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Riding on the coattails of Coda Conference, I’ve been able to enjoy life daily rather than focus on the future. It allows my mind to connect the dots on my personality, character and being.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Feeling like you were in an accident makes a lot of sense. The issue is that you know your friends and are unable to remain emotionally detached while you interpret for them.
Interpreting is an incredible difficult job and not everybody can do it. I commend on you for acknowledging your feelings and realize that you cannot work effectively as an interpreter due to your personal feelings. Kudos to you for taking care of yourself!
July 25th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Understood you well… same as my hearing lady felt that same way…. u may be glad that you are not only one ha… thanks for sharing….
July 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I have notice my older daughter would not give information to her doctor for me. Doctor force her to interpreter. It is wrong.. so that’s became difficult. Doctor ingored us. so later I called office manager about situation. Finally, She coldest to me. I start coldest.
I tried to educated my daughter who is minored that time. I dont allow her interpreter for herself and doctor. Totally different. I can understand of your situation is really difficult. I complete understood and Obviously some of CODA dont want to intepreter anymore. some of CODA go bravely easy than Coda person.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
u got me in tears..thanks for sharing i have 2 koda girls..my older daughter tends interpreting for me that i didnt ask her to but i will never allow them interpreting for me at Drs or hospital or even at her school! great vlog
July 25th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Mishka, yes interpreting is very difficult. I think as Codas, we need to also be “polished” and have training for ethics and how to handle situations. I have been encouraged by Codas. Just don’t have the vibe. My very best friend of 25 years can’t understand why I never went the interpreter route. Hmm.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Deaf Pixie,
Yes some Codas do not desire to be interpreters. I should probably find out about my terp friends what they had experience in past or mind to feel can do interpreting.
CherylfromMA - oooh don’t tear up, because after you said that, I felt my tears welling up in my eyes. I know my kids like to interpret in restaurant or casual situations, I think that is healthy. No professional appointments.
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July 26th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Hello there!
I see your point. I am a SL Interpreter and just recently activated my blog http://deafphilippines.wordpress.com titled Filipino Deaf from the Eyes of a Hearing Person. Come visit my site too.
I’m not a CODA so I don’t fully understand what you experience. In the Philippines, I have met quite a few CODAs. Sadly, a great number of them don’t even know how to sign and worst, some of them are ashamed of having deaf parents. So as much as possible, I encourage them, especially those younger CODAs to be proud of their roots and help their parents by interpreting for them. I feel so blessed if I find CODAs that took the path and mission of sl interpreting like my new found friend Jefferson Cortez.
I interpret for the deaf most often because I have no choice and nobody is available. Unlike in the US where there are roster of interpreters on call and your disability rights are very strong. In my country, interpreters are in great scarcity. Most of them are also teachers for the deaf by profession so they cannot just be called to interpret on short notice. A great number of them are lured and migrated in the US where pay is very good. I forgot about the exact figure but when I attended a conference in 2007, I learned that an independent study here says that there is roughly one interpreter for every 5,000 deaf persons. You could just imagine that even those who only know fingerspelling are tapped to interpret. In other words, interpreting is a luxury here. Even if a Deaf can afford interpreters, there is not much around.
So I guess, personal emotions and inhibitions must be set aside in order to obtain our common goal of giving them their rights to know and be heard.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Lisa,
You were right about how senstive friendship who you know the deaf.
Be honesty, My daughter and I were arguement. Doctor H already know about medical records were not sent to her doctor for immunization. She failed to not bring interpreter. I wrote a complaint against doctor for not give gift card to my daughter for our argument. I told her that It is A.D.A law she must hired interpreter I did. But last mintues. We were upset each other. She never apolizgized. How ruded doctor did not admitted that she is professional doctor were inapproriate of insulted my daughter and me about being responsible kids to interpreter for herself to tell me from what Doctor say. I told Office manager you should find a way to give gift card to my kids for interpreter instead of no money for interpreter. Kids realized Doctor disavantaged of my kid. They realized they did not paid my girl. They are no longer because of low esteems. That’s why I kicked out of doctor office three time. For no reason
It is not make sense?
July 26th, 2008 at 6:23 am
thank you for doing that self examination that you needed to understand why not interpreter like.
just wanted to share a few things…as CODAs we share that experience of wanting to fix incorrect statements to make our parents look smart. that describes the fundamental challenge of my childhood. i wanted the world to know my parents were as good as everyone elses.
also, the interpreting job you mentioned was pretty atypical iin that it was an emergency, they were friends. these factors probably made it more stressful than the average [if there is such a thing] interpreting job.
have you heard of VICARIOUS TRAUMA?
this is basically a hazard of some jobs like grief counselor, EMT, and INTERPRETERS! this is when as a person involved in a stressful situation as a professional, we get some residue of the trauma that is felt that stays with us. there is a growing awareness of this as a hazard of interpreting.
great post….as usual! enjoy your weekend!
August 11th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Lisa,
Thank you so much for your sharing! I completely agree with you. I was sort of pushed into the new field of interpreting at the age of 20 (of course I’d been doing it all my life). RID Certification was still barely new, got my CSC in 1979. But it wasn’t what I wanted to do. So I did it for awhile while finishing college and until I got what I called my “real job”.
Yes, I wanted to work with deaf people but not interpret. Been there, done that, finish! But another CODA mentor of mine said the same thing. We want to “tweak” what is being said to make the deaf person look good. And if they don’t understand (and we know when they don’t), we step out of the interpreter role and explain or rephrase. We can’t be that “strict” interpreting machine. I think I do a disservice when I have to “formally interpret” for someone because of that.
I admire those CODAs who can do that. Personally, I can’t. Like you, I have the deaf parents and deaf husband and I work in the field of deafness. So when I “have to” interpret, I get my feathers ruffled. But I will do it because I won’t leave a deaf person hanging without.
Again, thank you for sharing. I had that “light bulb - AHA” moment when I saw your video.