The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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26 The Linguist Vol/58 No/5 2019 ciol.org.uk/tl FEATURES interpreters who are hearing have, however, come to the profession with sign language as a second language. Deaf clients can have atypical sign language skills for a range of reasons, including developmental or cognitive disabilities or language deprivation, and they are a common client group. Deaf people often come from families that do not know sign languages, and many experience a delay in language acquisition, which in some cases leads to language deprivation. recent work by Spitz and kegl on language deprivation shows that there is a criticial period of language acquisition and also a critical period for the development of higher cognitive functions. 10 Where there is a case of language deprivation, which has an impact on language development and learning (understanding concepts, reading and problem solving), the deaf person will then have to develop communication skills as opposed to language skills. Ofelia garcía has suggested that deaf practitioners have a lifetime of translanguaging, 11 negotiating language and communication skills because deaf people comprise minority sign language communities within spoken language communities. They have first-hand experience of translanguaging and using linguistic, communication and semiotic strategies, and would be disposed – as lifelong members of deaf communities – to being able to facilitate communication and broker language for deaf clients. Deaf people working as interpreters and translators is not a new thing, but it is the case that training, qualifications and registration have not caught up with the work they do. Their place in the profession is not fully understood, but they play a central role in quality service provision, and this should be reflected in training, registration and recruitment processes. I would like to thank Dr Christopher Stone, Reader in Interpreting and Translation at the University of Wolverhampton, for his comments on earlier drafts of this article. Notes 1 Stone, C and Woll, B (2008). 'Dumb O Jemmy and Others: Deaf people, interpreters and the London courts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries'. In Sign Language Studies, 8(3), 226-240 2 Carty, B, Macready, S and Sayers, EE (2009) '"A grave and gracious Woman": Deaf people and signed language in colonial New England'. In Sign Language Studies, 9(3), 38 3 Boudreault, P (2005) 'Deaf Interpreters'. In Janzen, T, Topics in Signed Language Interpreting, Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 323-356 4 Ladd, P (2003) Understanding Deaf Culture: In search of deafhood. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 502 5 Adam, r, Carty, B, and Stone, C (2011) 'ghost Writing: Deaf translators within the Deaf community'. In Babel, 57(3), 375-393 6 Adam, r and Stone, C (2011) 'Through a historical Lens: Contextualising interpreting research'. In Advances in Interpreting Research, 99, 225-239 7 www.ukstandards.org.uk 8 www.signature.org.uk/lipspeaking 9 See, e.g, Alcoff, L (1988) 'Cultural Feminism Versus Post-Structuralism: The identity crisis in feminist theory'. In Signs, 13(3), 405-436 10 Spitz, r and kegl, J (2019) 'Enhancing Communication Skills in Persons with Severe Language Deprivation: Lessons learned from the rise of a signing community in Nicaragua'. In glickman, NS and hall, WC, Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health, New York: routledge, 185-211 11 garcía, O (2009) 'Education, Multilingualism and Translanguaging in the 21st Century'. In Ajit, M, Panda, M, Phillipson, r and Skutnabb- kangas, T, Multilingual Education for Social Justice: Globalising the local, New Delhi: Orient Blackswan, 128-145 Modes of pracTice Deaf interpreters may work between two different sign languages © ShUTTErSTOCk