-LIZPOLINKSKI
"I have had the pleasure of being hearing, hard of hearing and am now deaf. Before becoming deaf I was accepted into the deaf community and interpreted for many of my deaf friends. I knew I was going deaf and some of the deaf community trained me in signing a mixture of ASL and PSE instead of signed English. Because of them, my life is as complete as it was when I was hearing or hard of hearing. What I use to do when I interpreted in church for them and what my interpreters do for me now is sign "personal story" when the pastor starts on a personal illustration and then sign "finish" when he returns to the Biblical message. Another way that it can be done satisfactory is through the use of SAS - before the sermon place the pastor in an imaginery position and explain that when he is telling something personal that you will point to that spot to let them know. That works well if you have time to set it up before hand. A flick of the nose also lets them know when he is telling something funny, and that helps enhance the message also. Today I am a total communicator - sign, lip read and speak - so I do a lot of deaf to deaf interpreting now and still use those little tricks when needed.
For a personal message to you, let me say "Thank you" for being the ears and mouthing hands for someone to hear the Word of God. Believe me, you are dearly appreciated by those you interpret for and they love you for trying. It is more important to them that you are trying to give them the message than to do it perfectly. Relax and enjoy it because you are cherished."
-PATCARTER
"I first started interpreting in church aobut four or five years ago. At first, I would only do one song- I was so TERRIFIED!! The other interpreters and the deaf members were great- encouraging me, etc. It took me until last year before I finally started feeling halfway comfortable interpreting the sermon! I used to be so nervous the chair I sat in was wet from sweat when I got done. Now it is only damp! HaHa! (We usually only have one or two deaf, so our interpreters can sit down during the message.) I know your friend appreciates the fact that you try and do your best. One thing I have done, and continue to do, is if I have a hard time with a story or illustration, I will explain it later, after church. It can be VERY frustrating, and I know your friend understands that! You would be surprised what they read on our faces! I have read the other posts, and there is alot of good advice there. I think the most important lesson I have learned is being able to laugh at yourself. You will make mistakes- we all do- even level 5 interpreters! Just remember that without you, your friend would get nothing. With your help, she can get a lot more than you realize. I used to feel very responsible for interpreting, especially the sermon. I still do, in a way, but I have to remember that I am only human, and cannot be perfect. I do my best, remain teachable, and trust that God will make up the difference! Oh- and don't forget to pray!! I have found that to be invaluable. Ask the pastor to pray with you before church if possible. I have been amazed at the signs I "remember" that I didn't even know I knew! It could only have been God!"
-POLIVER5
"Get in the habit of positioning the pastors stories on one side of you and the biblical story on the other side of you. Sign the connections between the 2 stories right in front of you. If you don't understand the connections to the 2 stories, then it is your job as an interpreter to ask the pastor how the stories connect. It is very hard to do a good job at interpreting if you don't understand what you are interpreting."
-ANNL7155
"Hello - don't feel bad because I am an interpreter in training at college and I go to my friends church and there are 3 deaf people there that I have to interpret for. Its hard. I know how you feel. I wish I knew all the words and signs he says. Just try your best."
-KRIS_01
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You will get better and better at this as you improve your sign language skills. Give God your best and get as much training as you can. It'll cost but its hard to serve God on the cheap!!
There are a number of ways to distinguish between the pastors own story and bible stories.
- role shift - a mini role shift can indicate a change in voice - you can become the pastor or the bible character in the story.
- placement - a number of contributors have mentioned this already
- time markers - bible stories happened a long time ago compared to the pastors personal stories (unless he is very very old!!) - as you usually use a time marker at the beginning of of a statement you can indicate the which story you are doing by when it happened
