A Learning Session on Interpretingby John Xandre Baliza

Strong Voicer:
Deaf Individuals vs. Interpreter Perspectives
by Julie A. White, Ph.D., CI/CT64 and Christine Multra Kraft, MA, CDI
Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis

Abstract

When interpreter agencies or Deaf consumers request a ‘strong voicer,’ what is really being requested? An interpreter with a good English vocabulary base and high register discourse ability? Or an interpreter who will not interrupt the Deaf speaker to ask for clarification? This pilot project led by a Deaf-hearing team investigates this fundamental and well-used term by interviewing Deaf individuals and interpreters. The pragmatic choices of the interpreter - in the usage of nonmanual markers while backchannelling, lexical choices in discourse regulators, and posing questions/clarifications all combine to create an ‘accent’ that impacts the total impression of a ‘good’ vs. ‘poor’ voicer regardless of actual voicing performance. “Fluency is not a cognitive operation in and of itself but, rather, a feeling of ease associated with a cognitive operation” (Oppenheimer, 2008, p. 237). Perception vs. performance is explored in this analysis of contrastive factors from Deaf people and signed