Honest question: is this in any substantive way different for sign languages than for spoken ones? I mean, a suitably gullible person could just as easily hire a charlatan who claims to be able to translate into Italian, say, as one who claims to be able to translate into sign, couldn't they?
No, I suppose there isn't any substantive difference.
I think, though, that a person would have to be a lot more gullible to fall for a fake interpreter in a better-known or major world language like Italian than in a language like ASL (or, for that matter, Amharic or Breton). There are more definite standards, people are more likely to recognize enough of the language to be able to tell whether the person is just pretending to speak it, and the language itself inspires enough respect that people are less likely to *try* to fake it (and more likely to realize that interpreting in that language is an actual profession). As long as people still think signed languages just consist of pantomime, or grammarless hand-flailing, they're not going to question someone who stands up there and flails their hands. I mean, really, how hard can interpreting this stuff be? ;c)
they could, and they probably do more often than we even know about. perhaps the big difference is that sign language interpreters are everywhere, and while people generally recognize that their high school spanish class didn't make them good enough to translate proceedings either to or from the language, they're more than happy to invite their friend with the equivalent ASL experience to interpret. crazy.
Ever been to a Renaissance Festival? The one here has a day for the deaf. They have interpreters on stage. It's actually my favorite day at the Festival, the interpreters usually know the performers pretty well and ham it up.
*smile* Yeah, I did Renaissance Pleasure Faire in So. Cal for about ten years, and even before I started signing, I would always sit up near the terps during the stage shows. (Of course, the proper name for the practice these actors engage in is "terp-torturing." *grin*)
And, of course, just recently at a rehearsal for the Robin Hood Faire out here in Mass, the director announced that we might have a day with interpreters... and all eyes turned to me as I tried to slither under my seat. (Lucky I'm playing a character and thus not available to terp - because interpreting the Vagina Monologues doesn't begin to prepare you for interpreting Faire!)
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-AJD in Philadelphia
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I think, though, that a person would have to be a lot more gullible to fall for a fake interpreter in a better-known or major world language like Italian than in a language like ASL (or, for that matter, Amharic or Breton). There are more definite standards, people are more likely to recognize enough of the language to be able to tell whether the person is just pretending to speak it, and the language itself inspires enough respect that people are less likely to *try* to fake it (and more likely to realize that interpreting in that language is an actual profession). As long as people still think signed languages just consist of pantomime, or grammarless hand-flailing, they're not going to question someone who stands up there and flails their hands. I mean, really, how hard can interpreting this stuff be? ;c)
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And, of course, just recently at a rehearsal for the Robin Hood Faire out here in Mass, the director announced that we might have a day with interpreters... and all eyes turned to me as I tried to slither under my seat. (Lucky I'm playing a character and thus not available to terp - because interpreting the Vagina Monologues doesn't begin to prepare you for interpreting Faire!)
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