Attitudes regarding the feasibility of interpreting in academic fields: From Sign Language to written text

Generally, a heavy interpretation burden is routinely placed on Deaf people when they required to present their ideas in written form in academic settings. However, from the Deaf perspective, there is a clear imbalance between the expectations of the hearing and professional world and the linguistic barriers faced by Deaf people with respect to written texts. The Deaf perception is that it is they who must make extraordinary linguistic efforts to accommodate to the norms of the hearing majority, while members of the hearing majority do not provide sufficient accommodation for the linguistic disadvantages of the Deaf. While it is commonly accepted that Deaf people need interpreters to convey ideas between deaf and hearing interlocutors during spoken interactions, i.e. between spoken language and sign language, little consideration is given to the barriers Deaf people face in thoroughly processing and comprehending written texts in academic contexts. When interpreters are asked by a Deaf person to translate a signed text into sophisticated written form or to interpret complex written texts into a signed language, particularly ones of the type encountered in academic settings, it is common, even among professionals who are being compensated for their time and expertise, for interpreters to resist such interpreting tasks or to outright refuse to do such an interpretation, an attitude which leads to lack of accessibility and frustration for the Deaf person. The problem is particularly acute for professional Deaf, among whom are Deaf academics working at an international level, for whom the problem is compounded if they come from non-English-speaking countries, since the need to access written materials in English or other foreign languages becomes acute. Thus, the question that will be discussed in this workshop is as follows: Is there a need for Deaf in academic settings to be provided professional interpreters qualified to translate between sign language(s) and written texts