On the Job: Interpreting at Work

On the Job: Interpreting at Work

In this video Penny Herbold, Jan DeLap, and Janie Golightly discuss how interpreting was utilized as a communication strategy.

Zilvinas Paludnevicius

Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center Collection

2022

This Item has been made available for educational and research purposes by the Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You may need to obtain permission for your intended use if your use is otherwise not permitted by the copyright and applicable related rights legislation. For specific information about the copyright and reproduction rights for this Item, please contact the Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center: https://www.gallaudet.edu/drs-john-s-and-betty-j-schuchman-deaf-documentary-center

American Sign Language

A video featuring ASL interviews with several subjects. Penny Herbold, an older white woman seated at home; Jan DeLap, an older white woman seated in a darkened studio; and Janie Golightly, a white older woman seated in a darkened studio. The video begins with a still black and white image of the Composing Room at the Washington Post featuring a row of linotype machines with fair-skin white men seated at each machine, with the text Interpreting at Work.

Penny Herbold: You know you asked me about interpreting. Yes, I interpreted a lot. For years the union never allowed any outside interpreters to come in because it was private meeting, a sacred union meeting so no it outside interpreters were supposed to know we had talked about, so I was always stuck with interpreting. Of course, I told the speaker to stay on my right side - that’s the only good ear I have. So yeah, I would interpret for the different things. Until, I’d say, the 80s and 90s that's when we finally started having outside interpreters, I mean the Union complained, but we started having outside interpreters and that was much easier on me.
But I still interpreted with the sales people, when they came by we’d have figure out the work they wanted, I worked with the artists, so when they came I’d have to interpret and explain about what they needed. Deaf printers would try and gesture, but I’d come and explain. As an Interpreter I worked with both - the hearing bosses and the deaf workers would come to me to interpret. Yeah.

Jan DeLap: Yes. Admin started hiring interpreters for trainings and for other such things. They saw that Deaf people were motivated, knowledgeable, and had skills. They had a lot to offer. So there were more and more open positions to apply for, and they encouraged Deaf people to apply. And Deaf people were successful, they became supervisors and higher ups in the company. And I was one of them. They offered me work as a shift foreman’s assistant, which I accepted. They had an interpreter for me and on the shift that I worked, I didn’t have an interpreter for the full shift. For many days I didn’t have an interpreter. But sometimes for three hours they would follow me around. If something was of a sensitive nature, or something new was happening, like news editions or something important, then an interpreter would be there. It was very flexible. Once, I had to do some disciplinary action because of a hearing man. I called him into the office because he wasn’t acting right. So I called him in with the interpreter there. I wasn't used to that - to scolding someone. We argued for a little while and the interpreter was helpful. Without the interpreter I would have just let it go. So really that was one of the keys, having interpreters and the union. That caused, well provided us with a good living and interactions.

Janie Golightly: As assistant superintendent, I would bring in interpreters, most of the time just one, who would sit across from me and answer the phone or…well back then we just had phones. Except we had one beeper, and it had one line that my supervisor and I could message back and forth with. I would bring it home too, but that wasn’t typical for communication. We were limited in what we could message to each other. If we got a call with some news, the interpreter would answer the phone. If someone came over the interpreter would interpret it for me, the walk ins. So that’s what the interpreter would do with answering the phones. One night, I had two interpreters. It didn’t happen often, but that night we had two. And I was working, and checking my duties, making sure the newspaper would be out on time. That was really important. If it didn’t come out on time, it was a domino effect For example, the printers needed to send it to the press, they'd send the papers down to the mail room for inserts, and finally to the truck that would disseminate the papers. It needed to make it to the planes on time to take off, and the trains. It would impact every part. So it was very important that we were on time. I had to make sure that the paper went out, that first edition. There was a second, third, and fourth and final. I dealt with the first edition. Anyway, this editor looked at me and saw me with both interpreters, and asked why I had two interpreters. So I asked him why he had two ears. He looked at me, and then walked away. That threw it back at him. Then more hearing printers would come up to me, because they felt more comfortable with the interpreters there. Most of the hearing printers could sign pretty well. They weren’t fluent, or able to discuss things deeply though. We could talk about places or being sick, but nothing in depth. So with the interpreters there, they could come up to me and we could converse more. That was interesting. It benefitted the Deaf who wanted to talk with the hearing employees, using the interpreters. They weren’t just for myself, the other printers could use them too. That had been a new experience for us, and it changed the perspective to the one of “Deaf can”. We could have more responsibility.

00:04:39