French interpretation/Québécois language of the signs

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It has been strong a long time that the deaf people communicate between them by means of a language of signs structured. The first public school intended for the deaf people was founded at the 18th century by the abbot Charles Michel of the Sword. As for the vocal languages, there exist today hundreds of languages of different signs. A little everywhere, of the professional interpreters in language of the signs allow the communities deaf and intending to pass in addition to the obstacles to the communication which deafness involves.

Interpretation near the deaf persons in Quebec

To the Quebec, the deaf persons communicate between them in their own language for a very long time. During years, the language of the signs used in Quebec was subject to various influences coming from the French Langue of the signs (LSF) and of the American Langue of the signs (ASL). Notice that name Québécois Langue of the signs (LSQ) exists like such since the beginning of the Eighties. At that time, with for late leader the Raymond Dewar, the Québécois deaf community starts a reflection on his identity as a group. He results from it a pride renewed with respect to the language from the signs, his richness, his complexity and an awakening of specificities of the cultural features divided by the Deaf persons, one will then speak about deaf culture.

Interpretation French-LSQ

Interpretation in language of the signs is perfectly comparable with the interpretation between two spoken languages: of English to French, English with Japanese, etc the occupation of interpreter French - Québécois language of the signs exists in a way organized only since the years 1980 in Quebec. Previously, the exchanges between the Deaf persons and their entourage were made in an abstract way thanks to collaboration of their close relations or speakers in the medium of deafness.

Before the setting-up of the Certificate in visual interpretation of the University from Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) and except for some sessions given to the School of interpretation and translation of the university of Ottawa, no training program of interpreter in language of the signs was available to Quebec or in its immediate surroundings. Thus, the occupation of interpreter in language of the signs was generally acquired by the practice, sometimes with the assistance of an experienced interpreter and by the frequentation of the deaf community.

The international Year of the handicapped people in 1981 supported the development of the profession. The Québécois Association of the French-speaking interpreters in visual language (AQIFLV) was founded in 1982. It is from now on dissolved. The government sets up a service of interpretership in school of level post-secondary. At the time of the Québécois Summit on auditive deficiency held in 1986, the lack of interpreters as certain weaknesses of a qualitative nature were evoked. In October 1987, the AQIFLV, which preaches the professional recognition of the interpreters, ratified a university program project centered on the training of interpreters in visual language, project which concretized in September 1990 with the UQAM.

How to become interpreter in language of the signs

To become interpreter for the deaf persons and the deaf people, should be followed a specialized training. But for all, it is also necessary to know the working languages: we speak about French and the Québécois language of the signs (LSQ). To become interpreter in language of the signs, it is thus a long-term plan:

  1. To become bilingual French-LSQ;

  2. To learn how to control the techniques of interpretation;
  3. To acquire a professional attitude.

  • Devenir bilingual

the language of the signs is acquired like any other natural language; like German, the intrigue, Spanish… Thus, the deaf parents transmit their language (in Quebec it is generally the Québécois language of the signs) like native tongue. Several interpreters have deaf parents and, in their case, French is a language second. For the other people whose parents are hearing, to learn the LSQ it is as easy and as difficult as any other foreign language. The beginnings are generally easy and the progression is fast, as at the beautiful days of our very first courses of English: Jack has student, Mary has girl… Then the contents becomes complicated and it is there that we lose players.

To become bilingual, it is other thing which to have fun to reproduce some signs which appear so obvious to us. It is other thing to add signs while following the French sentences, this for deaf persons who include/understand you because they know French best that you it LSQ. It is necessary thus in the same way to learn the language from the signs that a foreign language. The time of training depends especially on our aptitudes and our motivation.

To be bilingual, it is to be able to express its most complex opinions naturally in a fluid way, while being included/understood without effort by the others. To be an interpreter, it is necessary to take a step moreover and to be able to express the most complex opinions of another person, in a fluid and natural way, even if we are in dissension with the message, while being included/understood without effort by the interlocutor.

to become interpreter near the deaf persons and of the deaf people, one needs a formation!

