Are you here?

You sub with a regular interpreter for a college class. When the professor takes attendance, the regular interpreter listens for the Deaf students' names and calls "here" at the appropriate time.

Should the interpreter do that? Should the students have the opportunity to call their own attendance?

You and your team are interpreting at a job training school. The students are doing their work so there isn't any interpreting happening. You chat and read. Finally your team says, "the big boss isn't even here. Let's leave and go get coffee.". You could certainly use a cup. What do you do?

Interpreting Tests

You are interpreting a statewide high school test.  The teacher reads each question out loud and you interpret what he says.  You also have a test booklet so you can read the questions yourself.

A student asks you to repeat number 32, but the teacher is talking with someone else.  You go ahead and read the question, and interpret it from the booklet.

--Did you cross an interpreting boundary?
--Did you assume too much control over the teacher's classroom?
--Or, were you efficiently getting the information interpreted so the students could move onto the next question?

Do I stay or do I go?

You are sent to a long-term health care facility to interpret a 2 hour therapy session.  The session is over an hour into your gig.  Yeah, free to go!  But the Deaf client says, "I need you to interpret something else for me."  You follow him back to his hospital room where he just wants to chat with you.  He knows you have another hour your getting paid for--he said as much--and invites you to stay that hour with him.

--on one hand, you are getting paid, why not stay?
--on the other hand, you are getting paid to interpret, not to chat.  Why stay?
--the thing is, he doesn't have anyone to talk with and he is an interesting person.  Why not stay?
--but, its not your job to chat with clients; its your job to interpret.

So I've Heard

You work with a client almost every morning and she is very chatty with you. She often tells you about the interpreters who interpret for her in the afternoon. You're curious about her day and curious about her other interpreters so you enjoy hearing (seeing) her stories.

*Is it ethical to listen to stories about other interpreters rom a client?
*If the client tells you something unethical the interpreter did, what would you do? Do you give your client options for recourse? Defend your peer's actions? Listen and do nothing?

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?

I'll Voice

Some of your Deaf clients use their hearing to supplement ASL. In fact, when Deaf presenters come to your high school, you voice interpret what the Deaf presenter says for the Deaf students. After the presentation the presenter is answering questions for a small group of Deaf students. Your students asks you to voice for him. Your team signs, "you don't need us to voice. Just pay attention."

You wouldn't have minded voicing and think the student needed the support. But you didn't want to go against your team.

*What were some other options?
*Should you have voiced?
*If you voiced, how would you have approached that with your team?