The transition from student to working interpreter can be challenging when current practitioners are hesitant to step forward as guides. Brian Morrison pushes back on some negative mindsets regarding passing the torch, and makes suggestions on how to reach out to the next generation.
With fall upon us, students in interpreter training programs all over the country have begun another semester on their journey to becoming a sign language interpreter. Along with the classroom lectures and hands-on practice teachers are planning, they are also reaching out to the interpreting community for one of the most crucial pieces of the students’ development, observation and mentoring opportunities. However, these opportunities are becoming increasingly difficult to find. While some of the scarcity can be attributed to specific requirements of the situation, some of the difficulty is also due to a lack of support by the sign language interpreting community.
“Why would I train students to take my jobs?”
The statement above is a common one given as an explanation as to why sign language interpreters don’t want to work with students. This statement saddens me not only as an interpreter, but as an interpreter educator as well. Personally, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today if it wasn’t for the mentors and interpreters that I looked up to and served as models during my early development. As an educator who is striving to find opportunities for students, it’s equally frustrating.
How many of us benefited from these types of relationships that our students are striving to find and often cannot? What if, while we were developing our own skills, interpreters had given us the same reply? Would we be the interpreters we are today?
Where’s the disconnect? All interpreters who have gone through an Interpreter Education Program (IEP) experienced similar requirements for working with interpreters as students are doing now. Has it been so long that we’ve forgotten what it was once like when we were in their shoes?
Overall, students in these programs truly want to become interpreters and be contributing members of the profession. They sacrifice their time to focus on their skills and are committed to that process. As Stacey Webb highlights in her article, The Value of Networking for the Developing Sign Language Interpreter:
“In order for students to be successful sign-language interpreters, prior to graduating it is critical that they develop a relationship with both the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community (DHHC) and current-working professionals within the DHHC. This would include interpreters, educators and DHHC advocates. By fostering these relationships, students will create educational, professional and personal opportunities that would not be available to them outside of the classroom environment.”
So while students do make attempts at networking to cultivate these opportunities, it is very often a struggle.
“They have no respect for the elders in the profession”
This statement above, and variations of it, is another common sentiment towards students. While I don’t deny that attitudes reflective of this statement do exist among students, I also have to wonder how much responsibility can be attributed to the current state of the ‘system’? What I have learned is that students are very observant. They learn by watching and they often emulate what they see. In our reluctance to work with students, have we conveyed to them that we don’t value them or their work? Have we somehow systematically disrespected the label “student” through our actions or lack thereof? In her article, What Role Does Civility Play in the Sign Language Interpreting Profession?, Carolyn Ball stresses the importance of civility in the field of interpreting and interpreter education. She states:
“If all interpreters, educated through formal training, were given a clear sense of the importance of civility in the workplace and in interactions with colleagues, perhaps more recent graduates would benefit from repeat business and high levels of job satisfaction.”
As educators, cultivating an attitude of civility is definitely something that we can incorporate into our interpreter education programs. In turn, as experienced interpreters, we can also be the models of civility that we want them to emulate by embracing these students and guiding them into the profession.
As a profession, we recognize there is a shortage of qualified sign language interpreters. While several factors contribute to this, the fact is that most of these graduates will go on to work as interpreters. Many of them, like most of us when we started working as interpreters, will not be as prepared as they should be. Additionally, at some point, they will become our colleagues. If, as a profession, we made a commitment to being more involved with students early on in their professional lives, we could be training the team member we will want to work successfully with later. The latter scenario also suggests apossibility, the interpreted interaction as much more successful.
“I can’t believe you don’t know that!”
