A Study of GSV

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STUDY OF '36 0AUL -ICHAELS PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF HIS INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INTO INTERPRETING FOR THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY )S A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF 'AY 3IGN 6ARIATION '36 NECESSARY BEFORE ACCEPTING BOOKINGS IN THIS AREA )N  WHILE UNDERTAKING THE 0OSTGRADUATE #ERTIlCATE IN !DVANCED "3, AND 2ELATED 3TUDIES AT $URHAM 5NIVERSITY ) WROTE A DISSERTATION ON THE LINGUISTICS AND SOCIOLINGUISTICS OF 'AY 3IGN 6ARIATION '36  THE DIALECT USED BY SOME $EAF GAY PEOPLE 4HE FOLLOWING YEAR ) STUDIED FOR THE 0OSTGRADUATE $IPLOMA IN )NTERPRETING WITH THE $EAF #OMMUNITY IN WHICH ) CONTINUED THE THEME AND RESEARCHED THE PROVISION OF INTERPRETING FOR THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY 4HIS TOOK ELEMENTS OF THE PREVIOUS lNDINGS AND RELATED THEM TO THE INTERPRETING PROCESS -Y AIM WAS TO lND OUT THE VIEWS OF $EAF GAY PEOPLE AS TO THE TYPE OF INTERPRETER PROVIDED AND THEIR USE OF '36 AT ,ESBIAN 'AY "ISEXUAL OR 4RANSGENDER ,'"4 EVENTS AND ALSO THE TYPES OF EVENTS THESE MAY BE !DDITIONALLY THE RESEARCH AIMED TO OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS AS TO THEIR WORKING INVOLVEMENT WITH THE ,'"4 COMMUNITY AND WHOM THEY FEEL IS MOST APPROPRIATE TO INTERPRET AT EVENTS TARGETED TOWARDS THIS COMMUNITY ) ALSO WANTED TO TRY AND ASCERTAIN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND OPINION ON THE USAGE OF '36 AT THESE EVENTS &ACEBOOK WWWFACEBOOKCOM WAS USED TO lND GROUPS WORLDWIDE THAT RELATED TO INTERPRETING WITH THE $EAF COMMUNITY AND ALSO SPECIlC DEAF GAY GROUPS  GROUPS WERE  SELECTED WHICH TARGETED $EAF GAY PEOPLE AND SEVEN GROUPS SPECIlCALLY TARGETING INTERPRETERS ! FEW 9AHOO GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS INCLUDING !3,) AND 3!3,) WERE ALSO IDENTIlED ) CREATED A INTERNET BASED QUESTIONNAIRE AS THIS WAS AS A SOURCE THAT WOULD ENABLE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM EACH GROUP TO BE SURVEYED IN A TIMELY AND COST EFFECTIVE WAY 4HE PURPOSE OF THIS QUESTIONNAIRE WAS TO TRY TO CONlRM OR REFUTE THE FOLLOWING HYPOTHESES ▲ ! HIGH PROPORTION OF $EAF GAY PEOPLE WILL HAVE BEEN TO AN EVENT WHICH WAS INTERPRETED AND THIS IS LIKELY TO BE A FESTIVAL WHERE THEY WOULD MOST LIKELY WANT TO SEE THIS INTERPRETATION CARRIED OUT BY AN , ' " OR 4 INTERPRETER ▲ -OST INTERPRETERS WILL NOT FEEL THAT INTERPRETATION AT AN ,'"4 EVENT SHOULD BE DONE BY AN , ' " OR 4 INTERPRETER ▲ $EAF GAY PEOPLE WILL FEEL THAT INTERPRETERS AT ,'"4 EVENTS DO NOT HAVE A GOOD WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF '36 ▲ -OST ,'"4 INTERPRETERS WILL FEEL THEY HAVE SOME BUT NOT A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF '36 ▲ )NTERPRETERS WILL FEEL THEY DONT NEED TO HAVE A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF '36 BECAUSE THEY WILL FEEL THAT '36 IS NOT COMMONLY USED WITHIN THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY ANYWAY ▲ -OST RESPONDENTS FROM THE INTERPRETER .EWSLI ISSUE  /CTOBER  #/--5.)49 QUESTIONNAIRE WILL BE