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 we be friends?

You heart your client. You and her hit it off right away and chat about things you both love. You ask to Facebook friend her.

Yes? You love her!
No? Doesn't matter. She is a client.

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?

Let me show you

You are interpreting in English class. Your kids are to silently read a poem on birch trees. The poem is set up in one tall skinny stanza with words close together and tiny font.

Your student signs, "I can't read this. I don't get it.".

You ask, "have you ever seen a bitch tree before?"

Your student replies no. You look around and the teacher is busy with other students so you google on your smart phone: birch tree images. You show your student a few pictures of birch tree forests. Your student signs, "now I get it."

Were you right to search for clarifying images? Is that part of getting the message across or is it over stepping your role?

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.

I heart you

Today you really enjoyed your Deaf client. You understood everything they said, they were nice and polite. You may never be BFFs with this client but you would work with them any day.

So you tell them. After all, everyone enjoys a compliment.

--is telling a client you enjoyed working with them overstepping boundaries?
--is it simply polite?

It's a heliocentric world out there

On a state test you are interpreting a question with the key word "heliocentric". Do you sign "sun center" perhaps giving away the answer, or do you fingerspell the word because they should know that vocabulary anyhow?

That was so sweet!!!

You work in a k-12 setting with a number of interpreters, Deaf ed teachers, and specialists. During a class you interpret, your student complimented another teacher to you. You thought it was sweet and shared it with the teacher.

-are you right to share the compliment? Everyone likes to hear positive news, after all.
-suppose it was a complaint. Would you share then?
-what are you compromising by sharing information with other staff members. What do you gain?
-if you are a member of the educational team, does confidentiality apply to this situation?

Read this

You lent a book to one of your clients.

--ok?
--turns out they love the book. Does that make it ok?
--suppose they don't give it back.
--what was your intention in loaning the book in the first place? (to build a relationship? Because the book and client happened to be in the same place at the same time? Because you encourage reading in general?)
--does your intention with lending the book make the act more un/ethical, less un/ethical, or it's just a simple book! Stop stressing already!!

I'm only trying to help

We've discussed the dilemmas around teachers leaving classrooms. Suppose, now, you arrive to your class and your regular chair is missing. While you are securing an empty desk, the teacher leaves to find you a chair. Is the situation different since the teacher is trying to help you?

Substitute teacher=day off?

There is a substitute teacher in your high school math class. The sub handed out a work sheet and took attendance.

-is your job done as there will be no instruction?
-should you stay in the room, just in case?
-your bring paid to be present, so no question, you stay.

Dance dance dance

Your client is performing a short, original dance as a class project. The performance takes place on the classroom and will only be seen by the class. You want to record a video of it to share with other interpreters who work with your client and know s/he is doing the performance.

Is it ok to ask your client if you can record them and share the recording with other people they know?

Suppose it's not a solo, but a group performance. Do you need to get the hearing people's permission too?

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?

How about a poem to me?

Your students are assigned to write a poem praising something. After you interpret the assignment, you suggest writing about your favorite interpreter--you! (me!)--in jest, of course.

Is that overstepping boundaries? Or is that relationship building?

Would it be different depending on the age if the client? (elementary vs high school vs college)

When would this kind if banter be acceptable or not?

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?

Enjoy this book

You gave a book to one of your clients. A novel. Because the two of you have been discussing books. You bought it used on a dollar shelf, anyhow. You don't need it back.

Is it appropriate to share books? No? What would it be ok to share? What would it not be ok to share!

Educational team

A hearing student comments-loudly-that she is planning on cheating on the test tomorrow. You interpret for your student who advises the cheater in her poor idea. But, the teacher never catches on.

Sure enough, the cheater had an answer written on her hand. She shows a number of her peers. Again, the teacher has no idea.

-what is your responsibility? She is hearing, not yours.
-but you are an adult in the room.