Interpreting: September 2006 Archives

This article, Mahatma Gandhi: A Century of Peaceful Protest complements and expands on the post I made on 9/11.

Chief Seattle was a leader of Gandhi's type. This dirge for his people makes me cry. The paddle sweep: quote of the day (copied from a bumpersticker in Earthfoods) comes from a revised version written as fiction some years later.

Interestingly - having filled out a questionnaire for non-Muslims who might be interested in reading the Qu'ran earlier this morning - I'm not sure the "fictional" quote is out of context. I suppose this could be just because I've heard it in this form so often.

Wow - Turkish has been identified as a "critical language" and Fulbright is offering scholarships to learn it in-country!

A pre-conference workshop for the Conference of Interpreter Trainers.

"'Interpreters of texts' [says Nietzsche via Yalom] 'are always dishonest - not intentionally of course - but they cannot step outside their own historical frame. Nor, for that matter, out of their autobiographical frame.'

'But does not an unwillingness' [responds Breuer via Yalom] 'to pay homage to interpreters make one unpopular in the academic philosophical community?' Breuer felt confident. This consultation was on course. He was well embarked on the process of convincing Nietzsche that he, his new physician, was a kindred spirit with kindred interests. It was not going to be difficult to seduce this Professor Nietzsche - and Breuer viewed it as seduction indeed, as enticing his patient into a relationship he had not sought in order to obtain help he had not requested.

'Unpopular? Without question! I had to resign my professorship three years ago because of illness - the very illness, yet undiagnosed, that brings me to you today. But even were I perfectly healthy I believe my distrust of interpreters would have ultimately made me an unwelcome guest at the academic table.'

'But, Professor Nietzsche, if all interpreters are limited by their autobiographical frame, how do you escape the same limitation in your own work?'

'First,' Nietzsche responded, 'one must identify the limitation. Next, one must learn to see oneself from afar - although sometimes, alas, the severity of my illness impairs my perspective.'"

When Nietzsche Wept, p. 52.

I had a goof this morning ~ somehow managed to hit "off" instead of "snooze" at 6:15. Didn't think I'd fallen back asleep but wondered at how long it was taking for the alarm to sound again. 7:38! Yikes! I missed my first interpreting job of the day, the first class of the semester, the beginning of this academic year and whatever knowledge the year's experiences will bring. What happens when the interpreter doesn't show up?

One of the excellent interpreter coordinators I work with recently inquired about my preparedness to teach a science course:

"We're checking in with the various parties (student, teacher, interpreters) for the science course to help ensure that things are set.... what is your experience with [this subject] and interpreting for this kind of course?"

I responded in detail, as I've got the upcoming Conference of Interpreter Trainers on my mind:

"I interpreted a [similar] course some years ago at a local private college; it was heavy. :-) I don't recall the content however, and will definitely ask for clarification if something isn't clear - the teacher ought to be made aware that science in ASL relies heavily on visualization - which means that I, as the interpreter, must be able to "see" in my own mind the process being discussed in order to represent it adequately to the deaf student. If I can't wrap my mind around the way whatever the subject is relates to its context then I'll need help.

Most teachers supply this information automatically - so she/he should not try to do anything different than usual, at least not until we come across some pattern of communication breakdowns. Sometimes style or language or sheer unfamiliarity makes it tough to grasp the knowledge instantaneously; if this occurs, I'd first check with my team interpreter to support me, then - if [Wanda] also didn't get it, or isn't sure which part I'm struggling with, I'll ask the teacher for clarification.

That's the language part. The other part the teacher should be aware of is the relationship she/he is developing with the deaf student and the relationships among the deaf student and other students in the class. It is my full intention NOT to be the deaf student's buddy, but instead to facilitate the student becoming buddies with peers and having a direct learning relationship with the teacher. One particular strategy for this is to move around a lot, instead of staying in one physical location. (Although this depends on whether the teacher moves or not, if s/he plants him/herself and lectures then I wouldn't move.) Ideally, I always put myself in a range of sight where the deaf student sees me AND the person speaking. Sometimes the size or layout of the room won't allow this, and folks are often a bit distracted at first, but I have been amazed at how readily everyone accommodates and what a significant difference it does make in the group dynamic - much more inclusive!!" [email correspondence]