Insight: My interpreter didn’t prep – and they ruined my job (BSL)

I was booked to deliver a specialist lecture and workshop. It was a job I was looking forward to, and one I had prepared for properly.

I booked an interpreter who was recommended to me by the academy (as she regularly worked there) and sent over everything she needed beforehand, including the presentation materials, a detailed outline of what I would be covering and links to the videos that would be used during the session. I expected her to familiarise herself with the material before the day.

The interpreter emailed me to explain she was not able to print out any resources and asked whether the presentation would be on the screen for her to follow.

I said yes – however, I also pointed out that some of the videos weren’t particularly easy to follow if you didn’t already know the material.

It became very clear once I started working that she hadn’t properly prepared. She did not know the material at all. She seemed surprised by topics and was fumbling over her words, working things out as she went along, and interrupting me to clarify terms which left me fumbling over my signs too.

For a Deaf professional delivering a lecture, an interpreter isn’t simply someone standing nearby translating what is being said. They can be an important visual cue, particularly when you’re working with prepared material and need to keep a certain rhythm and flow.

They can also be a source of distraction when things are not flowing well!

I also use interpreters to know how the hearing students are interacting so that I can concentrate on my own work rather than constantly trying to work out what is happening in the room. But she was missing their cues to ask questions – probably because she was so engrossed in trying to understand my work on the spot.

Instead, I found myself trying to watch her, look at the material and over-explain myself so it was as clear as possible.

However, I missed bits, got some things wrong and generally felt as though I was firefighting my way through something I should have been able to deliver confidently.

The videos I shared made the lack of preparation even more obvious. The interpreter seemed surprised by their abstract nature and commented on this – giving away the fact that she had not viewed them beforehand.

The videos weren’t supposed to be a surprise. She should have known when sounds or speech was coming, rather than discovering it at the same time as everyone else.

I felt completely unsupported and, frankly, quite alone. I was standing in front of a room trying to do my job while also trying to compensate for someone else’s lack of preparation.

I couldn’t interact as naturally with the hearing people in the room because I was constantly distracted by what was happening beside me. I felt embarrassed and below par, and some people even left the room before I had finished.

That is the part that really bothers me. I had done my preparation, but none of the audience could see that. From their perspective, they were watching a Deaf professional struggle to deliver their own work.

They didn’t know that I was trying to compensate for an interpreter who hadn’t prepared properly.

When interpreting goes badly, it can reflect on the Deaf person even when the problem has nothing to do with their ability or preparation. I can do my job extremely well, but if I’m spending half my concentration trying to work out what my interpreter is doing, my own performance is inevitably going to suffer.

Afterwards, I tried to raise the issue kindly but I was met with an attitude of indifference. It won’t come as a surprise then, if I say that I will not be working with this interpreter again and I have left feedback.

I don’t expect interpreters to be perfect. Things go wrong, people make mistakes and unexpected situations happen. But preparation is part of the job, especially when you’re interpreting for a Deaf person delivering professional work.

If you’ve been sent the material, the links and the information you need in advance, there is an expectation that you will actually use them.

I had done my part. I had prepared my material and made sure the interpreter had everything she needed to prepare too. Yet I was the one who walked away feeling embarrassed about the quality of my work.

That’s the frustrating thing about relying on interpreters as a Deaf professional. You are responsible for the work, but another person’s preparation can affect how that work is experienced by everyone else in the room. And when it goes wrong, you’re the person standing at the front.

I shouldn’t have to interpret the interpreter, anticipate what they haven’t prepared for, rescue the flow and worry about how it looks to everyone watching.

Because when the interpreter isn’t prepared, it’s the Deaf person that ends up looking bad.

This blog has been shared anonymously as part of the Insight series – created by Assistant editor Rebecca A Withey.

If you have a story, experience or viewpoint you would like to anonymously share please email Rebecca on  rebecca@rawithey.com

Image courtesy of Pexels.