How do deaf people think?

[metalangel]

All through this thread I have been trying my best not to speak out of place. While I am trying to learn, a lot of my information comes second-hand and I am absolutely not an authority on Deaf culture or issues.

I am actually out right now writing this hoping I'd run into a friend of a friend who is a professional interpreter but she's not around today.

With that in mind I think I should keep my mouth shut because I don't want to pass on incorrect information or appear ignorant or disrespectful.

[Kutagh]

As a recent graduate from Gallaudet, if you feel my opinions and perspective would be beneficial, ask away. I'm positively horrible at telling things, but I can answer questions like a champ.

Do you think the Deaf community can be elitist or exclusionist? As a hearing person who wants to learn and eventually become an interpreter I am concerned about the reception I might get.

I guess this one's kind of directed at both of you (you might have spoken to certified interpreters, metalangel, maybe?) - what does an interpreter do if a conversation is getting really complicated or out-of-hand? Like people talking over each other, people joining in from outside the line of sight, lots of people saying different things, etc. Do they just stop trying for a complete translation and just start summarizing things? Do they stop including people who aren't saying anything relevant? Do they begin appending names to different lines of dialogue? Do you just start waving your arms around and handing out bitchslaps?

It really depends on the interpreter and the situation, they usually try to take an appropriate measure. For example during lectures on university, I allow them to ask professors to use the microphone or to speak louder if needed, but to not ask them to repeat things (they usually need the full time for their lecture). But if they're not sure, their number one rule is that the client decides There are no fixed rules, since you can interpret in a very diverse range of situations...

[SkyeGU]

Do you think the Deaf community can be elitist or exclusionist? As a hearing person who wants to learn and eventually become an interpreter I am concerned about the reception I might get.

In a single word: Yes. However, the Deaf community is also what you make of it. Hearing people attempting to place themselves into the Deaf community are usually met with far more resistance than those who simply allow themselves to be pulled in by it. Deaf students, as a prime example, often ascend through the grades in schools together and come together as the school system filters them all into the same specialized schools that are designed and equipped to handle them. These students form stronger friendship and even familial bonds before they've even set foot out into the College/University level and will understandably continue to stick to these bonds. The best way to ensure you'll succeed as an Interpreter is to spend time in the Deaf community. Go to all-Deaf classes, spend time with Deaf-meetups, join Deaf-groups and participate. If you are there, you'll form bonds and get support. You'll know you're well on your way to success when you earn your sign-name.

Older Deaf individuals in the community can have a very negative view on Interpreters as they feel they are being taken advantage of. Interpreters, really, make money off of Deafness. The profession exists because people are Deaf. The younger generation is more educated and more understanding of the profession as Interpreters are language experts in the spoken language of their choice. Meaning that they take in the expert words from the Deaf client and turn them into appropriately expert words in the spoken language.

In Katawa Shoujo, the opposite is illustrated with Misha's struggle to convey Shizune's meaning when she really got into a heated explanation. A proper, professional interpreter would be able to convey exactly what Shizune said with the appropriate affect, tone, and word-choice instead of losing track and summarizing it all into Misha-talk. Misha's version of interpreting is the most basic: abandoning affect and tone and focusing solely on meaning. Shizune balances this slightly by ensuring that the other party (Hisao) sees her expressions to accompany Misha's words.

I guess this one's kind of directed at both of you (you might have spoken to certified interpreters, metalangel, maybe?) - what does an interpreter do if a conversation is getting really complicated or out-of-hand? Like people talking over each other, people joining in from outside the line of sight, lots of people saying different things, etc. Do they just stop trying for a complete translation and just start summarizing things? Do they stop including people who aren't saying anything relevant? Do they begin appending names to different lines of dialogue? Do you just start waving your arms around and handing out bitchslaps?

You've covered quite a few things with that, so I'm going to break this down into several parts:

1) Complexity: Interpreters, most of the time, are permitted to pick and choose their assignments. This means they can at least get a general idea of what they're getting into before they set foot on the job itself. If the topic of conversation is becoming increasingly complex, the Interpreter has every right (and will often) to stop the conversation and go "What does that even mean?" if they need to know it to actually convey the concept to the Deaf client. In the event that the point of the meeting is for the Deaf client to LEARN what that means, the Interpreter doesn't need to understand it at all and merely needs to pass on the teaching-knowledge to the Client. If the Deaf client doesn't understand, they have the ability and will probably raise their hand to ask "I don't get it, please explain more?". They can be normal students, really, and normal students occasionally just don't get it. It depends on the purpose of the meeting/discussion whose responsibility it is to understand.

