreter as the protagonist. Sarah
was my constant advisor while I worked on both, and she advised me again when I
decided to write a column answering five basic questions about sign language
and interpreting:
Why do ASL interpreters usually wear dark, plain
clothing?
Interpreters want people to
focus on their hands and faces, not on what they’re wearing. That means solid
colors generally work better than prints or plaids—hands show up more clearly
against a plain background. Interpreters also avoid plunging necklines, bare
arms, jangly jewelry, elaborate hairstyles, heavy makeup, even buttons.
Anything that might be a distraction could interfere with communication.
Why do interpreters sometimes use facial expressions
that seem exaggerated?
When Sarah was working
toward certification and said she was taking a course on facial expressions, I
was surprised. But facial expressions, along with body movements, are an
important part of ASL. They can indicate tone, intensity, even the difference
between a statement and a question.
For example, you sign the word “no” by bringing your index and middle
fingers down to close against your thumb. If you want to make the “no”
emphatic, you might add a head shake, a frown, scrunched-down eyebrows.
What kinds of challenges do ASL interpreters face?
Interpreting can be very
satisfying, but it can also be exhausting. Stress on the hands often becomes
intense, especially if several speakers are involved in a conversation: Other
people are setting the pace, and the interpreter must scramble to keep up.
(That’s one reason interpreters work in pairs when possible.)
Also, interpreters often
work with deaf people in highly charged situations—when they’re getting bad
news from doctors, when they’re being fired, when they’re confiding in divorce
lawyers, when they’re telling psychiatrists about childhood traumas. All that
can leave an interpreter feeling shattered and overwhelmed by the end of the
day.
Interpreters face tough
ethical dilemmas, too. An interpreter provides deaf people with an essential
link to the hearing world. If deaf people fear an interpreter might repeat
something they sign, they won’t feel free to communicate without reservations.
So interpreters have to keep everything they interpret absolutely confidential,
and they aren’t allowed to offer advice unless the deaf person asks them to. If
the client is a deaf teenaged girl agreeing to meet a much older man in a seedy
motel, the interpreter can’t caution the girl or warn her parents. If a hearing
person is luring a deaf person into a financial scam, the interpreter isn’t
allowed to comment. These sorts of situations can leave an interpreter feeling
shattered and overwhelmed, too.
As a hearing person, how should I interact with a
deaf person who has an interpreter?
It may feel odd to talk to
someone who can’t hear you and ignore someone you can see, but that really is
the best way to communicate with a deaf person. Don’t tell the interpreter, “Please
ask John how he’s feeling today.” Instead, look directly at John and say, “How
do you feel today?” The interpreter will sign whatever you say and voice
whatever John signs. During the conversation, try to forget the interpreter’s
there. Again, that may seem odd, even impossible, but it works. Before long, it
will probably start to feel natural. The goal is to communicate directly with
John, just as you would with a hearing person. When the conversation is over,
it’s fine to thank the interpreter, but don’t try to get him or her involved in
the conversation itself.
If I encounter a deaf person who doesn’t have an
interpreter, should I try to communicate?
Definitely. Don’t let
embarrassment about not knowing sign language hold you back. Deaf people can
feel isolated. When hearing people back away because they feel awkward, that
feeling intensifies. So if a deaf person tries to ask you a question or start a
conversation, do your best. Write a note on a piece of paper, or type it on
your phone and hold it up. Use facial expressions, improvised gestures, smiles.
No matter how inept you feel, the deaf person will probably appreciate your
efforts—especially if you’ve learned a few basic signs to help things along.
If you’re interested in
learning more about American Sign Language, you have several options. There are
some helpful websites. ASL pro (http://www.aslpro.com/),
for example, offers video dictionaries and quizzes that can introduce you to
everything from the ASL alphabet to advanced vocabulary and idioms. You might
also try books and videos—your public library probably has some. If you get
really interested, you can check the course listings at local colleges and
community colleges.
And the next time you see an
ASL interpreter working at an event, consider going up afterwards to say hello.
Interpreters can be all too easy to ignore, but they’re fascinating people
doing a complex, crucially important job.
Interpretation of Murder
As an American Sign Language
interpreter, Jane Ciardi stands off to the side. Her life changes when she
takes a job from a Cleveland private detective. Now Jane’s at the center of
things, keeping tabs on a deaf African-American teenager whose odd behavior
alarms her wealthy father. Jane also needs to discover the truth behind two
murders—including the murder of the first interpreter the detective hired. To
get closer to the teenager, Jane joins a fitness center owned by a family that
brings new meaning to the word “dysfunctional.” Jane can’t help feeling
attracted to the family’s youngest son, a cheerfully amoral charmer who seems
equally drawn to her. But he’s keeping secrets, and so are others at the
fitness center. The more Jane learns about the center, the more she suspects
some people go there to get more than a workout. The more she learns, the more
she becomes the target of attacks that force her to use her martial arts skills
to defend herself. Somehow, Jane realizes, the fitness center’s connected to
the two murders and to the deaf teenager’s odd behavior. Jane’s struggle to
unravel all the secrets tests her resourcefulness, her ethics, and her courage.
Buy Links
Interpreter Jane
Ciardi was introduced in a short story first published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and now available on Amazon.
