The Interpreters' Newsletter n. 19 - 2014

This paper presents the results of a research study exploring the work context and professional experiences of 11 Deaf interpreters based in Europe. Findings indicate that Deaf interpreters are not afforded the same educational opportunities or work experiences as hearing sign language interpreters in several European nations. Factors required for successful cooperation in Deaf/hearing interpreting teams are addressed in this study amongst which is increased awareness amongst hearing interpreters regarding the work and skill of Deaf interpreters.

This study explores the quality of sign language interpreters in the Netherlands from a deaf user perspective. Deaf sign language users select an interpreter according to situational factors, the interpreter’s professional skills and norms. The choice for a specific interpreter is based on a set of individual quality criteria. Results of the study indicate that consumers firstly aim to select an interpreter who will render a faithful and understandable interpretation. Further results show that the criteria vary depending on the setting, such as employment, education, and community. Lastly, the study suggests that many deaf sign language users lack awareness regarding the professional requirements of the interpreter, and also many interpreters lack insight regarding the expectations of the deaf sign language user.

The evaluation of working memory capacity (WMC) in signed language interpreters represents a noticeable research gap in both cognitive psychology and interpreting studies. This study compared two scoring methods – total items and proportion items – for an English listening span task and an Auslan (Australian Sign Language) working memory (WM) span task, which were administered to 31 professional Auslan/English interpreters. Given the small sample size, results reveal that the total items measure was marginally better than the proportion items measure in terms of psychometric properties. When used for statistical analyses of the interpreters’ bilingual WMC, the two scoring methods yielded the same result pattern occasionally, but they also produced discrepant outcomes at times. Unlike the proportion items measure, the total items measure did not reveal statistically significant results. The total items measure was chosen as the final scoring method for this study only. These findings indicate that researchers need to be aware of methodological issues when they create and score WM span tasks.

A fundamental principle held by professional American Sign Language-English interpreters is the critical importance of preparing for assignments; however, neither preparation strategies nor their efficacy have been studied in depth. For this study, six experienced ASL-English conference interpreters were interviewed about the preparation process they used to render President Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural address into ASL. The participants were given the full script of Obama’s speech and 20 minutes of preparation time. After completing their interpretations, the participants engaged in a retrospective verbal report regarding their preparation strategies. The descriptive findings suggest that even ASL-English interpreters with experience in conference settings do not have standard strategies for preparing with written material, especially when interpreting a dense text under time constraints. A systematic approach to teaching preparation may improve the quality of the interpretations of scripted speeches, and other discourse genres, by ASL-English interpreters.

American Sign Language-English interpreters employed in the video relay service (VRS) industry in the United States are subject to numerous guidelines for processing calls, which are mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or by independent VRS companies. Anecdotally, VRS interpreters report ambiguity about the guidelines and their impact on the quality of their interpretations. In this pilot study, I investigated the origin of VRS guidelines by reviewing public documents from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I then interviewed four experienced VRS interpreters regarding their perceptions of the origin and impact of the constraints placed on interpreters in VRS. Two themes emerged in the interview data: 1) interpreters are uncertain whether the constraints placed on their work are federally mandated or established by individual corporations, and 2) interpreters report a sense of responsibility for their work and have concerns regarding constraints on their professional autonomy. This study suggests that interpreters in the U.S. do not have sufficient knowledge about the system in which they work to make informed decisions when working in VRS.