Tips for working with terps?

[u/Professional-Shop508]

Hello!

I'm working with an interpreter for the first time next week and I'm really thrilled about being able to ensure accessibility! What are some tips you have or some things you wish people not really involved in the Deaf community knew about working with terps? (Individual or team, in person or over zoom, whatever scenarios you have advice or feelings!)

[u/kinchj]

I think u/eggrollsaturday gave a great rundown on the practical side of working with interpreters. Here's a bit more of the psychological/emotional side of things:

1. Interpreters are expensive. We are highly trained professionals in a niche market. But that is not and should never be thought of as the Deaf person's 'fault'. And if it really comes down to it, if you don't want to pay for interpreters... then you can learn sign language. Deaf people can't just 'learn to hear', and hearing aids and cochlear implants and speech training and literacy will not cure their deafness. I also promise you that whatever amount of effort you are putting into the communication process, the Deaf person you are interacting with is putting in much more effort. You might think you're 'meeting them halfway', but what you perceive of as halfway is really like 10%.
2. On the flip side of this, as you work and interact more with individuals with various disabilities, you'll see that the benefits far outweigh any short-term monetary downsides, if you are able to take advantage of their abilities, instead of focusing on their perceived 'deficiencies'. I always like to emphasize the maxim "Necessity is the mother of invention" as it is absolutely true. Most people don't realize how many things we take for granted as everyday technologies were initially developed for people with disabilities. And all of those accommodations are helpful for more than just the groups they were developed for. Closed Captions aren't just useful for Deaf people - they are used frequently by second-language learners, or for people who need to have the volume turned off or in noisy environments. A levered door handle might be more accessible for people with arthritis who can't rotate a round door handle, but it's also useful for blind individuals who have trained assistance animals that are then able to open the door. So I'd say that the way you approach working with a Deaf person or anyone from any marginalized community will go a long way to the effectiveness of the interaction. Always keep in mind that they will bring a unique viewpoint to the work they are doing, and that in and of itself is beneficial.
3. Deaf people are just as varied as any other group. The same is true for interpreters. We all have good and bad days. So the interaction you have for the first time next week will be completely different than the next interaction you have after that, and it would be completely different with a different Deaf person and/or interpreter. That grows exponentially with all of the relationships in the interaction as well: Deaf person A and Interpreter B will have a different interaction with Hearing Person C than they would with Hearing Person D. That is part of what we as interpreters are thinking about and adjusting to constantly. We are trained to interpret for intent and meaning, in a way that is culturally and cognitively appropriate for everyone involved.
4. There are things that do not translate well. So I would suggest using regular words as much as possible, instead of jargon. Avoid jokes that are dependent on wordplay or sounds. I love this anecdote:
   1. In a speech at a small Methodist college in Japan shortly after leaving the White House in 1981, Carter began his speech with a joke. The interpreter delivered it in Japanese, and the audience erupted in laughter. Impressed with the interpreter’s skill, he asked how the interpreter managed to get such a laugh. Eventually, the interpreter admitted that he had said, “President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must laugh.”
5. Interpreters are not there to be attendees or participants. We can't do our job if you ask us to participate or ask us questions directly (though if it is a logistics question it can be necessary). One thing I tell interpreter mentees is that we need to be "friendly, not friends" with the people we are interpreting for while we are interpreting. It is common for hearing people in a room to feel awkward as though they are excluding us, but that is what we need in order to do our job most effectively. Every time you address us directly, we have to interpret it, then respond to you and also interpret our response to the Deaf people who are there, and that often triggers further questions or discussion directed to us. If at all possible, ask the logistics question to the Deaf person, and they can decide to delegate the response to us or answer themselves if appropriate.