How do you work with an interpreter?

There’s one situation I observed that prompted me to ask you this question.  When you sign to a hearing person or a group of hearing people using an interpreter, who do you look at? At the interpreter directly?  Or at hearing person/people?  Discuss!

Joey

 

16 comments

  • Gino Villarreal 8 years ago

    Hi Joey, I always look at the person like doctor while hearing interperter is speaking plus I sign, not look at the hearing interperter when I sign.

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  • Susie Kelly 8 years ago

    I always look at the person I’m signing to. Occasionally I would look at the terp to make sure he/she follows through. This way they’ll realize VRI will be out of the question for me ?

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  • Gilda Toby Ganezer 8 years ago

    Hi Joey,

    Wow! Thank you for keeping me posted. Avery Posner and I have been watching your videos occasionally! Excellent discussion you got there. I would choose to look at an interpreter out of fear that she / he would not catch every word, sentence, idiomatic expressions I used during my conversation. Aside from ethics set by interpreters, I am always cautious about the “filtration” set by interpreters at times. Except if I become much more familiar with a specific interpreter, my confidence level will rise enough for me to maintain eye contact with the hearing client instead. And, by the way, your sister is my fan and friend. We always appreciate your vlogs.

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  • Nancy Rarus 8 years ago

    I’m like you. I look at interpreters when I know they may hv a hard time saying e x a c t l y what and how I said it and or use a 74 dollar word

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  • Patrick Graybill 8 years ago

    The interpreter’s main responsibility is to facilitate communication between two persons who want to communicate with each other. In a word, I will look at the person with whom I communicate; therefore, I am in the moment. If I look at the interpreter, it will look like a lack of confidence in that interpreter. If the interpreter misses something, it is his/her responsibility to ask for clarification. However, when the other party wants to talk to me, I look at the interpreter. Maybe that party feels left out.

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  • Sandra 8 years ago

    I do look at person when I sign but I do “watch” interpreter sometime to make sure if interpreter do right even I suggest interpreter to stand up behind person so I can see both mostly contact person not interpreter

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  • Simon 8 years ago

    Hi Joey,
    I always look an interpreter while Doctor or anyone say. I sign to Doctor/ hearing people so an interpreter talks to them. VRI is out of questions due internet connect vary poor service or wireless poor.

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  • Dennise Scott 8 years ago

    Hi Joey,

    I do the same way what u just mentioned….it would be interesting what the other people say.

    Reply
  • Steven Stubbs 8 years ago

    As interpreters often say, “It depends”. If I can trust the interpreter to interrupt if she is not following me, then I’ll look at the hearing person. But if the interpreters suck, I’d look at her more often – more often than I’d like to. It is only because they refuse to ask for clarifications. I won’t know they are missing something unless I observe their body language / facial expression. This is unfortunate that these interpreters won’t admit they need to work with us!

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  • Barbara Hathaway 8 years ago

    It depends where and who I am to meet with. I normally look at the person with but the only thing I question myself. Is the interpreter really saying the right thing what I say?

    Once I had a presentation given at the University of Phoenix, I had an interpreter telling me that the other interpreter did interpret correctly but used baby words. She did not bring up to my educational standard to show to teacher and class of my knowledge. Which unfortunately did hurt my final grade. Ever since then, I had to look at interpreter to make sure they got the concept across correctly.

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  • Sandra Goldstein 8 years ago

    I tend to look directly to the person, not the interpreter. But when that person speaks to me, he or she looks to the interpreter instead of me. I feel left out. Like I am a classroom teacher. I have an interpreter for my classes because several cochlear implant students do not understand ASL. They look at the interpreter instead of me.

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  • Jose-Ovi Velasquez 8 years ago

    I think it is SO funny. Because I talked to an interpreter yesterday at my work, I asked him WHY WHY WHY Deaf people who has degree tend to have their eye contact to an interpreter directly. Does it mean they don’t trust any interpreter? Just habit? Feel comfortable to have eye contact to an interpreter directly. I ALWAYS have my eye contact to my teacher, colleagues, chair, supervisor, waitress, director, friends, and anyone. I want them to aware that they are important to me. Make sure that they know that Deaf people is strange or weird. I am human being as they are. I asked myself many times WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY deaf people have eye contact and translate to an interpreter.

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  • Herman Fletcher 8 years ago

    Hello, I always enjoyed watching your vlog. About interpreter, I always talked direct to an interpreter, my bad habit and should have signed direct to a person, I talk to. I guess I look and sign to an interpreter to make sure he/she understand what I say.

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  • SilentArt 8 years ago

    my requirement is that eye contact is important between me and hearing… And more I like to acknowledge with interpreter before starting communicate with hearing person to measure interpreter’s skill and understanding my style of hand sign…

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  • Paulette Sottak 8 years ago

    It may be old news with my late comment … Most of the time I signed directly to a hearing person trusting that an interpreter was doing his/her job. Periodically I glanced at the interpreter assuring that s/he was following me.

    Reply

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