I had the opportunity to chat with my classmates, Briana and Lizzie, to discuss how our current ethics course has helped us understand certain needs that the Deaf community faces, as well as how we have been able to incorporate class material to address those needs. The conversation brought up points about our roles as interpreters in navigating ethical maturity and power dynamics.
Briana spoke about our class discussions involving ethical maturity and the four stages—basic dualism, multiplicity, relativism subordinate, and full relativism. She shared how she is striving to reach full relativism in her ethical decision-making, which is especially important in interpreting. She also shared her experiences of growing up in hearing culture and now being exposed to Deaf culture with an open mind as a practice of relativism. It is not about seeing Deaf culture as “right” or “wrong;” it’s about recognizing it as different and valuing that difference. This reminded me that our perspective is just one of many.
Lizzie discussed the power dynamics that exist, specifically when Deaf individuals navigate the hearing world through interpreters. As future interpreters, we must be very aware of the power and privilege that we hold, and know that it can, and will, subtly influence interactions. Understanding this imbalance is crucial as interpreters, and it is something I have also been trying to be more mindful of.
Reflecting on this conversation I would also like to add that we are often taught that interpreters need to remain neutral, but in reality, complete neutrality is unrealistic. We have our own biases, emotions, and thoughts that can impact our work. Instead of striving for impossible neutrality, we should focus on recognizing and minimizing our biases, while making ethical decisions that acknowledge our humanity.
Overall, my conversation with Briana and Lizzie deepened my understanding of the challenges we face as interpreters in navigating cultural dynamics, power imbalances, and ethical complexity, and I really enjoyed hearing how they have been able to directly apply the classroom discussion into the real world. Growth as an interpreter is not just about building skills, it is about becoming more aware, open-minded, and ethically mature to serve the Deaf community to the best of our ability.
If you would like to listen to the full conversation, I have included the zoom conference video below.
Community Organization Report
UTRID (Utah Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf) is a crucial community partner dedicated to supporting the Deaf community and interpreters in Utah. I was able to do said research through means of their website (utrid.com), which had a lot of information available about their mission, resources, and various community events.
UTRID’s mission is to support and enhance the quality of interpreting services in Utah through professional development, advocacy, and community building. They’re committed to ensuring that the Deaf community has access to effective interpreting services. UTRID also aims to support interpreters at all levels through various training opportunities, workshops, and a close-knit community where interpreters can learn from one another.
One of the key societal issues that UTRID addresses is accessibility for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. They provide many resources—all that effectively bridge the communication gap between Deaf and hearing individuals. They emphasize the importance of bridging the gap not only in everyday activities but also in education, employment, healthcare, etc. UTRID offers workshops that ensure interpreters are well-prepared, which will provide Deaf individuals with equal language access in all aspects of their life.
UTRID is connected to Community Engaged Learning (CEL) by actively partnering with other local interpreting programs and Deaf community organizations, fostering mutual growth and community support. They foster an inclusive environment by including students, interpreters, and Deaf community members in their workshops. They also emphasize the importance of engaging within the community directly. They work to bring current research of interpreting into practice in order to ensure that interpreters are equipped with the latest skills and competency.
I’ve already had some involvement with UTRID during this semester. I’ve joined the membership option as a student, which really is a hub for their workshops, resources, and community updates. Continuing my work with UTRID will really strengthen my connection with the Deaf community. They offer a lot of professional development opportunities that align with my career goals and have plenty of workshops that I can attend before becoming certified—so that I can still continue to expand my knowledge.