HETEROSEXUAL AND WILL NOT HAVE UNDERTAKEN BOOKINGS IN THE ,'"4 DOMAIN BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO 2ESPONDENTS TOTALED  INTERPRETERS AND  $EAF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WHICH WAS AN ENCOURAGING NUMBER OF INTERPRETERS BUT A DISAPPOINTING NUMBER OF $EAF PEOPLE 4O GAIN MORE VIEWS FROM THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY ) WOULD SUGGEST THAT FUTURE CONSULTATION SHOULD BE CONDUCTED FACE TO FACE 3URVEY RESULTS 4HE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTS A SMALL SELECTION OF THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY 1 7HAT TYPES OF SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETED ,'"4 EVENTS HAVE YOU ATTENDED )NTERPRETER MEETING CONFERENCE OR SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC ! LARGER NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS MAY PRODUCE DIFFERENT lGURES )NTERPRETERS CLAIMED TO HAVE INTERPRETED AT A DIVERSE RANGE OF EVENTS -ANY EVENTS WERE LINKED TO THE ARTS OR SOCIAL EVENTS INCLUDING COMEDY CHORAL DRAG SHOWS ,EATHER COMMUNITY CONTESTS COMEDY AND FASHION SHOWS -ANY POLITICAL EVENTS AND RALLIES AS WELL AS MEDICAL RELIGIOUS AND EMPLOYMENT EVENTS WERE ALSO INTERPRETED 4HESE REmECT MORE OF THE MAINSTREAM EVENTS AT WHICH INTERPRETERS lND THEMSELVES 1 $O YOU FEEL THAT INTERPRETATION AT AN ,'"4 EVENT SHOULD BE DONE BY AN , ' " OR 4 INTERPRETER )NTERPRETER $EAF $EAF 4HERE WAS A FAIRLY EVEN SPLIT BETWEEN THE TYPES OF DOMAINS THAT INTERPRETERS WERE WORKING IN WITHIN THE ,'"4 COMMUNITY COMPARED WITH THE LARGE PERCENTAGE OF $EAF GAY RESPONDENTS WHO HAD MOSTLY SEEN INTERPRETATION AT 0RIDE EVENTS 4HIS MAY BE A REmECTION IN THE FAIRLY SMALL NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS OF $EAF GAY PEOPLE WHERE MOST WOULD HAVE BEEN TO A 0RIDE EVENT BUT MANY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TO A COMMUNITY 4HERE WAS A SIGNIlCANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE INTERPRETER AND $EAF CONSUMER VIEWS REGARDING INTERPRETATION AT $EAF GAY EVENTS !LMOST  OF THE INTERPRETERS  FELT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE AN INTERPRETER WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE ,'"4 COMMUNITY INTERPRETING (OWEVER ONLY  THE $EAF RESPONDENTS FELT THE SAME WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THAT MORE $EAF GAY PEOPLE WERE MORE LIKELY TO PREFER AN INTERPRETER WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE ,'"4 COMMUNITY !PPROXIMATELY THE SAME NUMBERS  OF INTERPRETERS AND  OF $EAF PEOPLE FELT THEY DIDNT MIND EITHER WAY IF THE INTERPRETER AT AN ,'"4 EVENT WAS PART OF THE ,'"4 COMMUNITY -ANY OF THE INTERPRETERS FELT THAT AN INTERPRETER W W W A S L I  O R G  U K  #/--5.)49 WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE ,'"4 COMMUNITY WOULD BE PREFERABLE BUT NOT ESSENTIAL )T WAS FELT TO BE A SIMILAR SITUATION WHEN AN INTERPRETER GOES INTO ANY MINORITY OR CULTURAL GROUP AND HAS SOME AFlNITY WITH THAT GROUP 1 $O YOU THINK THAT INTERPRETERS SHOULD HAVE A GOOD WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF 'AY 3IGN 6ARIATION AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE '36 USED AT AN ,'"4 EVENT )NTERPRETER $EAF (YPOTHESES RESULTS )T IS TRUE TO SAY THAT A FAIRLY HIGH PROPORTION OF THE $EAF GAY PEOPLE  HAD BEEN TO AN EVENT THAT WAS INTERPRETED AND ALSO THAT THIS WAS A FESTIVAL  HAD BEEN TO A 'AY 0RIDE EVENT BUT INTERESTINGLY A LOWER PERCENTAGE THAN ANTICIPATED DElNITELY WANTED TO SEE THIS INTERPRETATION DONE BY AN , ' " OR 4 INTERPRETER n   DID NOT MIND EITHER WAY )T WAS NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE THAT MOST INTERPRETERS FELT THAT INTERPRETATION AT AN ,'"4 EVENT SHOULD BE DONE BY AN , ' " OR 4 INTERPRETER -OST HAD NO VIEW EITHER WAY  WITH A SIGNIlCANT NUMBER  SAYING THEY DISAGREED WITH THE STATEMENT /RIGINALLY IT WAS THOUGHT THAT $EAF GAY PEOPLE WOULD FEEL THAT INTERPRETERS AT ,'"4 EVENTS DO NOT HAVE A GOOD WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF '36 (OWEVER THIS CAN BE QUESTIONED AS A LARGE PROPORTION  OF THIS SMALL SAMPLE FELT THAT INTERPRETERS DID !PPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE  INTERPRETERS HAD SOME KNOWLEDGE OF '36 BUT IT WAS SUGGESTED BY MANY IN THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS SECTION THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE A @WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF '36 4HE HYPOTHESIS THAT INTERPRETERS WILL FEEL IT IS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO HAVE A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF '36 WAS REFUTED  FELT THEY SHOULD EVEN THOUGH MANY FELT THEY DID NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THIS KNOWLEDGE OF '36 3OME OF THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS DID SUGGEST THAT INTERPRETERS FELT THAT '36 WAS NOT COMMONLY USED WITHIN THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY 4HE DATA INDICATES THAT MOST RESPONDENTS FROM THE INTERPRETER QUESTIONNAIRE WERE HETEROSEXUAL BUT NOT THAT THEY HAD NOT UNDERTAKEN BOOKINGS IN THE ,'"4 DOMAIN ! SIGNIlCANT  HAD UNDERTAKEN SUCH BOOKINGS )T WAS HOWEVER ACCURATE FROM THE DATA TO SAY THAT OF THE  WHO HAD NOT MOST HAD NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO n  n AND ONLY  CHOOSE NOT TO UNDERTAKE THESE BOOKINGS #ONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 4HIS RESEARCH IS INITIAL AND ONLY TOUCHES BRIEmY ON THE SPECIALIST SUBJECT OF INTERPRETING WITHIN THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY (OWEVER IT DOES PROVIDE INTERESTING RESULTS AND THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES SHOW THAT THERE ARE CONTRASTING VIEWS RELATED TO INTERPRETING PROVISION AND ACTIVITY FROM BOTH INTERPRETERS AND $EAF GAY PEOPLE 7HAT IS EVIDENT IS THAT INTERPRETERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THIS IS A SPECIALIST AREA OF INTERPRETING SIMILAR TO THAT OF LEGAL MEDICAL EDUCATION THEATRE AND RELIGION &OR THAT REASON SPECIALIST PREPARATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAY COMMUNITY AND MORE SPECIlCALLY THE $EAF GAY COMMUNITY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN ACCEPTING BOOKINGS WITHIN THIS AREA &OR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT PAULMICHAELS KURTISlNNCOUK .EWSLI ISSUE  /CTOBER