“Interpreting 101” video
Video Description:
On a light blue background, text in teal and red: Accommodations 101 - Interpreting.
Then, animated text in red: What are the different kinds of interpreters? The NDC logo appears in the lower right corner.
Now, Amy Parsons, a light-skinned Black Deaf woman with a close-cut, curly hairstyle appears. She’s wearing a blue shirt and patterned circular earrings. She signs.
Speech:
When you think of a sign language interpreter, you may only imagine one type of interpreter.
However, there are a host of types of interpreters who work with a range of deaf people.
The role of the interpreter appears to be very straightforward—
to effectively facilitate communication between deaf and hearing people in a variety of settings.
Here are a few examples.
Video Description:
Text in bottom right corner reads: ASL INTERPRETER
A black woman with short, narrow locks, teal glasses, gold hoop earrings, and a denim jacket and teal and purple scarf is speaking. Next to her are the singing hands of an interpreter. Next are two white men with beards sitting at a table in front of a window with red velvet curtains. They are watching a presenter.
The camera shifts back to the black woman speaking, seen over the shoulder of the male attendees. We now see the interpreter, a Latino man with a beard, mustache and bald head. He’s wearing small hoop earrings and a brown suit jacket and shirt.
Now a border view of the same scene, a diverse group of people sit around a conference table, walls and windows covered with red velvet curtains. Some people are standing while others sit. The presenter and interpreter stand at the front of the room. Behind them is a slide presentation with the heading “About Marcia & Victoria.”
Again, the text appears, now at the top left: ASL INTERPRETER. Amy signs.
Speech:
The most common type of interpreting seen today uses two different languages. American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. In order to be effective in any situation, ASL interpreters must have fluency in both languages.
Video Description:
Text in bottom right corner reads: MULTILINGUAL INTERPRETER
A panel of 4 Latinx people sit on chairs on a stage. One panelist has a yellow lab service dog at their feet. A host stands, looking back at the slide presentation projected behind them. The text on the slide behind them, and to the side of them is in Spanish and English.
The camera pans to show a Latino sitting with an audience. He has salt and pepper hair, cut short with a fade leading to a short-cropped beard and mustache, signing ASL.
Text appears in the upper left side of the screen: MULTILINGUAL INTERPRETER. The scene shifts back to Amy. She signs.
Speech:
Some interpreters know three or more languages. These multilingual interpreters are able to interpret among at least one signed language and two or more spoken languages.
Video Description:
Text on the bottom right reads, “DEAF INTERPRETER.”
The scene shows two women standing on stage in front of a large slide display with the text “#deafsuccess” projected on a screen. A white woman with a dark, short bob and wearing a light tone suit jacket stands behind a wooden podium with a laptop wired to it. Next to her is another white woman with short hair, wearing black, and signing in ASL, “Your state, your plan…”
Now back to Amy and the text DEAF INTERPRETER.
Speech:
A deaf interpreter has native fluency in ASL and its culture. Deaf interpreters are used to meet the unique linguistic needs of a wide range of deaf people. For example, a deaf immigrant who brings with them their home country’s language.
Video Description:
Text on the bottom right reads: PROTACTILE INTERPRETER
Two female interpreters and a deafblind participant sit together. One interpreter, an olive-skinned woman wearing black, sits just behind the deafblind participant, a black woman with short, curly hair and shiny teardrop hoop earrings. The interpreter touches the deafblind participant’s back, using different handshapes and gestures. The other interpreter sits to the side and just in front of the deafblind participant, signing into their hand.
Now the camera pans back to see these women, plus more deafblind people and interpreters among them in the audience.
Now back to Amy and the text: PROTACTILE INTERPRETER at the top of the screen.
Speech:
ProTactile interpreters work with people who are DeafBlind. Many DeafBlind people use ProTactile, a combination of sign language, body cues, and touch to not only support communication, but also to describe what is happening in their surroundings.
Video Description:
The text animates to disappear and be replaced with “CUED SPEECH TRANSLITERATOR.”
Speech:
With Cued Speech Transliteration handshapes are used in different locations near the mouth to “cue” the different English phonetic markers.
Video Description:
Text appears: Shilpa Hanumantha, Clinical Psychologist. Cued Speech.
Shilpa, an Indian woman with long dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and olive scarf, sits in a wood-paneled room with sconce lights on along the wall. She uses Cued Speech.
Speech:
What does deaf mean to me? Well, many many things.
Video Description:
Now Shilpa shifts to using ASL.
Speech:
English is my first language. ASL is my second language. I first learned English through Cued English/Cued Speech.
Video Description:
Now back to Amy and the text: ORAL TRANSLITERATORS
Speech:
Oral Transliterators silently repeat English being spoken while using gestures, pointing, and other techniques and strategies.
Video Descriptions:
The text disappears as Amy continues.
Now you’ve seen the range of interpreter types. Interpreters must have the knowledge and experience to match the settings where they work.
Video Description:
A black woman with long hair and bangs stands on an upper floor of a building in front of a wall of windows looking out onto a college campus. Text appears: “Felicia Williams, Professor.” She signs.
Speech:
I experienced getting the exact interpreter I wanted on graduation day. I was one of the commencement presenters at Gallaudet. While preparing my presentation, I kept thinking about the fact that I wanted to use my own preferred interpreter. It’s rare that I have the opportunity to choose my own interpreter, because the overarching goal is simply access, but on this important day, a Black woman, I wanted an interpreter who would match my voice. It was important to have an interpreter with that cultural awareness.
Video Description:
Now back to Amy, who continues to sign.
Speech:
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that an interpreter be qualified and have the language fluency to effectively interpret between both languages. They must also be familiar with specialized vocabulary.
Video Description:
A white man with salt and pepper short hair, beard, and mustache, sits in a room with concrete floors and pillars. There are several wall partitions and windows looking out onto the street.
Text appears: Christopher Hoffman, Architect. He signs.
Speech:
In a perfect world there would be an interpreter with several different degrees, in architecture, biology, etc.
But again, the point is it was important that the interpreter match my communication style and I match theirs so that it works well.
Video Description:
Now back to Amy.
Speech:
When it comes to hiring an interpreter, it’s critical to have the deaf person involved in that decision-making process.
Video Description:
Amy fades as animated text appears: “To learn more, go to nationaldeafcenter.org/interpreting.”
NDC Logo appears above text, black lettering on a white background: nationaldeafcenter.org
“This video was developed under a jointly-funded grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) #HD326D160001. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the federal government.”
Next to it, three logos appear. The first reads “IDEAs that Work” with an arrow drawing a circle from “IDEAs” to “Work” and the words “U.S. Office of Special Education Programs”. The second logo shows a red-and-blue star with text next to it that reads “TA&D”. The third logo shows a blue circle around a tree. In the blue circle are the words “U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.”
End of Accessibility Document
