pd4me:

Dilemma:

A conscientious deaf student has good use of BSL, and requires an interpreter to translate and interpret written and spoken English.
 
During a lesson the tutor approached the  student's desk and asked   them to sign a form. The student signed it, and after doing so, asked what the form was for. The tutor could not answer the question and instead asked the interpreter to read and translate it.. Before the student could respond, the tutor had gone on to the next student. The interpreter asked  the student if they wanted the form translated, which they did.

The form was a learning agreement between the student and the college. It stated that the student should sign to agree to the following exam, it’s time and location, the method in which the exam will be conducted, etc. Although the agreement was quite clear, all the  information about the exam had not been filled in.

After translating the form the student said that they didn’t really understand it.  So the student asked the interpreter what it meant. The interpreter explained it fully, and said , ‘it’s an agreement to attend an exam on a day in a room but it doesn’t say which exam, day, or room.’ . The interprter then explained that this information will probably be filled in afterwards, so the student is agreeing to something without knowing what they are agreeing to. The interpreter added that it could cause problems in the future, and it wasn’t a good idea to sign something that hadn’t been finalised.

The student was quite confused, and none of their classmates seemed to have noticed that they had signed anything, let alone what it meant. The interpreter asked  if the student wanted the interpreter to express the interpreter’s concern to the tutor, which they did. The interpreter called the tutor over and explained the concern using sign and speech. The tutor said the interpreter would have to talk to the Head of Department, and didn’t seem to care.

At this point another student overheard and refused to sign her form. Later the Head of Department came into the workshop and not only acknowledged the interpreter’s concern, but apologised. The Head of Department knew it was wrong to ask the students to sign the forms, but insisted she had been pressured because of the forthcoming inspection. The interpreter translated the conversation to the student who chose not to ask for the form back.

The dilemmas include:

• Does the interpreter have a responsibility to do something if they see the deaf person signing an agreement where agreement details are to be filled in later?
• If the interpreter translates a form, but the deaf person doesn’t really understand or realise the implications, should the interpreter explain and make these explicit?
• Does it matter that the deaf person was a student, and the interpreter working in education?