Civility Within the Interpreting Profession: A Novice’s Perspective
Recommitting to the principles of civility aligns sign language interpreters with the Code of Professional Conduct while fostering positive interactions both online and in person.
I have always believed strongly in the school of hard knocks. As a sign language interpreter, I have held the opinion that sensitivity is not a luxury we can afford if we want to make it in this field; if you cannot accept criticism, this is not the job for you. My opinion in the last several weeks has changed.
According to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), sign language interpreters are required to “maintain civility towards colleagues, interns and students of the profession.” (RID code of professional conduct, Tenet 5.1, 2009). Unfortunately, with the proliferation of websites like Facebook, Twitter, personal web pages, public forums, and other forms of social media, this tenet seems to be disappearing into the abyss of the internet faster than you can say “LOL J/K everyone.” I can assure you that not everyone is “laughing out loud,” and commentators are not “just kidding.”
I often find myself bearing witness to those who are using the internet as a platform to discuss their distaste for novice interpreters. Previously, when I would check my usual blogs, forums, and Facebook pages, I would ignore these comments. I did not realize, however, that it was not only novices who were the targets of these comments on the internet; seasoned and certified interpreters were being targeted as well. Despite the fact that these comments sometimes hurt or have made me doubt myself, I ignored them and kept practicing. After all, criticism comes with the territory – if we are not struggling, we are not growing.
How Far is too Far?
One day, I was shown an interpreter’s personal website which was used to promote their services. However, I noticed that this interpreter also used this website as a platform to discredit other interpreters who were deemed “unfit” by this person. This included sharing an – in their opinion – “unqualified” interpreter’s picture, full name and a detailed account of their interpreting errors. A few weeks later, on a different forum, an interpreter posted an image of a novice interpreting and commented that this novice should not be interpreting. To the credit of the forum’s administrator, this post was later removed with a disclaimer stating that this kind of behavior was unacceptable, but as we all know, the internet is forever. Accepting a job you are not qualified to interpret is most certainly unethical, but there must be a better and more ethical way to resolve the issue of qualification that does not involve potentially slanderous behavior.
Time for Change
Shortly after witnessing these actions on the internet, I attended Street Leverage’s Street Tour along with a diverse group of sign language interpreters ranging from current ITP students to seasoned nationally certified interpreters with more than 20 years of experience. Betty Colonomos stood before us and asked a very profound question: “What are you afraid of ?” We each took turns writing down our interpreting-related fears on posters. The result was astounding. Everyone in the room had the exact same fear: fear of being judged by other sign language interpreters.
After realizing we all were sharing the same fears, Betty encouraged us to dig a little deeper; what came to the surface was some serious interpreter-on-interpreter crime. As it turns out, not only were the novices being treated unfairly, but those with many years of experience felt that they, too, were being looked down upon for not having the training or education that some of the new interpreters had. I listened as interpreter after interpreter shared their own stories of slander. ITP students, novices, certified interpreters, and veterans of our field, at one point or another, had all experienced other interpreters tearing them down. I learned that this issue started long before the internet, and it is having a pervasive impact on our community. After listening to us all weekend, Betty left us with a final thought, “instead of being a victim, become an activist.” This is exactly what I intend to do.
A Case for Civility
P.M. Forni, the author of Choosing Civility and the co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, describes civility as
“being aware of others and weaving restraint, respect and consideration into the very fabric of this awareness…It is not just an attitude of benevolent and thoughtful relating to other individuals; it also entails active interest in the well-being of our communities” (2002).
This is a concept that we, as professional sign language interpreters, are quickly losing sight of. This lack of civility is creating a chasm in our community. It needs to stop. Maintaining civility towards one another is the only way to bring us together. Without adopting a civil attitude, we are going to continue to tear each other apart.
It Starts With Accountability
In 2012, Carolyn Ball wrote a similar article for Street Leverage asking us what role civility has in the interpreting profession. Civility begins with ourselves. If each sign language interpreter were to promise never to tear down another interpreter, to maintain civility and to keep the best interests of their counterparts in mind; the change would be enormous. We can repair this rift we have created. I still believe in the school of hard knocks, I still believe that you need to struggle in order to grow; I believe in civility, too. It is possible to believe in both. If we promise to support one another and be mindful of our actions, both on and off the internet, we can create an environment that is more conducive to effective interpreting.
Conclusion
If you find yourself frequently frustrated by other sign language interpreters, reach out, instead of calling them out. I highly recommend Forni’s book, Choosing Civility. As a person who used to think civility was just “being nice” or “sugar coating things,” I learned, after reading this book, that this is not the case at all. You can still have grit and be gracious. You can still be assertive and agreeable. It all starts with a choice to hold ourselves accountable both on and off the internet.
