You are interpreting at a job training center.  You are shadowing your client while another student teachers her a job.  Your client works extremely slow.  The other student is doing 3/4 of the work.  Do you have any responsibility to say something like, "if you want to continue with this training, you need to pick it up a bit."

Eye roll!!

Every time your client turns his back the instructor gives you a huge eye roll. The instructor makes, when your client isn't with you, about your client. You feel that, best case scenario, the instructor doesn't like your client. And worst case scenario, the instructor is deliberately sabotaging your client's chance at success.

-what are your options in this situation?
-are you to tell your client what the instructor says when the client is not around?

Can I see your pictures

Just to follow up on the last post, should you even be looking at a client's pictures? Is it ok to show then your pictures?

Look who is sleeping

You are on break and looking through a client's pictures on their smart phone. Your client snapped a picture of your team sleeping on the job. What is your responsibly in this situation?

I have a problem

You are interpreting at a job training center. Your Deaf client starts chatting with you about her personal life. It's not her break and you assume she will get reprimanded for taking a break at an unauthorized time. (not to mention you don't want to know about her personal problems.)

Do you
-chat. Or at least pay attention. If she gets in trouble that is in her.
-advise her to get back to work.

The boss walls by, looks at her and you and asks what is going on. What do you do?

Can you find me a job?

You interpret a job interview. The deaf client turns out not to be qualified for the job. As you are walking out, she asks if you know of any jobs available and if you'd ask around.

--on one hand, you admire her resourcefulness. Of course you'll help.
--on the other hand, you've just met this person and only spoken with her for 15 minutes. How can you possibly help her find a job.

One drink, please

You are interpreting at a social event where people are drinking. You don't drink while on assignment. Period. It isn't professional. Plus, it's against agency policy. But even if your agency was silent on the issue, you wouldn't drink on assignment.

You are politely sipping your water when a guest at the function brings you a glass of white wine. You will be with this guest most of the evening and he was clearly uncomfortable with your teetotaling. You accept the wine with a gracious smile.

-Do you drink the glass and get another later in the evening?
-Do you keep the glass on hand so when people ask, you can say you have a drink?
-Do you explain you can't drink while working?
-Do you claim to practice a religion that forbids alcohol?
-What are your other options? What are the repercussions of each decision?

Keep your opinion out of it.

You are interpreting in a drug rehab program. You are interpreting a movie (no captions!! Ug!!) which you find to be overtly simple and preachy. You make a face. As soon as you do, you see your client respond...to your face and then respond differently to the movie.

--what are your options to now erase your opinion from the conversation?
--suppose you hear, a week later, your client quit the program. Are you partly responsible?

You can stay and chat

You are interpreting a doctor appointment and are scheduled for 2 hours. After 1 hour, the appointment is over, the doctor signed your sheet and you are heading out the door when your Deaf client signs, "Your scheduled for another hour. Lets chat." Then he heads to his room in his long term care facility.

*Do you stay and chat? You are scheduled for another hour.
*Do you leave? You are scheduled to interpret, not to hang out.
*What would be the moral thing to do?
*What are your other options?

A few minutes in the life of a Sign Language Interpreter

After getting a chuckle out of the video--who hasn't been there--think about the interpreters responses. Yes, we would all like to be a bit snarky sometimes. What we need to be is respectful. Have fun. Enjoy your job. Smile. Heck, crack a joke. But remain kind and professional.