Curious Mom
Your mom has always been interested in what's going on in your life. you're home visiting her for the weekend and she asks you about your work. She doesn't want specific information about your clients, she just wants to know waht types of situations you have interpreted. She hasn't anything to do with the field of interpreting and doesn't even know any Deaf people.
An Interpreter's Perspective:
The reason the confidentiality tenet exists, and is placed first and foremost in our Code, is that it is crucial to the development of trust between Deaf persons and their interpreters. The Deaf client needs to know that anything that is interpreted, any information exchanged, is owned by the parties involved - the Deaf and hearing consumers - and not by the interpreter. It is essential that we earn that trust daily by adhering to this basic tenet.
In this situation, I would explain that I do a variety of work in all kinds of places and give some examples, such as funerals, surgeries, trials, artistic performances, concerts, and other places. I would also explain that my work is confidential and that I wouldn't want to place her in an awkward situation if one of my interpreting friends or Deaf friends talks to her about my work. Keeping information confidential protects her, my clients, and me. I would point out that the work I do is very specialized, and it's easy to figure out who did what if I share specifics about any job.
A Deaf Consumer's Perspective:
I would go ahead and share the most basic information with my mother and my own "take" on the situations. Generic information can be shared without violating the Code of Ethics.