Interpreter To Work With Tutor
This month, I would like to share with you my opinion on a topic that may not be considered “Politically Correct”.
I have been thinking a lot about the role of an interpreter for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah of a deaf child or adult. More and more deaf adults and children are studying and planning for this momentous Life Cycle event. I think the interpreter plays a unique role in these preparations.
A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is actually a Culminating events. It represents a great deal of study and preparation on the part of the child or adult who is called to the Torah. Not only does the Bar/Bat Mitzvah read from the Torah, but she/he also demonstrates his/her competency in leading a service and/or reading important prayers and also in interpreting the meaning of the Torah Passage in light of his/her study of Judaism.
Most Bar/Bat Mitzvah students study with a tutor. In the case of a deaf student (child or adult), the tutor could be a “hearing” person, a deaf person, or an interpreter who is serving in a dual role. This tutor must work with the student and determine the best way for the deaf student to learn. These choices might include oral learning of the Hebrew, translation of prayers into English (with signing), learning to sign from Hebrew, etc.
If an interpreter is later hired to interpret for the DAY OF THE BAR/BAT MITZVAH, it is very important that this person be aware of the language decisions that were made during the several prior months of tutoring. If an interpreter just “shows up and interprets” on the day of the event, there will be no continuity with what the student has learned. It is strongly possible that the deaf student will not even recognize the prayers she/he learned, if they are not in a similar form to what the tutor has presented.
For all of these reasons, I would strongly recommend that the interpreter be included as part of the study/preparation process — several months before the actual day of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Parents who are planning such an event for their child should identify an interpreter ahead of time, and encourage the interpreter to work WITH the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tutor.
In some cases, the Interpreter IS THE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tutor. In these situations, I think the actual day of the event may be most meaningful to the deaf student, as she/he is able to easily follow the interpretation, since the interpreter is conveying the service in a manner that the student has become accustomed.
I recognize that my suggestion is contrary to the traditional role of an interpreter. I am suggesting that the interpreter become more involved in the process and take a more active role. In many situations, the interpreter may be the only person who truly appreciates the language issues involved in the deaf student’s mastery of Hebrew. I personally feel that it is more important for the deaf student to gain maximal benefit from his/her Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience than to worry whether the interpreter is “bending” traditional role definitions.
What do YOU think? Feel free to contact me at [email protected]
