1.12: A Church Interpreter- How To Begin
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)A church can be a great opportunity for anyone wanting to be involved in serving the faith of those in the Deaf community, and train in the profession of interpreting simultaneously. Whether you are considering a one-time request to interpret at a church or could serve in an on-going ministry, the following may help as you begin this venture into spiritual care interpreting.
The Standard
If you are preparing for a religious event, you will likely prepare in the same manner as you would for any other assignment that you would take as part of your work as a professional interpreter. Get as much information about the assignment as possible and spend time preparing alone or, better, with a team.
A church interpreter, historically, has a lower-than-excellent reputation. Most professional interpreters will have, at least, studied, if not graduated, from one of only a few Interpreter Programs (IPs) in their state; having spent hundreds of hours in observation, practicum, internship, and finally sitting for national certification. So, you will, undoubtedly, have received significantly more training than the average church interpreter. This is important, because your involvement in this venue will have the great potential to increase accessibility of Deaf congregants as well as elevating the profession of interpreting in the church.
That is where I would begin a discussion about how to do church interpreting; get adequate training. This may be more ideal than real, since few church interpreters have been hired or even requested. It may be more likely that a church interpreter came across an unmet need and sought to fill it. You may have thought, or it may have been suggested to you that, though you are not a trained interpreter that, “something is better than nothing.” Let me share a quick anecdote from a world missionary conference that I interpreted many years ago from an Assembly of God World Missionary Conference (circa 1997), one speaker, prior to this conference, was a new missionary in a foreign country. He was replacing an older missionary that had worked for many years with little success and was retiring. It was typical that the local national people, who knew the missionary, would gather at the dirt airstrip as a farewell. At this departure there were only a few people who showed up; much fewer than what the replacement missionary had been led to believe would be there. After his departure, the young missionary asked one of the church leaders why fewer people than expected attended the farewell. The church leader said, it was because the missionary had spent decades in country working with the people, and never learned our language well. He said, it would have been more effective for the missionary to have spent 20 years learning the language and 5 years doing missionary work, than to spend 25 years doing work, but never being able to adequately communicate with the people. There was some success during those years, but far less than what was possible had he connected with the people directly in their language.
I suggest that there is a lesson in this story for a church interpreter and maybe one of the reasons that Dr. Gary Chapman’s book The 5 Love Languages (Chapman, 2010) has become a best seller. Faithfulness and sacrifice are invaluable when working hard without adequate reward, but being able to communicate with people in their heart language carries with it a credential that faithfulness and sacrifice cannot replace.
Resources
If you are worried that you don’t know enough about a particular church or faith, there are a variety of resources for religious vocabulary in the digital age. However, if you find yourself committing to interpret in several different churches on an on-going basis, you will want to do more than cursory research of basic vocabulary. In that case, you might want to read the history of the organization, denomination and/or religion.
Here are a few good options for preparing to interpret in a particular church; especially if you are not familiar with it. This will take some time, so start as early as possible.
- Talk with the Deaf people who you are interpreting for. Search out Deaf leaders in that same organization and take them to lunch or contact them via a video platform. Pick their brains and experience in that church or the organization. You will gain a lot of insight, and perhaps be better prepared for adversity if it exists.
- Church and Organizational Websites. A great source for learning signs in a church is by watching sermons of Deaf pastors and/or lay-leaders from a particular faith. The church or organizational website would be a great first step.
- A larger church’s Deaf ministry might have ready-made resources. Check out any links, on the website for Deaf ministry materials – there might be resources already prepared for interpreters.
- YouTube is a staple resource for ‘How-To,’ from changing a catalytic converter on your car, to knitting a sweater. YouTube is a great place to find videos of Deaf signers and songs often sung in a particular church. In fact, you will often find yourself referring back to YouTube to see how someone else signs a particular creed or song; especially the more challenging music selections.
The broader church organization will likely have a statement of faith, as well as a mission statement, and fundamentals that they consider non-negotiable to the faith. Understanding the mission statement and statement of faith will help you sign the theology of the church in sermons et cetera. These statements will also allow you to pull out meaning from apparent innocuous statements embedded in business meetings and a variety of classes or lectures offered at the church venues. The organizational website might also contain a page of various ministries of the faith and provide a linked list to Deaf or interpreted ministries in that organization.
