Last year, working on the Spring musical and a show at the Boston Children’s Museum taught me all about interpreting for theater. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can check out the About page or the Photo page for more on my interpreting journey. Because I am not a certified interpreter (yet), theater is the only place I can get the full hands-up experience. As I’ve spent most of my internship days sitting, watching and taking notes on interpreters in the classroom, you can imagine how good it feels to get up and really interpret. Theater interpreting is different than in education in a few ways. From what I’ve noticed, theater interpreting is a) a one-sided presentation, so the only consumer is the Deaf audience, b) typically divided among pairs/teams of interpreters, c) more storytelling and poetry than literal/direct translation, and d) can be fully prepared for in advanced. The last one is not very common for professional interpreters, but since I can’t rely on live-interpreting skills, I need to translate my lines and memorize them in advance. To give you a sense of what the full process looks like, check out this visual: The first step is to divide the characters among the interpreters. Then you read the script to understand the story, translate your lines from English to ASL, practice in front of a mirror, troubleshoot with your teammates and get feedback, mark up your script even more, and memorize your lines through practice practice practice. Then you go to rehearsals and practice timing what you hear on stage to what you’re doing with your hands, and then finally perform! Then you do it all again. Seriously, I’m doing it all again. Right now. We just started to work on Twelfth Night, and Shakespeare has already presented its own set of challenges, so stay tuned!
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At the EDCO dance I got to reconnect with a good friend who graduated a couple of years ago. I was struck by how much my singing had improved since we first met.
Our conversations used to be about how we were feeling that day, our hobbies and which high school classes we liked. There was a lot of texting and tedious fingerspelling. My vocabulary was pretty limited at the time, so there were many miscommunications, and we had to stop often to clarify what we were trying to say. Additionally, I compensated for my lack of vocab with expression, gestures and behavior. This resulted in a lot of joking around and laughing. I had just begun to learn ASL, and this was the best I could do. Thankfully, he was very patient and an excellent teacher. We were having a blast! Last night, everything was better. We talked about diversity of the student body on different college campuses, how religious we are compared to our parents, what majors and professions interest us, how high school cafeteria food compares to that of college dining halls, and reminiscing about the New Orleans trip when we first met, and he started to teach me ASL. We still made jokes here and there, because that’s just how we roll, but most of the conversation was deeper. We signed faster and more smoothly. If there was a word I didn’t know, I would ask what that specific sign meant, he would fingerspell it, I would understand it the first time (usually), and then we would easily continue the conversation. If I ever looked stuck, he would help me articulate how I was feeling without me even having to ask. I’ve found that in addition to taking ASL 1 and ASL 2 at school, so much of my learning and growth has been from interacting with EDCO students. Having conversations in ASL, whether it is a complicated as politics or as simple as your favorite color, is extremely beneficial. It has strengthened my visual attention, made me more comfortable with social norms, and helped me recognize words on the hands of people with a wide variety of singing styles. I can’t thank EDCO enough for letting me in and helping me become the signer I am today. This week I went to Rochester, NY to visit RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) as an accepted student. What makes RIT special is one of their nine colleges, NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf), which is filled with Deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as interpreting students (me!).
Walking into the building and seeing everyone’s hands up, my heart skipped a beat. To be in an area with classrooms, cafes and lounges with a majority Deaf population was an incredible experience. I had gotten so used to life in the “hearing world” that I never considered a situation where I would be the minority. Previously, much of my signing experience has been with people my age in EDCO. At NTID it was cool to see the different singing styles of older students, younger siblings, and adult program directors. Interacting with each of them was a great learning experience, and seeing how the interpreters used different vocabulary to match the variety of signers was fascinating. Beyond NTID, there is a huge Deaf population in Rochester! When I was out to dinner I saw a big group of people sitting around a circle table signing. At the hotel I stayed in, many rooms were reserved for Deaf people, equipped with a doorbell that flashes lights instead of making noise. I only wish there was more accessibility for Deaf people in other parts of the country, but the hub in Rochester is an incredible start. I just got home from a service trip to Puerto Rico with a group of carpentry students from my school. There was an EDCO student and interpreter among us, and it was fascinating to see how everything got more complex outside of the classroom.
One major issue was that for a week-long trip, there was only one interpreter. That’s seven full days of interpreting morning announcements at home, instructions on the worksite, and many things in between. This is definitely more than a one person job. Looking at the bigger picture, even sending one of the four EDCO interpreters to Puerto Rico leaves a gap back at school. The other three interpreters have to cover for some classes, which shifts their whole schedule around. Either way, someone is being overworked. I noticed this trend, too, at Deaf Awareness Day recently. EDCO was hosting a day at school with presentations in the theater during three school blocks for teachers to take their classes. For each of these blocks, some EDCO students were at Deaf Awareness Day presenting or watching, and therefore needed an interpreter in the theater. My ASL teacher was presenting, and he needed an additional interpreter to voice for him and some of the students. The interpreter voicing needed another interpreter next to them to fill in if they got lost. Additionally, the EDCO students who chose to stay in their class instead of getting excused to go to Deaf Awareness Day needed interpreters in their classes. This was nearly impossible. With all hands on deck and a whole lot of organization by Jody and Rhys, Deaf Awareness Day was a success! Though figuring out how to have enough interpreters in each place was quite stressful, it certainly paid off in the end. Last Friday, both EDCO students in the classes I observe were out on a field trip. The interpreters’ schedules were adjusted, and I planned to observe them in whatever classes they got moved to cover. In the end, our schedules didn’t line up and during the blocks of my day designated to my internship, I read an article they shared with me, edited my website and began to work on an upcoming IIP. Though I was able to be productive during that time, I was disappointed that I hadn’t had very much observation and time with the interpreters that week. Last Monday was a snow day, so there was no school. Thursday I only had one class. Friday I had none. I was only able to eat lunch with the interpreters once.
