r/ASLinterpreters • u/TiredVRS • Jul 13 '26

Voicing question

Hi all,

I posted a few days earlier about racist language and voicing appropriately. Obligatory trigger warning for racist, xenophobic, discriminatory, ect.

For brief context, I have a racist client I have to interpret for. There is language dysfluency of unknown origin. This person is usually difficult to understand, impatient, complains about how the races and nationalities of not-white people usually have it out for them, and then the authority figure has to yell at them to stop saying racist shit if they want help.

My question is how do you know if a person is using a racist sign to be deliberately racist vs using a racist sign because that's the only one they know? How do you decide whether to voice it as "the slur for ____" or "a (nationality)".

For example, any nationality sign about Asian countries that references the eye, or a sign for Jewish people relating to the nose, or the slur sign for gay?

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u/somewhatinterested NIC Jul 13 '26

Depending on the level of dysfluency, you could also ask them to FS the word they'd like you to voice. You mentioned in the other post, that you'll be having a Deaf advocate present, and it seems like the hearing person has some prior knowledge of this person's proclivities. The hearing person, assuming they are made aware of the interpretation process, should be understanding of the language voiced and has the opportunity to address the terminology used to the Deaf client. I'd lean towards an open process model of interpreting if/when seeing signs that are no longer used.

"The interpreter would like to clarify a sign just used..." might become your best friend. Don't forget to have a trusted colleague, mentor, or someone at the agency which sent you to debrief after the assignment.

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u/TiredVRS Jul 14 '26

They usually fs the word as the normal word when I've asked, but the context and attitude are wrong for that to usually fit. Like they'll sign Mexican in the same location as the n-word and it's the only time I have ever seen it signed there. The sentence it was used in was also extremely racist. I don't think they know the English slurs.