2) Distractions: I have a particular name for Interpreters in highly-distracted discussions: "Communication Cops". If the distractions are bad enough that the Interpreter cannot do their job, they have every right to stop the entire conversation and proclaim "I can't!" along with an explanation of what's going on in order to resolve it. If people are talking over eachother, a reminder of "One at a time, please" is helpful. No matter the distraction, however, it's expected that the Interpreter fill in the Deaf client about just what's going on. If someone's chatting outside the door and people are listening in to that conversation but they can't see them, that's important to tell the Deaf client. Now: In a situation where the Interpreter has halted the conversation, has reminded people to not do things, or whatever happened and the group continues to be unruly and the Interpreter continues to be unable to do their job, they have every right to step out of their role and tell the Deaf client "They're not listening, I can't do my job." and leave it in their hands. In that situation, that literally means that the hearing individuals present are all not caring that the Deaf client is not being involved. If the Deaf client wants to take action and take offense to it and go off on them, the Interpreter will *gladly* interpret that. It's just up to that Deaf client to stand up for themselves and their need. They're part of that group, so why would they be left out?


3) Importance of Information: Question 1: Does the Deaf person care? No? They're not paying attention? The interpreter doesn't even need to sign. They still have to pay attention in case the Deaf client looks up and goes "What are they talking about?", but they don't have to keep at it. However, if the Deaf client really wants to be involved, they'll often make a claim of "Hey guys, don't leave me out just because the Interpreter doesn't have two arms for each of you" which will cue everyone back in for a time. Question 2: Is it relevant to the point of why everyone is there? If it's just small talk, it's just small talk. That's the easiest thing to break down into tiny summarized explanations. "He's talking about his dog." "He's talking about his vacation next week." "She's talking about a restaurant she ate at." These small summarizations give the Deaf client an opportunity to jump into any of these conversations and specifically focus on that one. If this happens, all other discussions are dropped because the one that the Deaf client cares about is the one that's getting all the attention. Just like how hearing people can filter out other conversations in a room, the Interpreter can do that for the Deaf client. If they're not looking at a conversation, it's filtered out.

4) Attention-getting: If the Deaf client needs attention, they'll either ask the Interpreter to yell "HEY" or something at everyone or, if politeness is needed, ask for the Interpreter to step in and grab a talking "turn" when it's appropriate to do so (they can't hear the natural pauses in the conversation, but the interpreter can and can grab one). If the Deaf client REALLY needs attention and doesn't care, they will get the attention themselves. In the workplace where employees are familiar with having the Deaf client there, it's not uncommon to hear a Deaf-shout, clapping, or just see the Deaf client waving his/her arms over-exaggeratedly to get the attention of another. It all depends on the type of interaction (what method is most appropriate) and the type/familiarity of people present as to how people get the attention of the others. Think in Katawa Shoujo: Just about everyone knows exactly which duo is there when the characteristic "WAHAHAHAHA" is heard.

5) "Wait, I'm Misha...": One last little thing that I have to add is that good Interpreters can literally perform their job and make people forget that they're there. The moment that either client (hearing or Deaf) brings to light the Interpreter's presence, actions, or language the situation changes. The Interpreter in any situation will often do anything and everything in their power to pretend to not be there because it's just easier for two people to act as if they're speaking one-on-one instead of being concerned about a third party. Unless, of course, they're all familiar with eachother. Familiarity eases all problems and enhances mutual professional understanding; and it allows for jokes of "Oh, sorry, my mouth goes faster than the Interpreter's hands. Let's wait a second for his/her hands to catch up and then cool off; look at 'em go."

...
Feel free to ask further! That's all I've got off of the top of my head at the moment.

[metalangel]

Feel free to ask further! That's all I've got off of the top of my head at the moment.

Thank you for the ridiculously detailed answer.

My future is looking a bit uncertain at the moment... the two colleges both seem to be playing games with me. My second choice has accepted me, my first choice isn't talking straight regarding when I'll find out and with it now June, packing up my entire life and moving across the ocean is getting harder and harder to plan. I'm upset, angry and disappointed in equal measures. It's looking like it all might get pushed back a year and I really don't want it to come to that.

[WorldlyWiseman]

(Holy heck what an answer)

That's even more info than I had hoped for. Thanks!