This Monday I was eager get to back in the swing of things, but the students were out again, on the same trip I assume. I contacted the interpreters to see if there was another class I could observe, but our schedules didn’t line up. Because my internship takes place at school, my internship observation blocks are scattered among my regular class blocks. This initially worked well, because it gave me more options in choosing which classes to observe.However, when it comes to a change in plans, my schedule is not very flexible. For example, when the EDCO student is out and the interpreter gets moved to work at the middle school for the day, even though I am available during my internship blocks, I can’t join them. I can’t have Calc and then run to the middle school and back before English! So, unfortunately, I have not had as much observation time as usual. That being said, I have spent these recent internship blocks working on my ASL vlog, which might be ready to debut this week. Since the vlog is all signed, I have spent hours each day reworking and practicing to make sure my signing is clear, accurate and expressive. I also finished and sent a survey to the teachers at my school who have EDCO students in their classes this year, to learn their view on interpreters in the classrooms. I realize now that working at any industry involves adapting when plans change, and since the CAPS interns are still students taking high school classes for parts of the day, matching up with an adjusted schedule on the spot isn’t always possible. I will continue to remember that this internship is an exploration, and that even if I have a reduced amount of hours of observation, working on my website, creating and sending surveys, and responding to the IIPs are all equally important to rounding out my internship experience. In ASL class we are learning the history and evolution of the ASL alphabet and the many complexities of lexicalized fingerspelling. My teacher said that many interpreters find understanding what a Deaf person is fingerspelling at the speed of light extremely challenging. So, during lunch in the interpreting office, I asked the big question: What is the hardest part of interpreting?
Krystal’s initial response was unexpected, though totally understandable. She said that working in EDCO, each student has a preferred means of communication and there is a wide variety across the board. The hardest part is negotiating with the student so she can best meet their needs. Some students with hearing aids can hear more and might want the signing to more closely match spoken English so it is easier to follow along, while others might prefer pure ASL. Some speak for themselves, some prefer that the interpreter voices. Some have a limited English vocabulary and understand better if the interpreter uses signs they know. Some might want to know the exact English word being said and ask for a definition so they can expand their vocabulary. It is an EDCO interpreter’s job to adjust to fit what each student needs to best understand what is happening in class, but it can certainly be a challenge! Jody’s response was more general, explaining that as an interpreter in any situation, you are there for both consumers: the Deaf person and the hearing person. You’re hearing spoken English, understanding what was said, translating to ASL (or vice versa) and making sure both consumers understand and are on the same page. That is a huge responsibility. Not to mention conveying mood, tone, demeanor, and register in your signing and voicing. The discussion that followed reinforced my understanding that interpreting is complex on many different levels. I clearly have a lot of work, learning and growth ahead of me, and I am so incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to learn from experienced interpreters early on. The bustling physics classroom was slightly overwhelming on the Monday morning after a week long vacation. I knew the school, the students and the interpreters, but I still felt unsure walking into the room. Would there be any room for me to sit? Would the teacher be alright with me joining his class? Would the many kids I knew in the class start to talk to me even though I was supposed to be a shadow only noticeable to the interpreter? Would they be confused when I started to sign as I talked to them, because that’s what interpreters do when a Deaf person is nearby?
All these chaotic thoughts and nervous energy faded when the EDCO student offered me the empty seat next to him. There had been a few changes to my internship schedule and what classes I was allowed to observe, but after a moment of confusion and surprise, the interpreter and I were on the same page: today was the first day of my internship! For the first few days my plan was to take notes on class structure and how that affects interpreting. I found that since physics is an AP class, the pace is fast, the room is full and students can easily get lost if they miss one little exponent in an equation. This means that the interpreting needs to be succinct, precise and clear. For the majority of class, the teacher shows his work to solve a problem on the board and the students copy it down. The teacher speaks as he writes, but the interpreter simply points to the board, because signing, “radius is 4 centimeters, initial angle is 45 degrees, effective mass is…” when the equations are being written on the board is pointless. With many demos and independent work, the interpreter usually signs to add information that isn’t represented in a diagram or equation, student’s questions, and teacher’s explanations. All other time is spent referencing the board. Don’t get me wrong, interpreting an AP physics is no easy task! I will explore what makes it so challenging later on, but for now I was furiously taking notes on class structure. Sitting in her chair at the front of the room, with the EDCO student and I sitting at the front, middle table, the interpreter points behind her. Our gazes follow her finger to the board to see what part of the diagram the teacher is pointing at now. As she told me during lunch, “sometimes the board is the best interpreter.” |
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