American Sign Language Interpreter Analysis

Interpreters are keen to working in many different settings and situations. They are a part of many experiences of other people whether it be happy, sad, life threatening, life changing, etc. They are a part of weddings, graduations, birthday parties, theatre, you name it! The role of the interpreter changes with each assignment and their preparation as well. As for the theatre, they become actors. They take on the role as if they were the ones on stage themselves acting and singing. It isn’t as easy as it may seem. When interpreting for the Deaf in this sort of setting, it is the interpreters job to provide the same theatrical experience for them as the Hearing people experience it. This means creating the scene, establishing the characters early on and their relationship to each other but also the music and its accents. For this, the interpreter must be extremely skilled because this is very complex. There are hours of preparation for this which means practice and attending all the rehearsals. The interpreter must know that there are challenges such as rapid speech, conveying
auditory information, and when to direct the eyes of the Deaf audience. Interpreters are used to being able to politely interrupting the Hearing person if need be but in theatre “the show must go on!” so they are not capable of doing so. Since the Deaf cannot hear the music, the interpreter will need to sign it but also convey the musical accents of the songs. Also, sometimes the actors are doing something that doesn’t need to be interpreted and therefore the interpreter must know when to direct their eyes to the action on stage. American Sign Language is unique on its own with its structure and aesthetic.
Theatrical settings stay true to these qualities of ASL. It would almost impossible to translate word for word one art form into another. The interpreters goal is to achieve linguistic equivalence through interpretation and that is impossible if translated equally. Music is another art form that cannot be interpreted word for word. It must be interpreted into ASL for the true meaning to be conveyed. Interpreters must communicate musical expression; in other words, they must show the music. They must give a “visual aesthetic.” They must show the sharpness of the music, the elongated words, etc. Sometimes the Deaf audience may miss the action on stage due to looking at the interpreter, so it’s the interpreters job to convey that scene through ASL. Expression in ASL never knew what hit is until it meets
theatre.
Interpreting, in and of itself, is a difficult job. We are working between two languages, processing time, getting the message out with our voice and hands; imagine all this and working with theatre. In this case, the interpreter won’t have to interpret for the Deaf person, sign to voice. I couldn’t imagine having to remember the whole show for when to paraphrase, when to throw focus to the stage, and having to interpret the accents of music. Interpreters need enough information to interpret into the target language. We would have to have listened enough to know to paraphrase and then also know what’s happening behind us to direct the Deaf audience. Having read this article, I know that this would be something I would have to be extremely skilled for but it would be something I would want to try even if by starting off small. This is a challenge that would be a good experience and would expand my focus on other opportunities.