Whether it’s working with a team or flying solo, you can ensure that you’ll leave a bad taste in your team or client’s mouth if you follow these simple steps:
1) Show up Late
No one likes to be left waiting, especially if they’re paying you. If you want to start off on the wrong foot with your client and/or team, then go ahead and show up late. You can also forget about apologizing or even attempting to make up a credible excuse for why you left everyone wondering when you’d show.
2) Look Like a Castaway
Another great way to turn people off is by your appearance. Try showing up looking like you just rolled out of bed and see how quickly the Deaf and hearing client begin to question your competence. You’d be surprised how much difference it can make if you are well groomed and wearing the appropriate clothes. If you’re not sure what to wear, you can’t go wrong with a well-fitted business-casual solid (contrasting) shirt and slacks. You don’t have to look like James Bond, but you don’t want your appearance to be distracting to the other parties.
3) Roll Your Eyes
You never know exactly what’s going to be said in many interpreting situations. I’ve heard everything from “I think my uncle is my father” to interpreting for several hours on Christmas eve over a $5 discount on baby wipes. It’s not always easy to hide your own personal reactions in these extreme situations, but you should do your best. If you start rolling your eyes, or huffing and puffing when things start sounding ridiculous (to you), then that’s a surefire way to insult those involved.
4) Get Personal
If you’re running out of ideas for rubbing people the wrong way as a professional linguist, you can always try getting affectionate while you’re working. Feel free to interject your own personal stories, jokes, and opinions as often as you can if you have no interest in continuing your career as an interpreter. I’m not saying this is completely forbidden, but the norm is that you are there as a professional facilitator of communication and are not hanging out with your friends at a bar. Every interpreter will have to judge for themselves where the professional line is that shouldn’t be crossed, but it’s good to always err on the side of caution even if it makes you seem a little colder than you’d naturally be.
5) Criticize your ASL Team Often and Sternly
While a great way to develop professionally as an interpreter is by working with a team, there are ways to share feedback. Jerks will just throw a bunch of criticisms out there at will in front of the client. Even if you’re the best interpreter in Los Angeles, you should first ask if they even want feedback. Secondly, try to give criticism in the gentlest way possible. A good general strategy is to point out a couple things the interpreter did well and then make a few suggestions for how to improve. Avoid being condescending, as you should remember we’re all just trying to do our best. No one chooses to be inferior and they likely will take your suggestions to heart and improve. We should try to help them improve without breaking their spirit.
6) Never Learn
This is actually quite hard to do if you’re actually working often as an interpreter and mixing it up socially with the Deaf. Nevertheless, language changes and if you don’t change with it then you may find yourself confused on your next assignment. Take the coronavirus for example. Few, if anyone knew how to sign it, and now in just a short time, just about everyone who has kept up with the news knows how to express it in ASL.
Sign language workshops or online videos are a good way to beef up your vocabulary and expose yourself to the professional aspects of the language. This should complement your social involvement, since there are many colloquial signs (e.g., “eww” – see the video below) that may not be covered in a professional workshop, but that may come up on an assignment. You’re much more likely to come across new signs while immersing yourself in the Deaf culture.
Watch how to sign ‘eww’ in American Sign Language
7) Agencies Schmagencies
Another great way to screw yourself professionally is to treat interpreting agencies as if they enjoyed being ignored or waiting indefinitely on you. I realize that interpreters get tons of offers for work, and I’m not saying that you should reply to every generic email that is trying to find coverage. However if you say you’re available, you should follow through until the assignment is confirmed. It’s frustrating if an agency gets a yes, but then when they ask for follow up information, it goes unanswered for hours or days. You should keep in mind that the staffer is just trying to ensure coverage for a client, and if they don’t have all the information to see if you’re qualified for the assignment, then they must keep on looking until they have enough to send out a confirmation and get a reply that it was received.
After the assignment, you should send in your invoice within a reasonable time. The client cannot be billed correctly unless the agency sees exactly how much time you spend on the assignment. I realize that interpreters are quite busy and have their own lives, but it definitely shouldn’t take you more than a week to send in an invoice.
The better you treat the agency, the better they’ll treat you. Once you establish yourself as willing, able, timely, and professional, then you’ll move up to the top of their list when they need to find coverage.
8) Be inflexible
In some ways, this should be at the top of the list. If you are set in your ways and think that the world should conform to your expectations, then you’re certain to struggle as an interpreter (especially freelance). Freelance interpreters are exposed to all types of people and situations. You can do your best to set up situations in an ideal way, but more often than not, you’re going to have to compromise. The lighting won’t be perfect, you may have a hearing client who uses inappropriate terms, there wont be enough space on stage, the clients may move around a lot…etc. There are times that you just need to remind yourself to go with the flow and that you’re doing your best. Our flexibility is what gives us our advantage over robots. There’s not much more that the clients can ask for than a capable, pleasant, interpreter that rolls with the punches.
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