Interpreter education programs have a finite amount of time. We know that they aren’t able to teach everything we would like students to know before they enter the field. The field of sign language interpreter education has grown in the last several years thanks to organizations such as the Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT), the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education (CCIE), and National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC). New research, new curricula, and improved standards for education programs are now available and these programs have access to materials and information which weren’t previously available. Rather than viewing interpreter education programs negatively or putting the sole onus on them for having not taught students all they need to know, we can shift our focus to building on their existing foundation. To echo Kate Block’s sentiment in her article, Mentorship: Sign Language Interpreters Embrace Your Elders, take advantage of this new information that the students can bring to our work. Imagine the outcomes when the new student and the experienced interpreter learn and grow from sharing their knowledge with each other.
“What can I do?
I think first and foremost, we can be the manifestation of the theme, “I Am Change”, as StreetLeverage challenges us to do through this website. Interpreter education programs and students cannot be ignored, so as a responsibility to our profession, we can decide to step up and support our novices.
How can we make that change? There are several things that as individuals we can do right now.
Remember your passion.
Reflect back on your journey to becoming an interpreter. Remember what it was like to be that student…eager to learn and wanting experiences.
Offer observation.
Offer 2-3 opportunities a month to the local ITP for student observations. While much of the work may not be suitable or possible to have students present, we often do have situations that would be perfect.
Present.
Offer to go and speak to students at the local ITP. If you can’t offer them observations, offer them your wisdom in the classroom.
Sponsor a student.
Become a “Big Brother/Big Sister” to an ITP student. I think if we all look back to our early days, at least one name will come to mind as someone who “took us under their wing” and got us through. Be that person to a student. Be the interpreter you want to see the students grow to become.
Host an induction.
As a community and/or alumni association, host an induction ceremony for a graduating group of interpreting students. Acknowledge their hard work and dedication while welcoming them into this sometimes crazy, always wonderful world of interpreting.
Start a group.
Establish reflective practitioner groups that include students and new interpreters. StreetLeverage articles provide excellent discussion material for all levels of sign language interpreters. Case conferencing allows for insightful discussions of the decision making process based on actual scenarios.
I’m a strong believer in the idea of “it takes a village.” This is our profession and as such, we need to actively commit to the next generation of interpreters. Let’s face it, as individuals we will not be in the field forever. In order to preserve our legacy, we can leave positive impressions on the lives of the next generation. Let’s raise them well.
What will your contribution be?
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51 Comments on "It Takes a Village to Raise a Sign Language Interpreter"
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i really enjoyed this article. well written with many valid points to consider. thank you
Hi Sandi,
Thanks so much for your comments and suggestion! I do have my students get business cards for their internship class, but maybe I should start doing that during their first class where they are interacting with interpreters. I love Vistaprint and it’s a very economical way to get some cards. Thanks for the idea!
And THANKS for the work you do with mentoring new students!
B
Sandi,
I absolutely love your idea about the business cards for the students. I am currently and ASL interpreting student. Is there a specific level that you believe a student should begin using these cards? Also, on the card, I would put my name as well as a contact person, their number and email. Is there anything else that should go on these cards? Thank you for your time.
Kaitlyn
I love this article. I also think we should find ways to support our students. In Ohio, we started a student poster session at our state conference last year. It was a big success and we got to see up-and-coming interpreters make a contribution and network early in their careers. I hope more state and national conferences find ways to get students involved in more ways than just running the registration table. Thanks Brian.
Thanks, Austin! What a fantastic idea on the poster sessions! Thank you for sharing that! I should have added a piece about sharing ideas and resources in the “What can I do?” section. If communities like yours that are doing things like this find a forum or mechanism for sharing with the rest of the profession what they are doing, we could “pick and choose” what could work best for us. Having a “resource pool” of ideas would be great!
Thanks again, Austin for your commitment to the future of the profession!
Best,
Brian
While seasoned interpreters may rightfully complain about the lack of respect towards the profession’s Elders, we need to remember that our professional Elders said the same thing about us. The bottom line is that we need to cease treating our professional Elders as disposable. We also need to stop “eating our young”. If we don’t train behind, we’ll never get ahead. No community has ever survived by mistreating their Elders or their youth. Neither will we. We reap what we sow.
