Note: This was originally published in the RID magazine, Views by Tim Curry of the Czech Republic, 2011.
Stepping into the Wardrobe
Having come from the comfort of my birthplace, I feel I have left the familiarity and safety of my closet behind and moved into the functional simplicity of a wardrobe. I do not regret my decision nor do I have disdain for the closet from which I’ve come, I simply was comfortable and at ease with my perception of the closet state. I still admire and at times miss the cubby holes for the things which enveloped my understanding of the world. However, I have not only acquired a wardrobe and starting filling it with new garments of comfort and style, but I have also opened the door in the back and stepped through to an ever expanding experience of the world.
There are many parallels that can be drawn from the C.S. Lewis novels from which I am referring; however, my wife may have an opinion about my “leaving the closet”. All of us have an image of the world that is uniquely our own which is influenced by our environment. Each individual, city, nation, and region has their own image of the world. My vision of Europe was limited by the breadth of the literature that I had read, the films, and the handful of trips that I had taken. My vision was expanded with each trip, nevertheless my field of view has exponentially widened since I moved from my closet of the U.S.A. to step through my wardrobe in the Czech Republic in 2006.
After graduating from an ITP along with encouragement of my Deaf friends, I decided to change careers. I was perfectly content with this new found profession. I lived and worked in Oklahoma as a private practice interpreter as well a part time employee for a VRS. I enjoyed the camaraderie of other interpreters at conferences, workshops and in teams sharing a mutual understanding of the profession. We had inside jokes even when we had never met before. We could anticipate the possible needs of each other or the possible times that each would need feedback. All of these connections were known without being stated to some degree. I did not know how much I relied on this mutual understanding between peers until I returned to the States after 2 years of living in Prague.
I and my then Czech girlfriend came to visit and to attend the OKRID conference in OK. It was there I realized that I had missed this type camaraderie. It is not that I do not have interpreter colleagues in Europe, but it is just that the level of shared understanding does not always sync. The interpreting profession in the U.S. has been growing quite a bit since the 1960s and it has had time to mature in depth due to an explosion of research and educational advancements. Many of the countries in Europe have not been able to grow as rapidly for many reasons and therefore lag behind in the growth of the profession by 10, 20 or sometimes 50 years. Each nation’s profession has growing pains, just as the U.S. had and still has.
Many nations in Europe have laws that acknowledge their sign language (SL) as a true language, but many do not. It would come as a surprise to many in the U.S. to know that the U.K. recognized BSL as a language only as recent as March of 2003. There is a struggle to create a strong interpreting profession when there is such a disparity of laws and Deaf awareness throughout each country. Many other factors influence the development of our vocation.
It is a catch 22 in most cases. Deaf need recognition as a unique culture with their own language and should have equal access to information. Most European governments categorize deafness as a health impairment which then categorizes interpreters as helpers, which leads to interpreters being paid by the state and thought of as social workers. Educating interpreters then means that they need to have a social work degree, with possibly a few courses in sign language, most likely being closer to signed spoken language. Even those that wish to begin SL interpreter training programs have a hard time finding funding since the SL is not even recognized and the populace sees no reason to create the profession. If a program is started, the problem then arises as to who is qualified to teach, let alone develop the curriculum. Some states lose funding for interpreter services depending on the politics of that year. Being thought of as a social service, many situations are not designated as needing an interpreter. In order to change the cycle of inequality, Deaf need to be recognized. It is difficult; however, for them to be heard when the main view is that they are “not normal”. In order to educate students to become interpreters, you need funding and support from institutions that do not currently recognize a need for qualified interpreters. Plus you need qualified individuals who can teach from a base of interpreters who have a limited education. In order for interpreters to have an appropriate living wage, the laws need to be changed to recognize: the language, the need for equality of information access, the need and support for appropriate education, and on and on.
Just this year in the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Work and Social Affairs is proposing a change to funding of benefits to the “handicapped”. This affects the Deaf in many ways. One such way was a simple change in the budget that halved the funding of interpreter services, which led to the temporary closing of one of the major agencies that books interpreters for assignments. Another way is proposed spending cuts to the transportation benefits for all “handicapped” individuals. The Deaf, who have not been given an equal education or equal opportunity to work and therefore little financial means, will have no discount to public transportation. This situation has a good point to it. The Deaf and other minorities affected have joined together to protest against such inequalities.
Several nations here have some type of certification or testing system that might also include an apprenticeship period. There are only a handful of countries that have some type of VRS or VRI systems in place. Sweden being the most advanced, since they had a government funded system a few years before the U.S. Because of the newness of the profession, many of the states are trying to start programs or certification before there are systems, laws, or even awareness in place to support it, so problems arise that are hard to solve. But as we know, it is hard to start something from scratch without help. It can be daunting to see such obstacles, and so far the trend of this article has been depressing. Even C. S. Lewis gave that impression throughout his novels…at first.
Some fascinating things that do occur here is the unique use of artistic interpreting. Many plays and classical concerts are interpreted into SL, which I have come to appreciate the connection of music that is a part of many cultures here. Plus, I see an ever strengthening resolve of the Deaf community to assert themselves in a leadership role. There is one aspect of the profession here that the U.S. tends to lack. That is, interpreting at conferences with Deaf that use different SLs. Most of us know a little about the international sign system (IS), but here in Europe it is used quite a bit for international events. It is not a perfect system and it does need to be adjusted in each situation, which is why Deaf interpreters are frequently employed at such times. So, the cross-cultural interpreting issue is part of life here.
In 1993, the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) was officially established. Since that time it has grown from 7 full memberships to 27 and well over 200 individual and associate members. Efsli is leading the way in helping each nation to “start from scratch” or to continue growing the profession. Efsli organizes annual conferences to provide a forum for discussion and sharing of research and experiences. Efsli also provides opportunities for each full member to host an efsli school (a training workshop). Along with providing support for professional improvement, efsli also represents the European members at the EU and worldwide. They have established a fund for supporting local research in the field of interpreting, and continue to promote the profession in many ways.
The day after I arrived to stay, I attended an efsli conference in Prague. I have been a supporter of their efforts ever since. I have recently been honored with the position of Editor of the efsli Newsletter and I feel a growing camaraderie with this group of individuals. It will never be the same as I had when I began my walk in the profession surrounded by my U.S. colleagues, but I am excited nonetheless.
My first few steps through the wardrobe were full of emotions. I felt excited about being in Europe. I was depressed, lonely, and overwhelmed when I saw the dilemma that I faced in my professional life here. I thought I should not try to pass on my “wisdom”, since I would be viewed as arrogant or perhaps “that ugly American”. Others supported my feeling by saying that people have to learn and grow from their own mistakes. Indeed, Americans have visited and done workshops here and the audiences enjoyed it, but the knowledge that was presented was too far ahead and therefore not understood or was misunderstood and now that information is skewed and has caused more harm or confusion. It is not that the presenters were arrogant or unskilled, but rather they did not perceive the disparity of education, the lack of mutual experiences.
I was hesitant when discussing the profession in depth with Czechs for fear of compounding the problems. I have since realized that this is my home. I have a passion for this profession and I will help to improve the state of things here. I have walked through the wardrobe and have found myself in another time and stage of my profession. I’m becoming a part of a culture that is rich and solid. What an exhilarating journey into the unknown I have ahead….but don’t we all?
Tim Curry
Note: This was originally published in the RID magazine, Views by Tim Curry of the Czech Republic, 2011.