Work with an interpreter

We understand that it may feel daunting working alongside a BSL/English Interpreter for the first time. People regularly ask us the same questions when we arrive at assignments, so here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions:

Where is the best place for us all to sit?

Well, the deaf person will ideally want to see both you and the interpreter at the same time. As a result of this, it is better for the interpreter to sit next to you, with the deaf person sitting opposite.

Who should I talk to?

Try to remember that you are talking to the deaf person and will therefore need to look at them. It may feel strange at first because for most of the time they will be looking at the interpreter. Don’t worry – it soon feels normal!

Are there any other requirements?

The room should be free from background noise. You should also try to ensure that there is adequate lighting, but that no-one is sat in front of a window as this darkens the face. Facial expressions are a grammatical feature of sign language, so if the deaf person’s or interpreter’s face is in shadow, this makes it difficult to comprehend what is being said.

Does the interpreter need any information before he/she arrives?

Preparation is vital to any successful interpreting assignment. As well as the details given when booking the interpreter, you can send any information you think would be useful to the interpreter beforehand. Things like background information on topics to be discussed, jargon or technical words that crop up and what they mean, minutes, agendas, are all useful – anything you think maybe be important to a lay person coming into a new environment. The interpreter may telephone you before an assignment.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Interpreting is quite a tiring job to do for long periods of time. This means that the interpreter should ideally be given a break after every 30 minutes of uninterrupted interpreting. It is also important that when there is a group of people, only one person should speak at a time, as an interpreter cannot accurately interpret more than one message at a time.

To reassure you, everything that is discussed during the assignment is confidential. Interpreters are bound by a code of ethics which you can find at http://www.signature.org.uk/ They are also unbiased, and cannot disclose any information relating to participants within the assignment. Quite often it is the first time the interpreter will have met the participants.

Finally it remains for us to say: rest assured, by the end of the assignment it will feel really natural to use an interpreter!

This page was created on: November 11, 2009 and last modified on August 5th, 2011 at 15:36.