Did You Hear That...???

I was at a workshop yesterday put on by the company that I work for, Sorenson Communications. Though the aim of the workshop was teaming (situations that require more than one interpreter), we got into a brief discussion about English vs. ASL or, more appropriately, Hearing vs. Deaf cultures.

English, as it turns out, is quite a cryptic language, while ASL is much more straightforward. I guess that more accurate way to say this is Hearing people try their best to be diplomatic and offend none, while Deaf people don't beat around the bush and are quite blunt.

As the workshop was relating to our job as VRI's (Video Relay Interpreters), the discussion centered around phone ettiquette.

Some examples? Thought you'd never ask. :-)

Example #1:
[Bob calls Joe. Bob is Deaf. Joe is hearing.]
Bob: Hey, Joe. What's up?
Joe: Hey, Bob. I'm at work right now.
Bob: Oh, okay. So, how are you doing?

Classic case of hearing/Deaf. Bob unknowingly caught Joe at work. When Joe answered that he was working, what he didn't say was that this is a bad time to talk--in the hearing culture, that would be implied. However, since Joe did not state, "I'm busy and can't talk," Bob took this as an open invitation to converse.

Example #2:
[Jane has been talking with Sue for a while. Jane is hearing. Sue is Deaf.]
Jane: Phew! Well, goodness, I'm sure tired.
Sue: Okay. Did I tell you our family is going to Florida this summer?

Again, what is implied by Jane is that she's ready to end the conversation and go to bed, but because she didn't say it, Sue assumes that they can keep talking. Again, had Jane said, "Wow, I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Good-night," Sue would have understood the meaning.

Ultimately, I just think it's interesting in that sociological/cultural way. We hearing people try so hard to NOT hurt anyone's feelings and yet, Deaf people would prefer and respond to a more straightforward/blunt way of communicating.

Note: Due to the confidential nature of all interpreting, the previous two examples are purely fictional and any relation to actual events is purely coincidental.