Qualifications
My initial question when asked to interpret might be, am I being paid? However, this is, at best, the second or even third question to ask. The first question you will almost always want to ask, and answer is, am I qualified for this assignment?
Not everyone feels qualified to interpret in a church setting. Some who may have a religious background are more comfortable interpreting in another religious setting because they understand the teaching and precepts of that religion. If you have never interpreted in a protestant church, the vocabulary might be strange to you; even shocking. There might be a lot of talk about blood that you are not sure the meaning of and might struggle with the correct sign vocabulary or classifiers. This can be a challenge regardless of the religious setting you are working in.
A question of qualifications that is a bit more subjective is: Can I consistently, with integrity, interpret the theology of the church? Interpreting the Old Testament will be difficult if you have a problem with the state of Israel. Interpreting the New Testament might be a challenge if you have a hard time interpreting Jesus’ narrow thought in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (New International Version, 1978). This might also be true of someone who does not believe in abortion but commits to being the contract interpreter at a planned parenthood clinic. It does not mean a professional interpreter cannot do it; it is a matter of being faithful to the message over the long-term.
Team Interpreting
I will not add any notes here on “how to team” as there are some great resources available for that lesson, including, the chapter co-authored by Bentley-Sassaman and Schmerman (this volume) on teaming over virtual platform assignments.
The question discussed here is, am I alone or are there others working with me? You might wonder why this should be a consideration, but I assure you, if you do not consider this question up front, you will consider it at the end. Due to the nature of the venue; a church; one might think that the work should be a breeze. In many respects it is easier than some other venues. To be clear, this warning has less to do with the challenge of the subject, though it can be difficult at times, and more to do with volume. Remember, a church is the center of many peoples and families’ lives. Everything that is done in the family may well revolve around one long list of church activities.
Let’s catalogue a few of the activities that an interpreter might be asked to interpret at a typical protestant church. Beginning with a Sunday-school class, the Sunday worship service, a play practice on special holidays, Bible quiz for a parent’s hearing teenager, along with the weekend competition dates, and maybe a nursery where the Deaf congregant has volunteered to serve. There may be extended times of prayer at the altar with another person (hearing), and even baptisms in a lake where the interpreter must be near the pastor who is chest-deep in the water. Even men’s ministry meetings for the Deaf husband(s), the women’s weekly ministry meetings and projects, multiple weekend conferences for both genders throughout the year, to say nothing of volunteer chores, board meetings, leadership meetings, and any conflicts that require church leadership resolution. As a church interpreter, your involvement in the church would, in a real sense, requires nearly as much time as one of the pastors who work on staff.
Do you really need a team? You might say, “Oh, you’re exaggerating! It can’t be all that busy!” Let’s consider a typical Sunday. Depending on the traditions of a particular church they might meet on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. But let’s look at a schedule of an interpreter serving in a contemporary protestant church that meets once on Sunday.
08:30 am – Arrive to prepare the space and self.
08:45 am – Begin Bible class with conversation bouncing generally, non-stop, from speaker to attendees for an hour.
09:45 am – Class ends, and a 15-minute break begins.
10:00 am – Coffee Fellowship with Deaf congregant chatting other church people.
10:15 am – Move to church sanctuary to set up for Sunday morning church service.
10:30 am – Church service begins with welcome, music and singing, announcements, sermon; with prayer interspersed throughout the service and likely afterwards.
12:00 pm – Preaching ends, but parishioner wants to ask the pastor for extended prayer after the service for one of life’s challenges.
12:20 pm – Deaf congregant wants to coordinate with women’s ministry leader and ask the youth pastor about their teen’s event next weekend.
12:35 pm – Deaf congregant and interpreter leave the parking lot.
This is a typical, unembellished, four-hour Sunday morning schedule that will leave you exhausted for the rest of the day. And this is only Sunday morning! Now add to it the potential of a Sunday afternoon “Potluck” dinner and/or a Sunday evening special service that includes another one-hour sermon along with 30 minutes of music, pre- and post- meeting discussions, prayer time at the altar. From there, Monday night community small-group, Wednesday night middle school parent’s meeting, Saturday teen event and a weekend Women’s ministry conference. And this is only the one week! And you can see, it does not take long for the wick’s fire to burn to a short stub and fizzle out. That’s called “Burn out!”
