Religious Materials, Access to Translated

One of the challenges facing the deaf in attending religious services or otherwise participating in religion is accessing translations of important materials. While sacred scriptures and texts are available in print, this does not address the fact that sign language is the first language of many Deaf; and furthermore, such texts are only a small portion of the religious experience, which also includes sermons, songs, prayers, and other material. One of the things the hearing community often doesn’t understand is the preference of some Deaf people to have access to materials in sign language even when they are available in writing; this has often been a failing of religious groups, in the absence of Deaf advocacy groups assisting them.

Many religious congregations provide sign language interpreters in their communities. There are also organizations within many religions, like the Episcopal Conference for the Deaf, the National Catholic Office for the Deaf, or the Jewish Deaf Congress, which help the Deaf community by providing interpreters or other services or offer sign language videos of important material. But in areas where a given religion is a minority, or among religions with smaller numbers of adherents, the resources for this are not always there, or the Deaf community is small enough that no one has yet made the effort. Unaffiliated interpreters may be used in these circumstances, to help bridge the communications gap. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) has a Standard Practice Paper on professional conduct and interpreting in religious settings. Working in religious settings is encouraged as a specialty, rather than treated the same as other jobs, but this is not always possible. In any event, the interpreter is encouraged to be familiar with the sacred texts of the religion in question and to become familiar with four basic areas:

• 1.
  Vocabulary specific to the religious setting. Not every interpreter will know the signs for concepts like “dharma” in Buddhism or “confession” in Catholicism, for instance. It may be helpful to work with the deaf community of the congregation, especially in cases where there is no official sign for a word, beyond manually spelling it.
• 2.
  Sacred texts relevant to the setting, such as the Bible or the Book of Mormon.
• 3.
  Written and spoken material used in the setting, such as the pastor’s sermon notes, a speaker’s prepared remarks, lyrics to songs that will be performed or sung in unison, mantras for chanting.
• 4.
  A general familiarity with the doctrine and creeds of the religion.

One reason the RID encourages work in religious settings as a specialty is the religious [Page 764]beliefs of an interpreter may come into conflict with the role he or she is asked to perform, if he or she is not a member of the religion in question. However, among smaller religions, there is often a necessity for an “outsider” to work as an interpreter, simply due to the relatively small number of sign language interpreters. Interpreters who primarily work with religious groups can be expected to professionally handle the situation. In any case, any such interpreters who are members of RID are required to adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct where confidentiality is concerned, which makes them available without conflict to work in situations like confessions, sacred ceremonies, and religious counseling.

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