Carrie McCray

My Interpreting/ASL philosophy

As an educator in the field of American Sign Language Interpreting, I feel that is it my responsibility to Deaf and Hearing communities to produce qualified sign language interpreters. The ability to comprehend and work between two languages differing in form and structure is a lifelong endeavor; students will only begin their education while obtaining their degree. American Sign Language (ASL) is not written; the language structure does not follow that of English, nor does ASL depend upon English for growth. Time is needed to develop the skills necessary to mediate between English and ASL. My hope is that I can provide those skills to students enabling their development as interpreters.

The goals of my classroom are for students to comprehend the source message and process that message into the target language. I want students to understand the importance of language comprehension and prediction skills. A skilled interpreter must be able to predict the message of the speaker, to foresee where the message is headed. Prediction aids in the formation of the message and the use of physical space necessary to render an accurate interpretation. Students also need to be able to listen to a message and comprehend the meaning. Interpreting between ASL and English is not an exact science and there is no direct word to word ratio; therefore, students must understand the meaning of the text to convey it accurately. These skills are necessary for the student’s ability to process both English and ASL. The process of learning a second language is not completed simultaneously with the awarding of a degree; becoming fluent in a second language is a lifelong endeavor.

My desire is to get students involved in the educational process. Interpreting cannot be learned passively sitting on the sidelines.  My classroom is based upon experiential learning; we actively learn from hands-on work in the classroom. William Woods University is equipped with an ASL video recording lab and classrooms are technologically equipped for several modes of media input on a daily basis. We evaluate video tapes and discuss linguistic issues present in the text provided as well as formulate ideas on how concepts could be interpreted. Interpreting courses are evaluated by students performing an interpretation of deaf or hearing individuals; these interpretations are recorded in the lab and they are evaluated based on the percentage of information conveyed accurately. Students receive personalized feedback on the specific positive and negative aspects of their interpretation.

I encourage students to accept responsibility for their educational successes and failures.  It is impossible for students to work within a second language and not make mistakes; those are the most successful learning opportunities.  I want students to realize language acquisition is ultimately their responsibility. I cannot put the hours of practice in for the student to become fluent in the language. I encourage students to socialize within the Deaf community to support their developing signing skills. Every opportunity to practice signing will aid students in their quest to become an interpreter.  

Interpreters are bound by a Code of Professional Conduct and teaching students from the first stages of the program to be accountable for their work is something I feel strongly about. I want students to understand their power as the only member of a communication exchange knowing both languages. The other members of the communication exchange are totally dependant upon the interpreter to accurately convey the message. The ethical and linguistic aspects of interpreting are equally important. Knowing personal limits is something that student interpreters need to know before they graduate. The knowledge of self is valuable in assessing the type of interpreting assignments desired in the future.

Teaching the skills of a visual language as well as the cognitive process of transferring information between a set of languages is challenging.  When students start to ask questions and process information on their own, is when I know the seeds of interpretation have been planted and I have been successful in my classroom.  I relish the day when students recognize that even though they have four years of experience with American Sign Language there is still a tremendous amount of linguistic and cultural knowledge that they have yet to experience. The humble attitude of realizing how much more there is to learn is the attitude that will benefit an interpreter the most, as the deaf community will nurture and assist in the development of your skills as an interpreter. The time in my class provides the foundation for the future careers of my students.