Two more dense blocks of questions;

First, one-handed signs. Shizune uses some in the latter half of her path but the game doesn't go into detail. If signs regularly require two hands, how different are one-handed signs? Do sacrifices have to be made in expressing concepts, or is it basically just spelling out words? If the former, how does it come across to others (does it make them seem distracted or less involved or less articulate or something)?
EDIT: I misunderstood the scene in question (Acute Triangle) - Shizune isn't using special one-handed signs, she's just using shorter expressions while she continues to work, and Hisao complains that he's trying to do his work one-handed (because he's trying to sign? I'm not sure). Anyway, if you have anything to share on body language and such during signing, that would be cool.

Second, perceiving 'sound' in the environment. I've read some about the vibrations of heavy sounds being carried by different materials and felt through touch, and some frequencies might be heard depending on the nature of an individual's deafness and how complete it is. I imagine there are other things, such as following the attention of others or seeing something that is clearly making noise and imagining some kind sensation related to it (in the case of someone who lost their hearing later on, or maybe the brain just reacts somehow to seeing an impact, sound or no?). How strongly do these kinds of things come across? Do they just slip out of awareness after a long enough time of not hearing? Could one feel, say a neighboring apartment's radio through the wall if the bass is turned up? Or standing on a busy sidewalk with no shoes, would there be a rumbling sensation? Or feeling someone knocking on a tabletop? Would there be any difference between these kinds of vibrations? I've tried evaluating some of these things myself, but my ears keep getting in the way, so to speak. :\

I'm pretty much bumping the hell out of this thread going off like this. I should be asking some of these on an actual deaf community forum, shouldn't I?

[Kutagh]

(Holy heck what an answer)

That's even more info than I had hoped for. Thanks!

Two more dense blocks of questions;

First, one-handed signs. Shizune uses some in the latter half of her path but the game doesn't go into detail. If signs regularly require two hands, how different are one-handed signs? Do sacrifices have to be made in expressing concepts, or is it basically just spelling out words? If the former, how does it come across to others (does it make them seem distracted or less involved or less articulate or something)?

Second, perceiving 'sound' in the environment. I've read some about the vibrations of heavy sounds being carried by different materials and felt through touch, and some frequencies might be heard depending on the nature of an individual's deafness and how complete it is. I imagine there are other things, such as following the attention of others or seeing something that is clearly making noise and imagining some kind sensation related to it (in the case of someone who lost their hearing later on, or maybe the brain just reacts somehow to seeing an impact, sound or no?). How strongly do these kinds of things come across? Do they just slip out of awareness after a long enough time of not hearing? Could one feel, say a neighboring apartment's radio through the wall if the bass is turned up? Or standing on a busy sidewalk with no shoes, would there be a rumbling sensation? Or feeling someone knocking on a tabletop? Would there be any difference between these kinds of vibrations? I've tried evaluating some of these things myself, but my ears keep getting in the way, so to speak. :\

I'm pretty much bumping the hell out of this thread going off like this. I should be asking some of these on an actual deaf community forum, shouldn't I?

Heh, about the vibrations: I use them to complement my awareness, more or less... Like when I'm sitting in a motorized vehicle, I can feel the engine running, pulling up, shifting gears... Or when I'm near a concert or so I can feel the bass (god, they always play so loudly I just turn off my hearing aids and I can still feel the fkin bass).
The only difference I can feel between the vibrations are bigger differences in intensity (amplitude) and/or frequency.

[SkyeGU]

As you can tell, I'm not particularly fast at getting back to replying. I'm working up a reply to the two questions, though I've run out of time to finish it at this exact moment. I'll edit this part out and turn it into the reply if no one else has responded by then. However:

I'm pretty much bumping the hell out of this thread going off like this. I should be asking some of these on an actual deaf community forum, shouldn't I?

You could be, but often the Deaf community forums don't offer the answers you'd expect. It may seem like I'm blowing my own horn here, but my studies at Gallaudet focused primarily on understanding the language, breaking it (and english) down linguistically, understanding the culture, and being able to explain all of it. At present, there exists terminology to explain a lot pertaining to Deafness but it's a matter of learning it and then being able to explain it. Often times Deaf individuals don't care about the specifics of their own language and thought processes much in the manner that hearing individuals don't care about the specifics of English or the thought processes involved in its use. Some of your questions could be answered well, yes, but at the same time there is the same possibility that you could be faced with a "Well that's just how we are" or "I've never really thought about that" or "Huh?" in response. I stepped forward because I felt confident enough to be able to answer questions.