Deaf Centered Interpreting - Ep. 3 - "Trust but Verify" Part 1

We dedicate this week's episode to
Patty Lessard
August 2, 1952 - January 28, 2025
Gone but not forgotten.
With much appreciation
from the Deaf and interpreting communities.
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[VIDEO DESCRIPTION and TRANSCRIPT]:
(The video opens with a text graphic image Deaf Centered Interpreting with Thomas K. Holcomb.
The text fades to an image of a woman on the left side of the screen. She is a white woman with red hair pulled back. She is smiling at the camera, standing on an outdoor stone stairway with her right hand on the metal railing post. She is wearing a greyish top with a black jacket with buttons. The text on the right side of the screen reads: We dedicate this VLOG to Patty Lessard, August 2, 1952 - January 28, 2025, Gone but not forgotten. With much appreciation from the Deaf and interpreting communities.
The image fades to another text graphic: Episode 3 - “Trust but Verify” - Part 1. The graphic image fades to a white man standing in front of a plain blurred greyish background with a vertical rippled effect. He has grey hair and is wearing metal-framed glasses and a black button down shirt open at the collar. He looks directly at the camera.)
Hello! I’m Thomas K. Holcomb.
In today’s VLOG we will focus on working with interpreters going from ASL to English. Why do Deaf people feel so powerless in this situation, with no way to know whether or not
the interpretation is accurate? Interpreters typically expect Deaf people to trust them and not worry about their ability to interpret the presentation from ASL to English. This is asking a lot of the Deaf presenter! Making this comment to the Deaf presenter is not appropriate.
How can the Deaf presenter gain access to the interpreter’s work when they are interpreting from ASL to spoken English? They usually have no access to the interpreter’s errors, or word choices, or accuracy. This is not a DEAM team. There is no sense of the Deaf presenter and the interpreter working together. In a Deaf Dream Team, the Deaf presenter would have access to the interpreter’s work enabling them to acknowlege a great word choice or correct a misinterpretation. It would allow for a cooperative process. Sadly, this kind of cooperation does not exist and the Deaf presenter feels no connection to the interpretation. What can we do about this situation? I have a few suggestions. One of them is in settings where there is live captioning, the Deaf presenter can look at a well-placed monitor displaying the captions
of the interpreter’s work that they can perhaps read after, or during the presentation, providing an opportunity to make sure there are no errors. This setup would provide the Deaf presenter with that ability. Here’s another option: Usually there are two interpreters either rotating the work or having one of them remain in a support role, feeding the working interpreter. Perhaps rather than feeding the working interpreter, they could instead feed the Deaf presenter.
By this I mean that they would sign the voiced interpretation - of course it would have to follow English word order, providing the Deaf presenter access to the exact words used in the interpretation as the presentation progresses. This is much like what already goes on when Deaf presenters struggle to lipread the interpreter out of concern for the accuracy of the interpreter’s work. Instead of that, this new approach can be used with the second interpreter providing signed access to the interpretation. The presenter can now feel reassured when the interpretation is going well and be more engaging and worry-free in their delivery.
And if the interpretation is not going well they can make some adjustment to their pace, or clarity, or their style to fit the abilities of the working interpreter.
This is what DEAM is: a Deaf Dream Team in action with the Deaf presenter and the interpreters working together.
In this VLOG we have shown that the common behavior of interpreters telling the Deaf presenter not to worry, to let the interpreters do their thing is not reasonable.
See you next time!
(He makes the “thumbs up” sign and fades out, while a graphic appears with the text
“Subscribe” on one line and below that “Leave your comments below, and stay tuned for more!”)

[@30DayITP]

I like the concept. I have used this set up in the past so I know it works. Question is, with both interpreters active at the same time, what happens if someone needs a break?