Questions for Consideration:
- What are three things you can do to increase the level of civility in your professional life?
- How can you hold yourself and others accountable for internet interactions regarding other interpreters?
- What can you do to support other interpreters in supporting the concept of civility in the profession?
- Can you list several concrete ways we can model civility to our peers both online and in person?
Related Posts:
Accountability: A First Step to Harmony Among Sign Language Interpreters? Sabrina Smith
It Takes a Village to Raise a Sign Language Interpreter by Brian Morrison
The Value of Networking for the Developing Sign Language Interpreter by Stacey Webb
References:
Ball, C. (2012). What Role Does Civility Play in the Sign Language Interpreting Profession. Retrieved October 21st, 2015 from http//:www.StreetLeverage.com.
Forni, P.M (2002). Choosing Civility: The Twenty Five Rules of Considerate Conduct. New York, New York: St. Martin’s Press.
NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. (2009) Retrieved October 26th, 2015 from http//:www.rid.org
Leave a Reply
33 Comments on "Civility Within the Interpreting Profession: A Novice’s Perspective"
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Sadly civility in our society at large is dwindling at an alarming rate. People hide (so they think) behind the veil of the internet as they disparage others and say things they’d never think to say face to face. Thank you Gina for this timely article; I would hope folks add civility to their New Year’s Resolutions.
Well said Danielle, I agree. Part of this issue is the veil of the internet, we are certainly braver and bolder behind the screen. I am hoping, like you said, interpreters feel encouraged to add civility to their new years resolutions. Thank you for reading!
Betty Colonomos has established her IMI model of interpreting which is informed by Abe Vygotsky’s theory of the “Zone of Proximal Development.” Imagine a workshop where everyone in the room is valued. If only our profession could unite around this belief. Everyone has skill and insight to bring to the work. Everyone should be safe enough to develop and grow regardless of how many years they have in the field.
Stephanie, I am a big Vygotsky fan myself. You hit the nail right on the head with your comment about interpreters valuing each other. I believe this is achievable, if we are willing to do two things: examine our motives when we are communicating with our peers, and, make an effort to care about each other. I know that none of us are perfect, (I, certainly, am not!) but I think unification of our community is possible. Thanks for reading!
I agree with Danielle that unfortunately we are losing civility in our society. We can create change by starting with ourselves. It’s not easy being different from the “norm” but it can be done. We can be civil. We should be civil. We need to treat others as we would want to be treated. Yes we have problems with the unqualified. I say reach out…
Sharon, you are absolutely right. If we want to see a change, we have to model the kind of behavior we want to see.
I agree…let it begin with me.
Betty Colonomos is an evolving wonder. Her comments here are a tonic to this old goat. Gina, your article is a great reminder to us, and gives me hope for a more civil future in our field. It is perfectly time, as we all consider the changes happening within the profession and at RID.
Thank you Danny! I agree, Betty is always full of wisdom. Every time I talk with her I always learn something new. I am glad this article brings you hope. That was one of my intentions when I wrote this piece. I want to become the kind of interpreter that encourages fellow interpreters. I think we need to model the kind of attitudes we want to see from each other. Thanks for reading.
I just gave a presentation at the So. Cal Interpreting Conference on the ethical considerations of Civility in the Interpretibg profession. Certainly it was from an experienced-not novice-perspective, and from the lens of an interpreter educator. Your article encourages me and gives me hope for the future interpreters in our field. Thank you for that.
Diana, I am so happy to hear that this article encouraged you. I have great respect for interpreter educators, and hope to become one myself one day. Thank you also for spreading the message of civility! I would love to discuss more with you. Thanks for reading.
Very well said.
Thank you for contributing to this very important discussion, Gina. I love your encouragement: “If you find yourself frequently frustrated by other sign language interpreters, reach out, instead of calling them out.”, and the emphasis on healing our own hurts in order to be better able to show up in our community in a beneficial and productive (aka: civil) way. This is wonderful.
Hi Breana, Thank you for your comments. I am glad that this article brought you some encouragement.
Hi Liz, I completely agree. The first and foremost resposability we have as interpreters is “do no harm” to our clients. I think if we approach with a lense of conscious regard,we can hold eachother accountable. With this small change in approach, I think this can cause problems to be resolved more effectively, resulting in higher quality services for our clients.
Thanks for being involved Betty! Every time I talk with you, or attend one of your workshops I always learn something new!
Betty, while I think that the issue of civility/privilege does need to be investigated and discussed from the consumers’ perspective, this crux behind this article was not focusing on the consumers, it was focused on interpreters. Not every issue that interpreters face has a direct link to our consumers. Some of them are colleague to colleague and need to be discussed as such before we start to layer the discussion with more complexities.