5 minute read
Reflections from an Old Hand
COLUMNIST
Phil Giambaresi Former CSC, LCSW (Retired)
California
I was born in 1950 to parents who have been Deaf since their birth. I have a younger brother who is also a hearing child. The influence from my mother's deaf family and my interest in being the family interpreter led to a career of being a certified interpreter. I received a BA in Psychology. At the age of 34, I earned my Master's in Social Work, specializing in mental health of the Deaf. After living in NYC for over 30 years, I moved to California and am now retired.
Greetings from Southern California!
I see that the theme for this issue of the Summer VIEWS magazine is "re-orienting." What this term means to me is defined by making changes and adaptations in what one does in life, work, and personal thoughts and feelings.
My "reflections" are of my experiences as an (elderly, ahem) retired person who recalls certain events that happened which may relate to the present time. How well I remember instances in my career that taught me lessons; and I hope my past situations will be somewhat illuminating to you and your own experiences. As a hearing person who has deaf parents and relatives, I had to adapt to my parent's sign language differences. It taught me early in my life how there was this difference between my folks in their own re-orienting to life's challenges. I've written about the "style" of various deaf people in my family and their friends. I learned to adapt my own expression and reception through re-orienting myself to each individual. A person cannot use sign language in the same way with every deaf person! There is an amazing spread of these styles of communication.
When I went from "family interpreting" to "professional interpreting" I was working with deaf and hard-of-hearing college students and had to alter my way of signing to accommodate the student's "style." Eventually, as I moved on in my career, it was important to get the chance to arrive early at an assignment to meet the deaf person(s) and establish communication. Did the deaf person use ASL or PSE? We interpreters have to be oriented to the best methods of our sign language abilities to be in sync with what the person is comfortable with regarding their expressive and receptive methods.
Perhaps you have been someone who has also had deaf friends with whom we would socialize? There was a feeling, as being a hearing person who wanted to be helpful, to interpret (for example) the hearing restaurant server's interaction with our deaf friend(s.) It made things easier, but I recall how important it was to ASK the deaf friend, "Would you like me to interpret?"
In a professional job as an interpreter, we are expected to bridge the communication but my previous example was a situation that was informal and social. The term "re-orienting" oneself applies to the situation.
It was so ingrained in me to do "automatic" interpreting for my parents to "make life easier" and it gave me that feeling of doing something helpful. I've mentioned in prior columns how I felt as though my parents would fall apart without me when I went off to college. My wise mother said to me, "You have spoiled us and we'll miss you, but we got along without you before you were born." Wow, that was a dose of reality! It was quite a moment for me which I'll always remember, and feel it is worth repeating.
When I became a social worker, there was another therapist who happened to use a wheelchair. She offered me a ride in her car. As she routinely placed the wheelchair into the trunk of her car, I reached out to help her. She got very upset with me and said "I can do it myself!" In the car, as her assignment due to an emergency and it was a weekend when the agency was closed and there was no time for her to make arrangements quickly. She called me and asked me to "sub" for her. She begged me to help her out, despite my knowing it would be a situation she would be more suited for doing: interpreting in a Jewish Temple. I was uncertain and she insisted I could succeed at doing the sub job.
I showed up to the Temple, and the section of the congregation which was for the Deaf welcomed me. The Rabbi began to speak in Hebrew! I signed, "speaking Jewish" and then he translated to English with an accent that was quite strong. Not being used to such a speaker, I continued to sign "speaking Jewish" to the deaf people when I realized he was actually speaking English! I could feel the blood rush to my face. Additionally, the "oral" deaf Jewish people insisted that I "mouth" the Rabbi's Hebrew words! I did the best I could, and after that experience, I realized what a mistake I made in accepting this job. I was not qualified despite doing the best job I could do.
a passenger, I apologized for assuming she needed help. I realized I could have said, "Would you like some help?" Or "May I help you?"
It taught me a lesson that a deaf person has to fend for themselves when they are alone to communicate with the "Hearing world!" Independence.
In a professional job as an interpreter, we are expected to bridge the communication but my previous example was a situation that was informal and social. In other words, the term "re-orienting" oneself applies to the situation.
Another learning situation. An interpreter was unable to do
In short, I was not orienting myself to the situation and in the future I learned to admit I couldn't accept certain assignments! Sometimes it requires a bad experience to benefit one's abilities or lack thereof. We hopefully learn from our mistakes.
One last example of re-orienting myself as someone who had deaf parents, and as I often say, "it is my personal experience and not necessarily the same for other hearing CODAs."
When I got married (to a hearing person) it took me a long time to get used to being called "sweetheart" or "babe" and using expressive terms of endearment. My parents loved each other but I never saw them sign their names to each other and use endearments! Had to learn something new, and it continues throughout our lives to do so.
Wishing you the best for the Summer of 2021.
Comments? Contact me at pgiambaresi@aol.com
