Interpreting, Categories of

Beginning in the late 1960s, North America saw the emergence of signed language interpreting as a profession. Since that time, interpreting has developed to serve Deaf and nondeaf consumers in a variety of contexts. Therefore, this article will review the ways in which interpreting might be categorized. One of the significant changes within the profession has been the ways in which American Sign Language–English interpreters are trained for the work. The earliest training programs were short, intensive programs of just a few weeks or months. As knowledge about interpreting grew and the demand for qualified interpreters increased, colleges developed 2-year programs, and more recently universities have begun offering bachelor’s degrees in interpreting. Less commonly, some universities also offer master’s and doctoral programs in interpreting.

As training developed along with the profession, various models have been developed to describe interpreters’ work, and each reflects a time period along with a particular perspective. For example, interpreters have operated from frameworks such as interpreter as a “helper” or as a “machine or conduit” and, later, bilingual–bicultural models representing the interpreter as an “ally.” The helper model often reflected a belief that nondeaf people needed to “help” Deaf people, as the nondeaf were deemed more knowledgeable and, by extension, Deaf people were identified as less competent. This model also stemmed from the backgrounds of the earliest interpreters, as they were often family members, clergy, social workers, and teachers. In contrast, according to the machine or conduit model, interpreters relayed words without an appreciation of culture or context, and they took little or no responsibility for the results of their interpretations. The bilingual–bicultural model [Page 496]grew out of the understanding that interpreting involves two languages and cultures and that these aspects need to be considered in creating the interpretation.

Finally, more recent discussion and research have helped the field to conceptualize the role of the interpreter as someone who co-constructs the meaning within a given interpreted interaction. At the present time, there appears to be greater critical analysis of the nature of the complexity of interpreting and the range of options available to the interpreter as he or she makes context-specific ethical decisions. This is a departure from a dogmatic or prescribed way of viewing the role and the task of interpreting.

Graduates of interpreting programs have often been viewed as generalists who possess the basic skills to work in a variety of community settings, including education, health care, employment, and, over the past 10 years, video relay services. However, the profession has undergone a transformation, now educating interpreters in areas of specialization, with programs delivering targeting training for those who wish to work in, for example, K–12 educational settings, medical/mental health settings, and legal settings. These specialized training paths are delivered in a variety of formats, from blended university degree programs focused on educational interpreting, which include face-to-face and online delivery options, to postgraduate programs of four intensive courses in medical interpreting, to summer institutes and weekend workshops addressing interpreting in legal settings.

As Deaf people attain greater professional status as lawyers, doctors, university academics, computer programmers, medical researchers, and so on, a new category of designated interpreter is emerging. A designated interpreter is an interpreter who works consistently with a specific Deaf professional in his or her chosen field and has developed interpreting strategies suited to the consumer and context in which the interpreter works. The skill sets required by designated interpreters point to a need for interpreters to possess even greater academic training and ethical maturity in order to meet the linguistic and contextual demands of specific professions. For example, a medical doctor will require interpretation that can deal with the dynamics of an emergency room, the content of medical assessments, and the linguistic needs of multiple participants in an interpreted event.

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