  • a know-how…

It is not enough to know to sign to know to interpret. Because there are many prejudices on the Deaf persons and their language, too many people are unaware of that the LSQ is a language with whole share and that only a qualified interpreter can ensure a passage faithful of one language to the other. The occupation of interpreter in language of the signs is the amalgam of preliminary knowledge (cultural and linguistic), of a specific know-how and professional attitudes. The process of interpretation is extremely complex, it is necessary to learn how to transmit instantaneously a message before even of knowing the final contents of what will be said. One asks the interpreter to replace the speaker, to show as much conviction, without regard for the contents. It follows the flood of the word: while translating what is said, he listens what follows and connects naturally… The interpreter listens and speaks simultaneously: a whole gymnastics!

One distinguishes three generic situations corresponding to specific qualification levels:

#le face-to-face discussion (level junior);

#les meetings (intermediate level);
#les conferences (level senior).

Each situation comprises particular characteristics and the interpreter must learn how to control each one of it. To become interpreter Québécois French-language of the signs, there exists in Quebec only one formation recognized by the government: the certificate of first cycle in visual interpretation of the UQAM. To be registered there, the candidates interpreters must succeed in an evaluation attesting of their control of the working languages.

Once the controlled technique, the interpreter in language of the signs near the deaf persons and the deaf people must learn how to act according to the code of practice…

  • qualities of a qualified interpreter

In spite of its academic advance, the interpreter in language of the signs graduate must still continue his professional training, because interpretation is not only one business of know-how but also of professional attitudes. During his career, the interpreter will have to make many decisions which will leave the problems of semantic equivalences. It is about a very delicate point, because these decisions can affect the integrity of the people in question. At this point in time the interpreter will have to take support on the rules of the profession.

In Quebec, the Québécois Association of the French-speaking interpreters in visual language (AQIFLV) already assumed the role to gather the interpreters and translitérateurs near the deaf people on a provincial scale. Today, Professional association does not exist any more but the interpreters and the employers always have recourse to the code deontologic of the profession. Moreover, professionals of interpretation continue the mandate to evaluate the interpreters in language of the signs. These people are capable to attest level of control (junior, intermediary, senior) of the interpreters by the means of a test of evaluation recognized by the principal organizations of the medium of deafness. However, the competence of an interpreter is also checked by the quality of its interventions, its concern of offering a suitable service according to the customers and of the situation, by its engagement, its preparation and, finally, by its adhesion with the ethical principles which frame its professional practice.

the competence of the interpreter rests on a certain number of criteria:

(drawn from the booklet produced by the Québécois Center of auditive deficiency L' visual interpretation and tactile, Montreal, 1993, p. 9-10)
*L' interprets has a relevant knowledge of the world and culture of the deaf or deaf people.
*L' interpreter knows several means of communication, of which that uses the person who calls upon her services.
*L' interpreter is relatively familiar with the subject covered during the meeting of interpretation.
*L' interpreter has a great capacity of attention and concentration.
*L' interpreter does not replace the deaf person nor the hearing person. The messenger should not eclipse the message.
*L' interprets qualified must be subjected to certain rules which concern the deontology.

the people who must engage of the interpreters face a problem of size: how to make sure of the quality of the services? One of the first means is to check near the consumers. Those which complain about the services of interpretation seldom make it for the pleasure! However, the satisfaction of the customers is only one index rather far away from real competences in interpretation. Indeed, the consumers can give their appreciation of the speech which is accessible for them without possibility of judging fidelity.

In another order of ideas, of the people qualified in signs but not very well informed on the occupation of interpreter can give a judgment unfavourable because they realize that the interpreter does not use the same words as the person who speaks. However, in interpretation, this situation is frequent if not inevitable! To evaluate the accuracy of an act of interpretation it is necessary to be able to compare the two speeches and to see whether the intentions, the style, the contents were transmitted completely and adequately in the respect of the languages and the cultures of the people present. Unless knowing the language of the signs and to be able well to compare the initial speech with the interpreted speech, it is thus very difficult to evaluate the competence of an interpreter! The minimum that you can make, they is to ensure you that the interpreter is graduate and that he is member of his professional association. Thus, you will be able to take advantage of your rights near association concerned.

Health of the interpreters

  • musculosquelettic Management of the stress

  • Hoop net

References

The original version of this article was written and published in the site on interpretation in language of the signs Québécois (from now on closed) by Danielle-Claude Bélanger, who were interprets, teaching and teaching adviser with the Cégep of the Old man Montreal (Quebec), currently part-time lecturer at the Department of linguistics and didactic of the language to the UQAM and teaching adviser with the Collège with Maisonneuve.

Internal bonds

On interpretation

On the language of the signs

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