Through Deaf Eyes

[Chris]

admin said:

[So true. My problem is that I can usually see so many sides of each issue. I'm basically against putting a cochlear implant into an infant's head, but I can understand why people do it. I'm all for keeping ASL pure, but I think the die-hards need to be more inclusive of other people.

We're on the same page here (again )
I think it is because we have grown up in a hearing world and then later-on have learned about the Deaf World. I remember when I was in interpreters training we were almost brain-washed to believe that Cochlear Implants was basically made by the Devil - or at least mean hearing doctors who wanted to cure the deaf, who didn't want to be cured.
The attitude towards CI has mellowed in the Danish Deaf Community since then though many still don't see the need.
I don't like the idea of implanting a little infant but, like you, I understand why parents make the choice. I honestly don't know what I would do, had I a Deaf child. Ten years ago when I was in interpreters training I would definitely not, but now??? I don't know.

admin said:

In the documentary, Marlee Matlin spoke of how the Deaf community turned on her when she spoke at the Oscars and how shocking that had been for her. Then a Deaf person recalled how excited everyone had been at the thought of a Deaf person presenting an Oscar in ASL and how disappointed they all were when she started to speak and...I saw both sides of that as well. Yes, it would have been great for her to have better represented Deaf Culture, but she is also a person who is capable of decent speech and she has every right to use her voice any time she wants to. See how confusing this all becomes?

I heard of that too. Very confusing and hard as well. I mean, you would have to always consider being you as well as a representative of Deaf Culture and no matter what you do, someone will always think you did the wrong thing. Let people be who they are, but that isn't always as easy as it seems to be, unfortunately.

admin said:

But if we love/hate Deaf Culture, Deaf people love/hate interpreters too. I'm sure it's the same in Denmark.

Heh. Yes ;D

admin said:

They respect us and even admire us at times. They think we're smart and they appreciate what we do for them. Sometimes they want to be our best friend.

Sometimes it's hard when they want to be your best friend. Especially if it's someone you are not interested in having as a friend, because you have to tell them no and still have a professional relationship with them. It's not that hard for me, but sometimes they have a hard time making that distinction. I don't have a "policy" that says that I can't be friends with someone deaf, but so far I am not. I usually meet deaf people at work and I don't think that's the right setting to build a friendship. I am very aware that I am only there because of the need of an interpreter and basically they don't need/want to know *Me* personally, they need to know me as a professional interpreter and that's two very different things.
I am of course on friendly terms with some of the consumers I interpret for but I always keep in mind the nature of the relationship.
I have been interpreting for one student for five years and we have a great relationship. I always let her decide, however, when it's merely a consumer/interpreter relationship and when we are talking more privately. I care about her and I think she cares about me too but we will never be best friends.

admin said:

[But...there's always something else there. They hate to need us and often resent that they can't communicate freely without us so that resentment will spill over into the relationship at times and it makes interpreters have to be very careful and sensitive to it at all times. I try to keep it all in perspective when I sense it, realizing that the frustration is not directed at me, but some Deaf people give off a fairly strong vibe of it while others are completely placid and lovely all the time.

We have this consumer who really doesn't like to have an interpreter. He was one of the first adults to get a CI in Denmark, he since then had an accident so it's not functioning as well anymore.
In larger groups he needs an interpreter but he refuses to use his interpreter when talking to someone one on one. Unfortunately he does need an interpreter. I interpreted for him at a conference a while ago and during the day, they had to discuss in groups of four. When in the groups, he refused to use the interpreter, and that is his right, of course, but it was rather frustrating, as I sat there and overheard how much he missed and misunderstood.
Luckily we don't have that many like him, usually they don't seem to mind the interpreter as much as they resent having to book interpreters, remembering to cancel us again and so on. It's just inconvenient.

- Chris