Surviving and Strategizing: Deaf Interpreters Navigating Oppressive Work Relationships

The interpreting process is an active collaboration between deaf consumer(s) and interpreters. When Deaf interpreters hold specific beliefs or biases about language use, this collaboration can unintentionally become oppressive for deaf consumers. Crip linguistics challenges the idea that there are inherently “good” or “bad” languages and instead emphasizes communicative effectiveness. This workshop introduces crip linguistics as a theoretical framework and explores its application to sign language interpreting. 

Participants will examine how their own internalized language attitudes influence interpreting decisions and interactions with diverse deaf consumers. The workshop challenges Deaf interpreters to reconsider why Deaf consumers’ language processes are criticized when communication outside what is considered ‘normal language’ is successfully taking place. Through guided discussion and reflection, participants will identify practical strategies for collaborating with deaf consumers to determine the most effective interpreting approach. The primary focus is on achieving accessible, comprehensible communication, regardless of how that communication takes place.

Naomi Sheneman