Sometimes sign language interpreters come across situations with which they are not equipped to deal. Let us understand a situation by an incident that happened in Friendlyville, a city with a midsized population and with a deaf population of two hundred people. Janice, a RID-certified interpreter in Friendlyville and a child of deaf parents, is called upon for challenging assignments.
On July 14, the emergency department of Friendlyville Community hospital contacted Janice and asked to interpret for a deaf patient. She asked for specifies but needs to sign a HIPAA Compliance form. After all the document work, she was escorted to the examination room and met Dr. Wilson and a deaf man James. The deaf man exhibited many violent attempts but had not hurt anybody luckily.
Janice introduced herself to a deaf man and tried to know the common items such as school background, and name signs of local members of the deaf community but no common connections were elicited. The doctor informed the interpreter that James was homeless and arrested by police while making noises and behaving differently.
As the doctor began asking questions, the deaf man’s agitation level started diminishing because of the agitation level. The deaf man’s signing was rapid and it was difficult for an interpreter to voice for him due to the rapid change of topic. However, she tried her best to interpret and the deaf man used some signs that Janice had never seen before. James was admitted to the hospital and started taking pills. Interpreter left the hospital after several hours but she had many questions in mind like
Is she doing her job appropriately and effectively?
Did a deaf patient need to be locked up in a mental hospital?
Will James get the same treatment as others?
What will happen to him? And so on…
As Jenice was the child of deaf parents, she was feeling the difficulties to the core but people other than Janice would have not thought about this and it would rarely be part of mental health service delivery. Counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists have a support network where they can discuss the issues affecting them personally. However, interpreters are constrained from getting professional support by adhering to a Code of Professional conduct. In this incident, Janice could not get assistance from Dr. Wilson as he was a busy person, and from other interpreters who do not work in mental health settings. It is not the same as a legal interpreter, or educational interpreter and not even similar to medical interpreting.
Self Care is important
Many interpreters experience trauma as Janice came across this incident. Being human being sign language interpreters are vulnerable to psychic insult that is sometimes a result of their work. Janice does not find any consolation from the staff members of the hospital as they are trained to deal with such situations on a routine basis. So how can interpreters prepare themselves for these situations?
Experienced Colleagues
Experience is always helpful and in the case of an interpreter, it is helpful for other interpreters too. It is fortunate for any interpreter to know experienced interpreters as they are a valuable resource. With all these, codes of conduct and confidentiality need to be observed. An interpreter can discuss strategies and receive support and assistance to provide valuable service to the deaf community.
Online support
One possible solution can be confidential online support, especially for interpreters who have some local resources or if confidentiality is compromised by using any resources.
Debriefing
Debriefing with a trusted colleague or supervisor may allow for hearing the perspectives of other interpreters and sharing feelings. However, confidentiality should be preserved by deaf consumers and other professionals involved in the incident. Do not be judgmental to offer advice.
Interpreter Training Program Encouragement
ITP’s coursework does not include much about the care of the psychological health of interpreters. Counseling through a generic therapist is avoided as they sometimes do not understand the work of an interpreter. Mental health professionals are not experts in ASL or deafness but they are trained to deal with such situations and know how to recover. ITP may assist by providing training so that interpreters can learn from experienced interpreters and mental health professionals.
