Reflection on Progress
Written May 2024
This semester has been such a different experience compared to the fall. Being in a consistent location with generally simpler content for my practicum provided an excellent base to hone fundamental interpreting skills like being assertive enough to get close to people to ensure clear sight lines, maintaining confidentiality while still being able to ask for support, and figuring out how to interpret in a way that works for the client.
In class, the assignments helped me to become more okay with pausing and admitting I did not catch information. Discussions, either in reviewing homework or other topics, started developing the muscle memory for taking in a chunk of language and asking “What does that mean?” to be able to provide an accurate interpretation instead of going word for word. Those discussions also instilled in me the reflex of not knowing how to interpret a specific English concept to American Sign Language and asking the two questions “What is the context?” and “What is the opposite of that?”
Overall, I have felt a tremendous amount of growth in my skills, as well as in my confidence about those skills and motivation to keep going. Despite all of the growing pains (especially when I was trying to get my bearings last semester) the more interpreting I do, the more I want to interpret. It is fun to look back at myself two years ago at the beginning of the program when I adamantly did not want to become an interpreter and was only doing this to gain a more in-depth understanding of American Sign Language. Now I am jumping at every possible opportunity to interpret, and I cannot imagine myself working in any other field.
Plans for the Future
Written May 2024
At this point in time, so many things are dependent on other things that it is hard to have any concrete plans. At the time of writing this, I will be taking the EIPA at the end of the week, and depending on the results, may consider a stint in educational interpreting. While that is not my forever goal, I have done well interpreting in a school environment this past semester, and I think I am well-suited to be focused on one student for an entire workday due to my experience as a nanny. I intend to take the interview portion of the MCDHH screening and the written portion of the NIC as soon as I am able to, and I will take the respective performance parts after a bit more time honing my language skills.
I am torn between the conflict between stability/predictability but boredom/schedule rigidity of staff interpreting and scheduling independence but lack of safety net of freelance interpreting. I think what will likely happen in the short term is working mostly as a freelance interpreter but doing things like college classes (consistent but not 9-5), conferences (potentially unpredictable but one-and-done), and things like physical therapy appointments (to build up to more complex medical interpreting).
As far as long-term goals, I would love to work towards becoming a medical interpreter. I have a particular interest in understanding as much as I possibly can about the function of the human body and procedures used to improve the body, so I already have fairly extensive knowledge about common and uncommon procedures, how to break down parts of medical words to understand their meanings, spellings of uncommon disorders, etc. and think I will be able to use that to provide quality interpreting. I am also working on learning Spanish with the hopes of becoming a trilingual interpreter. I have already seen how my bilingual interpreter training has helped me facilitate communication between two people who use two different spoken languages (despite my overwhelming lack of knowledge of one of the two languages) and I have seen the need for trilingual interpreters, especially for parent meetings at schools for the dDeafDB.
Once I am far more skilled and experienced in interpreting, I would also really like to teach interpreting in a similar ITP. I have always wanted to teach something, and I really enjoy the times I am able to explain something to a classmate that helps them understand a concept or think more about their work. As co-president of the ASL Club this past year, I have found a lot of pride in chatting with newer signers, seeing their progress, contributing to their growth, and being a positive part of their learning.