Reflection on Progress

Written December 2023

This semester has had its fair share of growing pains, but they have contributed immensely to the amount of progress I have made. In regards to language, I have seen the speed and fluidity of my fingerspelling increase in a way I never expected, my vocabulary has expanded, and it is becoming easier to arrange sentences following the grammar of American Sign Language instead of English. Through my practicum, I have developed more professionally based skills like dressing to fit the environment and figuring out how to adjust to a variety of situations while also making tremendous progress in my personal skills such as finding confidence and being assertive when the situation requires it — although I still have a long way left to go on that one. The translating and interpreting I did has helped me start looking for meaning instead of being literal, continuing to listen while thinking two steps ahead, and realizing that sometimes the best way to say something is to negate the opposite.

Am I ready to become a professional interpreter tomorrow? Absolutely not. However, this semester has brought about improvement in me (both as an interpreter and as a person in general) that I did not realize was possible. I am still acutely aware of my areas of weakness, but I am working on strengthening them and know that they will improve. I have high hopes for next semester and whatever lies beyond, and I cannot wait to see the interpreter I will become.