Remuneration
Am I being remunerated (paid)? At what rate? That is, if you are being paid at all. Many churches consider every part of the church activity except for Pastoral leadership and building maintenance a volunteer “ministry position.”
Suffice to say, you will want to discuss your expectations of remuneration with the appropriate church leadership sooner, rather than later. By not addressing this topic up-front, risks unmet expectations and can lead to several failures at a variety of levels.
One of the most devastating effects of a Deaf ministry going awry and living only a short time (the “flash in the pan” effect), is the larger church no longer supporting the Deaf ministry. While at one time a Church may have been open to supporting a Deaf ministry; albeit imperfectly, if the Deaf ministry goes awry, that Church may never open its policies or doors to hosting a Deaf ministry again. And for members of the Deaf community who crave a local ministry (but cannot support a separate Deaf church) this would be devastating.
Other Notes
Role of the Interpreter
In a church it is possible for an interpreter to push beyond the boundaries of the interpreter’s role. It is possible to either seem, or be, aloof from the Deaf congregants, or to be overly engaged to the point of replacing the congregation’s spiritual leader. Maintaining an appropriate interpreter role is a balance that will best protect you, and those you serve, so each can receive the appropriate care they seek, from the most qualified place or individual.
Motivation of the Interpreter
It is important that interpreters check their motivation for involvement in the church as a sign language interpreter from time to time. Is your motivation rooted in a paternalism? That’s not healthy for either the interpreter or members of the congregation.
Is the motivation primarily rooted in spiritual influence, proselytizing or evangelizing? Versus a motivation as a spiritual being and byproduct of the ministry the interpreter is receiving from the platform. Personal evangelization through a vessel of interpreting is fine if the interpreter is faithful to the principles and ethics of interpreting. The interpreter may be asked to interpret at the altar, between parishioners and/or a prayer-team person or pastor. The boundaries can easily be crossed when the spiritual care of the Deaf congregant is placed in the hands of the interpreter alone.
Closing Thoughts
This is a first attempt at offering some advice to someone considering starting to interpret in a church. This flows from years of personal experience of working in a church in a variety of roles, including as a church interpreter. It is, obviously, not a comprehensive discussion regarding religious interpreting. One could fill books (and have) of interpreter advice from conferences, to signing spiritual music, to working with parents of children involved in church ministries, to how to prepare a ministry for on-going success. But the recommendations provided here are real. Most comes from learned successes and failures working in a church setting.
Working as a church interpreter is rarely ideal. You will encounter leaders with fragile egos who feel threatened by the interpreter gaining all the attention during a meeting. On the other hand, there are leaders who will ‘fall over themselves’ to support you and provide everything you have asked for, and even more. Whether you are beginning your interpreting career in a church, using a church as a safe venue in which to hone your skills, or serving the Deaf faith community as a professional, you will find a church is a great place to work with some amazing people. You will be blessed to work in a trained interpreter team so you can serve the needs of the Deaf people of faith. And one of the perks is that you might just find your own faith supported, and challenged, in the process.
Quick Tips
- Clarify the church leadership’s expectations from the beginning.
- Clarify the interpreting role to the church leaders from the beginning.
- Find out if the FORM of the Deaf ministry is static or dynamic. Can you morph if desired or needed?
- Don’t go it alone. Begin with a team.
Activity
Many sermons are streamed online. Find one that shows an interpreter working alongside a pastor.
- Do not watch the video, just listen to the sermon and take notes.
- Research any verses, terms, or themes.
- Now go back to the video and record yourself interpreting.
- Compare your interpretation to the interpreter on the video. Consider if your interpretation conveyed the intent of the message. Note that no two interpretations are the same and just because the interpreter and you signed something different, the meaning may have been accurately conveyed in both interpretations. If the meaning was not accurately conveyed, consider ways it could have been signed in the future.
References
Bentley-Sassaman, J. & Schmerman, H. (this volume). Deaf and hearing interpreter teams: Working effectively over video remote platforms. In R. Minor & J. Bentley-Sassaman (Eds.), Survey of Interpreting in Specialized Settings. Pressbooks.
Chapman, G. D. (2010). The five love languages. Walker Large Print.
New International Version Bible. (1978). Biblica, Inc.