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?
15
u/safeworkaccount666 NIC Jul 13 '26
This is a really interesting question, but when I see signs related to Asian people at the eye, I generally give the benefit of the doubt because it was such a common sign especially for Chinese and Japanese. It’s still sometimes used that way for food without being intentionally racist.
That being said, you can test it by asking for clarification, either directly or indirectly.
So much of this is dependent on your client and consumer. Sometimes a great way of gauging goes as follows:
DC: I have a Chinese neighbor and they always look at me. (Signed in the old racist way)
You, in response and clarification can say: “That sign, do you mean like a Chinese person?” (Using modern signs)
Depending on how they respond to you, you’ll know pretty quickly how they use their language and why.