New Zealand Kicks Off National Sign Language Week

Today kicks off national sign language week in New Zealand. There are nearly 25,000 individuals who use New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), making it the 12th most commonly used language in its country of origin.

As is the case with most sign languages around the world, there is a shortage of NZSL interpreters. Auckland University of Technology offers a Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting, but its five to eight graduating interpreters are not enough to serve the 7,000 Deaf individuals who require assistance.

Diane Curhoys, ASL Interpreter

It's always lovely to read a profile of a great interpreter, but it can be downright fascinating when the interpreter happens to work in a diverse array of settings, such as those encompassed in the From Our Lips project, shedding light on the impact interpreters have on our ability to communicate and interact with each other.

Chrissy Casilio's recent report on American Sign Language interpreter Diane Curthoys gives us a glimpse into the life of this professional.

Diane interprets in every mode common for interpreting today: in person, through videoconference and even phone calls, via videophone.

She also interprets for a wide variety of settings.

She works as a medical interpreter, she interprets at her local church and does quite a bit of conference interpreting, having interpreted for many politicians (Al Gore, Howard Dean, Colin Powell and President Clinton, to name a few), and popular comedians, such as Conan O'Brien and Stephen Colbert.

Read more about Diane in Casilio's full article here.

Celebrating Dr. King

Today marks four decades that have passed since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For signers and non-signers alike, a video clip of his "I have a dream" speech, as interpreted into American Sign Language.

Interpretopia

Special thanks to Nicole Montagna at Interpretopia for sending so many readers to the From Our Lips to Your Ears site! Written by Nicole, a graduate of SUNY Geneseo and the Ohlone College Interpreter Preparation Program, the Interpretopia blog makes for some very interesting reading.

It's Starting to Sink In...

My Inbox recently did a little dance.

Within just a few days, I received a host of articles singing the praises of interpreters, from newspapers across the country. And, what pleases me even more is that individual interpreters are getting some well-deserved recognition!

First, on 11/2, Josie Huang of the Portland Press-Herald in Maine wrote an excellent article about medical interpreting in Maine, in which she mentioned our interpreter colleague, Mahmad Nazir. Josie's article is especially important because she helps our profession by debunking the common myth that anyone who is bilingual can interpret. She also included a quote about the dangers of using children as interpreters, another topic very dear to my own heart, as displayed by the recent Op/Ed published in a Florida paper.

Then, on 11/5, Justin Chapura wrote an article for The State about, well, -the state- of court interpreting in South Carolina. His article profiled court interpreter Britt Hunt, who answered many questions about our work that will be of great help to prospective interpreters and the public alike. Our flagship association for judiciary settings, the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, also got a nice mention. [Photo: Interpreters at NYC Criminal Court]

Also on 11/5, an article by Mark Coleman appeared in the Star-Bulletin, focusing on the work of sign language interpreter Jan Fried. An excerpt appears below:

Q: Who would hire a sign-language interpreter?

A: Wherever deaf and hard-of-hearing people want to communicate and they want to do it directly. I have interpreted everything from births to deaths.

Q: How did you do that?

A: Well, as regarding the person's last words, or the surviving member's comments to the person dying. Or the hospital personnel, the things that they're saying to the family as the person is dying. I've interpreted funerals, weddings. You pretty much name it. Political speeches. I've interpreted for the Clintons when they were here, for Al Gore. I've interpreted for several presidential candidates, here and in California.

Indeed. Fried's quote demonstrates that interpreters are often present throughout the milestones of the lives of individuals, as well as major social and political events.

Lastly, on 11/4, Georgia Probst wrote an article for the Journal-Sentinel related to the ever-growing budget for court interpreters in Wisconsin. It states:

Funding for interpreter reimbursements is currently $827,100. The budget bill increases that to $1,060,000 million in 2007-'08 and $1,125,100 in 2008-'09.

A budget of $1 million. In a single state. In a single setting.

Regardless of the setting, this plethora of praise for interpreters and recognition of our work is more than just a passing trend. It's a testament to the fact that interpreting has an extraordinarily high value, both tangible (monetary) and symbolic of our changing society- one that is constantly growing as this value is recognized by those who are observant enough to understand it.

Interpreting is anything but a commodity.

And, as societies become even more diverse and the world continues to "globalize", it will continue to be recognized - both in the marketplace and in the public - as the highly-skilled, premium service that it truly is.

Thankfully, this is part of what the From Our Lips to Your Ears project is all about.

From Our Hands to Your Eyes

Since starting this project just two weeks ago, I have already received numerous messages from colleagues in the sign language interpreting field, and I couldn't be more thrilled about the prospect of including stories from these important (and often pioneering) members of our profession.

Now seems to be an appropriate time to give some kudos to sign language interpreters, being that this is the week that the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) will be holding its annual conference in San Francisco, with approximately 2,000 attendees.

While sign language interpreting is not an area of specialization for me, I've admired sign language interpreters ever since I attended the Critical Link Conference in Montréal, at which interpreters for both signed and spoken languages gathered. I had seen sign language interpreters at work previously, but at that event, there were interpreters on stage for so many different sign languages, each one different from the next, and it was a fascinating sight to behold, something along the lines of a visual chorus.

Many monolinguals, and even many spoken language interpreters, are surprised by the large number of sign languages that exist. It is common for people to assume that sign language is "universal" across the globe. Not so!

There are at least 25 sign languages used in Africa, about 30 sign languages used in Asia, approximately 33 sign languages in Europe, roughly 6 sign languages used in the Middle East, and 22 sign languages used in the Americas.

As for English-speaking countries, readers may be interested in knowing that British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) are very different from each other. For example, fingerspelling in ASL uses just one hand, while in BSL, two hands are required. Irish Sign Language (ISL) is different still, and is rooted in French Sign Language (LSF). I was told by a colleague that this was due to the fact that French nuns taught many of the deaf children in Ireland. Northern Ireland Sign Language (NISL) uses both ISL and BSL.

Across the pond, at one point in history, there was even a Martha's Vineyard Sign Language that thrived at one time due to the unusually high number of deaf inhabitants of the island. In one region of a town called Chilmark, as much as a quarter of the population was deaf. On the island as a whole, about 1 in every 155 people was deaf. This is documented in a book called Everyone here spoke sign language: Hereditary deafness on Martha's Vineyard by Nora Ellen Groce, available here. As schools for deaf children opened on the mainland, many families migrated away from the island, and this sign language soon became extinct.

Another interesting tidbit about sign language interpreting in the U.S. is the fact that many Native Americans of the Great Plains once used a sign language to communicate across languages. This was referred to as Plains Indian Sign Language, and was used by Sioux, Arapahoe, Cheyenne and others. In the late 1800's, there were apparently more than 100,000 individuals who knew this sign language. Today, very few remain.

Often, when I am conducting research on interpreting, I come across articles with helpful information for sign language interpreters, although much of the information usually applies to spoken language interpreters as well. Even when it doesn't apply, it's always interesting.

One virtual treasure trove of information is David Bar-Tzur's site, The Interpreter's Friend. There are some fascinating articles on interpreting for spiritual/religious topics, many of which I believe would be of great interest to all interpreters. There is also a tremendous list of resources.

May the knowledge-sharing continue. All colleagues from the sign language interpreting community are welcome to participate in this project.