Sign Language Interpreter Responsibilities and Best Practices
Waiver of Services
The ILS (Interpreter of Sign Language) has the right to waive the provision of professional services in the following cases:
- When the requested service is outside of their professional skills. For example, if a user asks an ILS for banking procedures and then requests representation.
- When lacking the training or experience to provide quality service, such as a request to interpret at a computing techniques conference with minimal relevant training.
- When proper conditions for service provision are not met. For instance, hiring a single ILS for a multi-day conference impairs effective interpretation.
- When compliance with the Code of Ethics is impossible or when the service would violate the dignity of users or the interpreter. An example is a user harassing the interpreter.
If the ILS waives services, they must inform users promptly and clearly explain the reasons.
Rights and Duties of ILS
The ILS has the following rights:
- To receive professional recognition and respect.
- To reject interpretations outside their competence or that violate the Code of Ethics or personal/client dignity.
- To receive fair financial compensation as established by performer associations and agreed upon by contracting parties.
- To have appropriate labor and environmental conditions for their work.
- To enjoy breaks that ensure quality interpretation, as per professional standards.
- To submit timely claims to relevant organizations against any rights violations.
The ILS has the following obligations:
- To adhere to the Code of Ethics and professional standards.
- To properly identify as a Sign Language Interpreter and report as required by their duties.
- To contribute to the prestige and reputation of the profession.
Rights and Obligations of Users
User rights are:
- To receive professional and efficient interpretation.
- To choose the most appropriate professional for the service, when possible.
- To know the Code of Ethics and professional standards of sign language interpreters.
- To be informed of interpreter service rates.
- To receive adequate information about reasons for service refusal.
- To file appropriate complaints for rights violations.
Users have the following duties:
- To respect the interpreter and their profession.
- To follow the established Code of Ethics and professional standards.
- To ensure appropriate labor and environmental conditions for interpretation services, whenever possible.
- To pay established professional fees within the agreed-upon range.
Message in Interpretation
The message is the object of interpretation, a sequence of content expressed by an issuer with a specific intent. It involves elements interpreters must consider: content, context, emotional character, style, and register.
The message’s elements are determined by the issuer, but the ILS must assimilate them for effective interpretation. The message consists of:
- Content: What the person wants to communicate, which may not coincide with the literal meaning of linguistic signs. Examples include idioms like “throwing in the towel.”
- Meaning: The literal sign language meaning (e.g., silence).
- Designation: The contextual meaning (e.g., silence in a hospital means no talking or loud noises).
- Sensibles: Meaning that doesn’t match the literal or contextual meaning (e.g., for the deaf, silence can refer to lack of hearing).
- Context: The external environment of the message, including bystanders, the type of interpretation, and the issuer’s intention.
- Emotional Character: Implicit or explicit feelings during interpretation that impact the message, such as word choice, tone of voice, and sign modulation.
- Style: The individual’s way of speaking/signing, reflecting their personality and presentation of ideas.
- Register: The level of formality in language use, indicating the distance between communicators. There are five levels:
- Solemn: Meaning is more in the ritual/ceremony than the words/signs themselves (e.g., religious ceremonies, oaths).
- Formal: Communication is usually unidirectional, maintaining a large distance between people, with careful vocabulary selection (e.g., speeches, conferences).
- Appeals: Greater interaction but with some professional distance (e.g., doctor-patient, lawyer-client).
- Informal: Equal participation and status among participants (e.g., friends, students).
- Insight: Close personal relationships and shared history, where outsiders may not understand (e.g., relatives, close friends).
Mental Agility and Verbal Fluency
Agility and verbal fluency in both languages are essential for interpretation, requiring thorough lexicon knowledge (quantity and quality) in both the Language Spoken (LS) and Language of Origin (LO). Speed is crucial. These skills are achieved through preparation, understanding message content, managing nerves, and expanding vocabulary via reading, consultation, dictionaries, LS tapes, and listening to various speakers. The ILS considers the following aspects in spoken/signed language:
- Poise/Confidence: A confident ILS is calm and in control, not arrogant or overconfident. Lack of poise manifests as:
- Physical Porte (LS interpretation): Forced posture, frequent lip-wetting, repeated swallowing, hand and arm tremors, relaxed facial expression.
- Vowel Production (LO interpretation): Abnormally raised voice, repeated throat clearing, voice tremors indicating insecurity, strained tone due to stress.
- Expertise in Vocal/Signed Production: To improve, ILS use techniques like:
- Air Supply Control: Proper inhalation and exhalation, avoiding shallow breathing that causes shortness of breath. Controlled outward airflow is essential, maintaining a straight back if sitting.
- Muscle Relaxation: Staying mentally and physically calm is key, especially in LS interpretation, to prevent tension-related issues like tendinitis. Controlled breathing helps relaxation. Tension in vocal cords, throat, or jaw can result in a shrill, nasal, or muffled voice, so relaxation is fundamental.
- Improved Pronunciation/Articulation of Signs: For unfamiliar terminology, reading aloud at different speeds or listing new words is helpful.
- Influx of Expression: The ILS’s lack of influx should not be interpreted as an expression error, nor should the ILS embellish incorrect speaker/signer expressions. However, these recommendations don’t apply when the speaker/signer uses crutches or repetitive signs.