Thank you, Rick. Well said! We need both groups if we are truly to become a profession to be proud of.
Best,
Brian
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts as a student. First of all…congrats on the work that you have accomplished so far in the program! I completely agree with you…I don’t get it either when people say “we eat our young”. I just don’t see how that benefits the student, the Deaf community or the interpreting profession. You have some great advice for other students as well!
Thanks again! Congrats and best wishes on your career as an interpreter!
Wonderful article! As a “seasoned” interpreter, I take pride in mentoring the next generation. I feel it is critical for the future of educational interpreting. I’ve had a variety of practicum students…from amazingly skilled students ready to work in a classroom to students who could not interpret their way out of a paper bag! A good IEP program is only as strong as its’ weakest link. We need to be a solid link to the future of interpreting!
I couldn’t agree more with your weakest link comment! Thanks, Pamela!
HI Rene,
Thank you for your comments. As a student, I think you have a valuable perspective and your experiences are something we can all learn from. I wish you the best of luck as you continue your studies and become an interpreter!
Brian
Hi! See my comment below.
Shelly Hansen SC:L/CI/CT
Thanks for your comments, Christian. I think you are right that in many facets of our profession we could use more mentoring. Good luck with your SC:L!
Best,
Brian
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue Brian. As an agency, when booking a team of interpreters, it is so refreshing to receive feedback: 1.) from the newer interpreter who felt mentored and was made to feel comfortable while working alongside the more experienced interpreter….and 2.) from the “seasoned” interpreter willing to share with us their perceptions regarding the new interpreter’s strengths and areas which might need attention. It’s truly a win-win for us, the interpreters, and the Deaf community.
Thanks for your comments from the perspective of an agency. When agencies can participate in the mentoring process it makes it that much better for all involved. I appreciate you making that commitment!
I would love to work with serious students. I am a certified Educational Interpreter. How do I find mentees?
Thanks, Linden. I would suggest contacting your local IEP/ITP or your state RID chapter. Often times they will be able to get you in contact with someone looking for mentors.
Good luck!
Brian
Brian, if you contact RID chapter in your state, is that usually for Interpreters looking for people to mentor that have finished a program and is in the intern period, OR could a mentor be willing to help someone that has not finished the program but would like help while they are going through the program?
Some students (I was one of them) really understand it better when we can see the concept in action. I would be open to helping them out on their level. Judgment is a huge turn-off.
Linden where are you located?
Dan,
Nicely put!
Hello Brian,
Thank you very much for this article. As an ITP student hoping to graduate this spring, I am on the lookout for a mentor. My local RID chapter is in the process of establishing a mentor program, but cannot guarantee it will be up and running by the time I graduate. This article has giving me some great guidelines on how to be a respectful “mentee”. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to approach established interpreters when looking for a mentor?
Best Regards,
Lauria
Thanks so much for this article! I’m a student now in an ITP and just as much as we need deaf people to practice our skills with, we also need to observe other interpreters as well. We feel and see the negative attitudes that already certified interpreters show us. This is a great article to express the unnecessary negative connotations towards students and towards other interpreters as well.
Thanks again Brian!
Wonderful article Brian! My experience with interpreting students is limited because, as someone mentioned, many students’ schedules just do not accommodate. Working in a hospital-heavy city, I so fear bringing a student to that one appointment where the Deaf consumer feels his or her privacy is compromised. I worked with students much more years ago when I had a consistent University schedule.
Hello again~
Forgot to add: my mentors have all (?) been educational terps or employees of a college, Deaf people, DIs or online/distance. I cannot remember any live/in-person freelance interpreter mentoring me who wasn’t either paid for their time, part of a training for which I paid or a school employee. I love the LIMS group thru RID…wonderful online mentoring in legal issues. I also love the mentoring/feedback I get from people on DVTV and thru youtube. Great resource for professional development.
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