Which is your child?

You are at your son's football practice and because you can't leave practice, you are chasing your baby daughter around, trying to keep her out of trouble. At the end of practice you notice a group of parents signing with each other. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself.

Do you grab your baby, walk up to the group and introduce yourself saying your son is #12 and asking who their children are?
Do you introduce yourself as a working interpreter?
Do you walk the other direction because you don't want to get involved?
Do you feel awkward because you don't want to be the person who is like, "hi! I can sign too!"

Re-interpretation

Your client is preparing to take a hands on test. The instructor explains what needs to be done for prep then walks off. The Deaf client asks you to repeat what was said. So you re-interpret from memory what the instructor said. The instructor walks back and gives you a look that says, "what?" you realize it looks like you are assisting the Deaf client, perhaps helping them cheat.

--what would you do next time to avoid the appearance of cheating?
--if you weren't done with your initial interpretation--perhaps the client needed a lot of expansion--how could you keep the instructor there?
--what are your options?

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?

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?

My kid is calling

Your at work. Your client is set up and won't need you until break. So you pull out a book and read. Then your phone vibrates.

--you slip out and take the call. No one needs you anyhow.
--you ignore it. Anyone important would text anyhow.
--you see it's your child. You have to take it! (or do you?)
--what are your options?

Shop til you drop

You got an all day job near a shopping center. Very exciting and convenient since you don't have time to shop. You can get your shopping done during lunch and still be home in time to relieve the babysitter.

What you didn't factor in was the big bags you have to carry back to the office. The office where you happen to be working is a job training center for adults getting back on their feet and here you come in with bags full of shiny, new merchandise.

-it's your money and time, you should be able to shop when you like.
-it's not like your taking your merchandise out s d showing it to everyone.
-you should have waited until the end of the day.

What to do?

You are interpreting a state test. Math, to be more specific, but without giving anything away. There is no interpreting actually happening as your client either knows the math formulas or not. During the test you can:

--leave? No interpreting happening anyway.
--play on your phone? Even though students aren't allowed electronic devices, you can play on yours, right?
--read? Traditionally an acceptable pastime for interpreters.
--other ideas?

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?

Why bother?

Setting: High school history class
Deaf Student: not paying attention
You: interpret anyway
Hearing student who sits behind you: "He ain't even looking at you, Miss. Why you keep doin' that?"

Your options--
1. agree and quit interpreting
2. explain role in idealistic terms
3. chat with hearing student
4. ...what would you do?

I hate my agency!

Your team goes on and on about the interpreting agency that placed you both on your current job. You share a few choice experiences you have had with the agency.

+Was it really appropriate to dis on your agency?
+What would have been another option?
+How can you be empathetic to your team while still remaining loyal to your agency?

Been there, terped that

You interpret for a college class with a team. The professor tends to repeat himself, saying the same concept over and over. You play with the various ways the professor explains concepts interpreting one concept in different ways. After one concept has been discussed at length, your client looks down to text and you decide not to interpret the last sentence of the thoroughly debated concept. After all, client isn’t looking and the information was already provided. Your team feeds you your un-interpreted sentence.

--Do you go ahead and interpret the fed sentence?
--Do you ignore your team's feed?
--Do you say, I've got it?

I teach too!

You are subbing for a college level math class. Your team starts as she is in the class every day. While interpreting, you notice she is adding quite a bit of background information about math. Finally she stops interpreting the teacher's lesson and gives the student a private teaching lesson. Then she turns to you and signs, "I used to be a math teacher. And because I can explain this in a better way, I feel I'm within the bounds of ethical interpreting. After all, the most important thing is for the student to understand the information."

+How do you respond?
+When you are on, do you interpret? Or do you teach?
+Do you tell the agency anything?
+Do you talk to your team?

Can I leave early?

You team the last period of a high school class. You are the 2nd team on and half way through class you come in to relieve your team. After the team leaves your student signs, “You can leave. There is nothing happening today.”

Would the following circumstances inform your decision:
1. The student never pays attention and you feel that is disrespectful.
2. They are doing group work and you know the student communicates well with his group.
3. You want to get some shopping done on your way home and would like to leave early.
4. You have nothing else to do and are paid to stay.

Consider the situation with the above variables. What would be the ethical options? What are the practical options. What would you do?

OMG! I've gone viral on You Tube!!!

What do you do if your interpretation of a song is recorded and posted on You Tube? Or, as in this case, you post your final on You Tube.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJKA8us6k4k&feature=player_embedded#!

• What are the short term consequences?
• What are the long term consequences?
• If everyone did this, how would that effect the interpreting profession?
  

Get a Room!

Its Friday. Its the last period of a long week interpreting high school. The students--hearing and Deaf--have basically tuned out. No one is actually doing work but because no one is being loud or obnoxious, the teacher is fine with the apathy.

You, because there is no lecture and no interpreting, open a book. When you look up to check on your student, you notice he is swapping slobber with his girlfriend. They aren't pecking and batting eyes at each other; they need a room!

You decide there is no need to witness the makeout session, so you return to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing office. Of course, you gossip to the other interpreters what happened (maybe you shouldn't have told everyone, but hey, you all work together). One of the interpreters suggested you should have interpreted what they were doing. You say, "Slurp, slurp slurp."

Later you wonder if you should have pointed out to the teacher the R-rated scene that was unfolding in her classroom.

• What are options you have in that situation?
• Should you stay/go?
• What are the short- long- term consequences?