Alexander Ogheneruemu
“A sign language Interpreter, well skilled and proficient in executing his tasks is a priceless asset – still, it’s more than just skills”
To begin with, I always try to make it a point to acknowledge my “still relatively new” status within the deaf community when writing on topics like this. By thus doing, I admit standing to be corrected whenever I miss it. In other words, I’m saying opposing views, constructive criticisms, comments, etc, are welcome.
While my “still brief” romance with deaf hood had been enriched by a number of remarkable experiences and encounters, I’m reminded that these experiences remain an infinitesimal portion of an intimidatingly vast territory of discovery that yet remains to be explored.
Meanwhile, I still find it intriguing that of the myriads of subjects that could be broached under deafness, the subject of sign language and proficiency in its usage/interpretation remains a cherished favorite. This subject, which in my opinion, is synonymous with “deaf culture”, stands out as the one, most conspicuous element of “Deaf Identity”.
I will at this point observe a pause, doff the hat, and do a bow to the committed sign language Interpreter out there conscientiously bridging communicative gaps for deaf and hard of hearing folks in a predominantly hearing world. Granted, the place of these professionals in the scheme of things is indispensable and cannot be overestimated. It stands sacrosanct and should be held in high esteem. Alas, more often than not, the reverse is the case. I therefore write this series in hopes of getting some things straight. Notwithstanding, to the faithful peddlers of “talking hands and communicative gestures”, I say, you are appreciated.
I beg to digress, briefly.
It’s now some four or five years since I began the arduous switch from relying solely on lip-reading to sign language in bridging the communication barriers of deafness. This period has witnessed some strident advancements and landmarks.
Read Also:Why We Should All Learn Sign Language, the Native Language of Deaf People
Looking back, I’m still amazed at my steady metamorphosis from one who’d struggled to understand the simplest of signed expressions to developing refined tastes for the art of signing. Like a connoisseur, I tend to be so engrossed with its aesthetics and technicalities.
I am humbled when folks, who have long before me been in the community and culture ask my help with signed expressions. It’s quite remarkable that at least sixty percent of the time, I have been able to help out. No mean feat for a guy who started out frustratingly dumb and annoyingly antagonistic towards picking up sign language as a communication gap bridger. But let me quickly add: the learning process continues, and I have only made this digression as it provides a background germane to the motivation for this write-up.
Back to the thrust of our discourse. Four years or so of depending on sign language interpreting for effective receptive communication has offered ample time and opportunity to arrive at informed judgments on factors that make for Interpreting excellence, drawing largely from personal experience. An earned right.
Furthermore, much insight have been gleaned from up close interactions with these helpers of the deaf as well as from being privy to perspectives of deaf folks themselves on this subject of what makes an interpreter tick and click.
It is no news that these clients (deaf persons) often fault the service provider (Interpreters) one way or another, their skill in the art notwithstanding. While this might seem okay in an imperfect world of imperfect humans, it ought to raise eyebrows for fault-finding remains one of the biggest killers of motivation.
Sign language interpreting is quite a demanding job and criticism is the last thing an interpreter deserves, more so, from beneficiaries of his/her services. So why are interpreters receiving more flaks than accolades? The answer is direct: it’s more than just skills.
Another pertinent question to ask is: how justified are the dissatisfactions by the aggrieved and to what degree do they feel wronged?
To be fair, neither party can be right all the time. The crux of the matter therefore lies in the degree to which lines of decency, decorum and dignity of the human person are being crossed knowingly and unknowingly. Here, experience shows that clients have always been on the receiving end.
Let me emphasize this: I will not be misunderstood as downplaying the importance of skills in the interpreting profession. At same time, I won’t hesitate to press home that an Interpreter can have all the interpreting skills in the world but if these skills aren’t moderated by a “something more”, it’s easy to get shot in the foot.
So what’s that something more? ATTITUDE, simply put. As in life generally, so also in this rather sensitive field involving human emotions and sensibilities. Attitude remains the overriding factor that pulls everything together successfully.
We shall be dissecting this factor in greater detail in sequels to this piece. Stay tuned.