When you hire an interpreter for a meeting with someone who uses sign language, you need a professional with years of experience and knowledge of the signed language, English, and Deaf culture. Why? Sign language is visual. It has its own grammar and sentence structure. The term "translation" refers to written text. Therefore, signed languages need to be interpreted rather than translated.
What is sign language?
ASL, which is short for American Sign Language, is the signed language used by people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the United States. Other countries have their own sign languages, such as French Sign Language (langue des signes française, LSF) and British Sign Language (BSL). Canada's Accessible Canada Act recognizes ASL, Quebec Sign Language (Langue des signes québécoise, LSQ), and Indigenous sign languages as the primary languages for communication by deaf persons in Canada.
ASL has deep roots in LSF. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet enlisted Laurent Clerc, a Deaf teacher at the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris, to come to America, and together they founded the American School for the Deaf in 1817. ASL developed there, blending the French Sign Language that Clerc brought with signs that Deaf Americans already used, and many ASL signs still come directly from LSF.
Gallaudet and Clerc are worth mentioning because they remain prominent figures in Deaf Culture. Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. describes itself as the world's only bilingual university for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, where students live and learn in both ASL and English.
ASL is recognized as a language of Deaf Culture. Yes, it is beautiful and interesting, but first, it is how Deaf people communicate. Every person I've met who is deaf appreciates someone who attempts to communicate in their language, but it is still their language. ASL educator Bill Vicars puts it this way, "Learning to sign without interacting with Deaf people is like learning to swim with no water."
Visual cues are key in sign language
Without interacting with Deaf people, you can't learn the facial expressions, head movements, and body positions that convey grammatical and semantic information. These cues are called non-manual markers and include mouth morphemes, eye gazes, facial expressions, body shifting, and head tilting. These nuances are learned through years of interactions with people who use ASL, and they are common among all knowledgeable users in the United States.
When you use an interpreter, they need to be a professional with experience and knowledge of those nuances. A simple example is the English sentence, "I sent the documents." The signs in ASL are simply [paper + sent]. If these signs are merely translated, the meaning of the sentence is unknown.
If the person signing has their eyebrows raised and gestures a certain way, they could actually be asking, "Should I send the papers?"
The person who uses ASL relies on the interpreter to convey the intended meaning behind everything they sign. When a provider assigns an interpreter for a new professor who is meeting with the President of a University, the professor may ask for someone else who is more scholarly and familiar with the campus. A request that specific isn't typical for a phone call with a provider, but consumers can usually request an interpreter who matches their gender, so the person hearing the interpreter isn't confused by the message. Imagine a male interpreter explaining to a female patient how their pregnancy feels or a male caller talking to a school administrator about raising a child as a single father.
Interpreter code of ethics
The interpreter needs to be skilled in English and able to find the right words to match the caller's intent. Not only that, but professional interpreters follow a specific code of conduct: the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct applies to interpreters certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), along with interns and students of the profession.
- Interpreters adhere to standards of confidential communication.
- Interpreters possess the professional skills and knowledge required for a specific interpreting situation.
- Interpreters conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the specific interpreting situation.
- Interpreters demonstrate respect for consumers.
- Interpreters demonstrate respect for colleagues, interns, and students of the profession.
- Interpreters maintain ethical business practices.
- Interpreters engage in professional development.
Deaf consumers know these tenets, and your interpreters need to abide by them. The code is one of the clearest markers separating a great language interpreter from someone who simply knows how to sign.
Final thoughts
If you get a chance to learn ASL, do it. If you know ASL, use it. If you have a meeting with someone who uses ASL, show them respect by hiring a skilled professional interpreter.
When you book that interpreter, ask whether they hold RID or NAD certification and whether they have experience with your specific setting, whether that's a medical appointment, a legal proceeding, or a classroom. The right professional conveys the full meaning of the conversation, not just the words, and adheres to the code of conduct Deaf consumers expect. Getting this decision right tells the Deaf person that their language and their place in the conversation matter.
