Chapter 13: Where Interpreters Work

Question 1

Religious Settings

Answer 1

• funerals, weddings, church events, special events
• no standard qualifications
• heavy use of formal and frozen register, art forms

Question 2

Educational Settings

Answer 2

• Qualifications: vary widely, min. graduate ITP, certified or degree
• Consider: pay includes prep time and include breaks and team to avoid over use
• ethical: role broadly defined with younger students, narrow with older. Danger of familiarity
• Supervision: rare, usually no evaluations
• Deaf view: controversial, impoverished linguistic environment of mainstream has negative affect

Question 3

Working with a Deaf Interpreter

Answer 3

• special skills: training and practice required to be effective
• pay: varies, payment should be the same for both terps
• professional development: workshops, EDU, seminars

Question 4

Medical Settings

Answer 4

• role: medical staff doesn’t understand interpreter’s role
• special skills: familiarity with medical terms, procedures, protocol
• pay: varies, typically higher than less hazardous settings
• standard qualifications: no standard, certificate recommended

Question 5

Mental Health & Psychiatric

Answer 5

• special skills: work closely with therapist, insure terp presence doesn’t shift communication and dynamics, be alert to personal safety, evaluations and testing done only with relay terp or deaf advocate due to misinterpretation leading to misdiagnosis
• qualifications: should be certified

Question 6

Legal

Answer 6

• settings: attorney-client appts, police interactions, courtroom, adults and juveniles, plaintiffs and defendant and victim and witness and jury
• qualifications: most states require certification
• pay: higher fee due to expertise required
• supervision: influenced by size/nature of community
• ethical concerns: inappropriate for same terp to be involved in interrogation of witness, victim, perpetrator

Question 7

Theatrical/performing arts

Answer 7

• qualifications: none
• supervision: rare
• consider: theater/musical training is valuable, attend rehearsals, lighting essential, clothes compliment costumes
• working conditions: obtain scripts and music in advance, secure payment for rehearsal and prep

Question 8

Employment-related Settings

Answer 8

• qualifications: graduate of ITP, preferably certified
• special skills: sensitive to cultural adjustments, specialized terminology, protocol, tech
• working conditions: less than optimal, requires flexibility

Question 9

Personal Settings

Answer 9

consider: flexibility, variety of emotional overlays, boundaries, clear sense of role/responsibility
- working conditions: unpredictable
- pay; varies. maybe barter

Question 10

Social Services Settings

Answer 10

settings: welfare appts, board of tenant relations, 12-step meetings
- qualifications: min. mature, emotionally stable grad of ITP with knowledge of field
- supervision: none
- working conditions: poor, crowded, noisy

Question 11

Working with a team

Answer 11

used when: 50+ min presentation, dense/complex text, large room, tactile sign