Tuesday, April 5, 2011
86 the country accent with interpreting???
Today while I was in my ITP ASL to English class this topic come up. I can't seem to find an answer or a clear cut answer. Perhaps there is not one. My teacher and peers had input that I really value. I would love to get some feedback from everyone and perhaps that can help me have some more insight. Ok, so here goes. There are common misconconceptions about people with a "country accent". This is really unfair and inaccruate. I know for a fact that accents do not affect an individuals intelligence or personality. Accents are regional and very rich part of regional culture. Accents thick or thin are fabulous and should be cherished. Unfortunately, a "hick" or "country" accent is frowned upon. There are misconceptions that those with this accent are less intelligent and unqulaified for jobs. With that said, I bring up the field of interpreting. In southern regions of the US there are Interpreters with this type of accent. Should these interpreters be expected to lose their accent when interpreting for a Deaf person? I ask this because Interpreters are supposed to present their consumers accurately and appropriately. This is apparently supposed to be done using "Standard English". Clearly, if there is an interpreting setting in which all parties involved have the same regional accent then there is really no issue or even question about whether or not the accent is appropriate. Well, what if an interpreter from the south leaves the south to interpret? Or an Interpreter in the south who is interpreting in a setting where the accent is inappropriate? Should the interpreter lose thier accent? If they do, is this cultural oppression on the Interpreter? What do you think?
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I have had similar experiences with the dialect of this region. It's not fair that we're looked down on. But…. we have to do what we have to do. If anything else, we're "smart enough" to fake it. We can pretend we don't have an accent while in the work place. It's hard and takes practice, but it's possible. :)
ReplyDeleteThis goes for most jobs actually, the person with the southern accent usually doesn't get hired over the person with the proper accent. It doesn't make sense and is not fair. But we just have to do some code switching and hide our accents in the professional setting much like Jessica said above. We can do it and as professionals we shouldn't have to once we've earned our degree but in the world we live today we have to =(.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think this might require a little code switching for the interpreter. We all speak to people differently. I speak to my best friends differently and use different language than I would if i were talking to a professor. I think that's the same with some dialects. I've noticed that when I'm at school or away from my home, I tend to adopt a more standard form of English, but when I'm back home, I tend to get more of a country twang. I dont' think you have to completely toss the accent out the window, because lets' face it, that would be extremely difficult. I just think you might need to try and "tweak" it a bit to sound more standard if that's even possible.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I've struggled with - so i'm quite sure the answer!
I think that it is very interesting that you bring up this point. For the most part interpreters try to lose the things that are a problem within the speech but not necessarily the accent. They try to rid themselves of slang or "um," things that would get in the way of a professional looking as professional as possible. I feel that accents make the person unique, so therefore I would hate to tell someone to lose their accent, but at the same time if their accent is southern slang and their message is skewed because it can not be understood, then there is a problem. Basically what I am getting at is that maybe accent is not only the way things are said, but also influences what is said - in the latter it would be necessary to rid of the accent. Then again it depends on the register like you said earlier.
ReplyDeleteHard question, but something to think about.
This is something that I have heard brought up in class before... and it seems to be a difficult one to answer. I would also hate to tell someone to attempt to eliminate something that makes them who they are but they also need to try and be true to the message of the speaker. I agree that a little "code" switching may be helpful in some situations...
ReplyDelete-Kristi Hamm
I think that you bring up an interesting point. It's something that I have thought about sometimes before. I am curious whethee professionals from other parts of the country who have strong accents, like Boston, New York, Wisconsin, etc, have the same experience if they work in a more southern part of the country.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is less an issue, for me, about cultural and regional differences and more an issue about understanding and relate-ability. I think that where you are during the time of the work has a large impact on the choice you should make. For example, someone with a strong country accent needs to be aware of their environment when using slang terminology that may only be familiar to their native area as well as be aware that they may be difficult to understand for someone who has not been exposed to such a dialect. There is a misconception that people with an accent are of a lower IQ. There is also a misconception that people with piercings and tattoos are unprofessional. Accents are skin deep and, just like in any profession, we must decide what we are willing to give a little on, and then adapt. I personally would try to cover up any tats or piercings in a professional situation as I would not be representing myself, but another individual. I liken this to an accent in the way that I will not be representing my region on a job and would want to push as many stigmas to the side as possible.
ReplyDeleteI believe that an interpreter with such an issue may have to make minor adjustments. There is a standard socially exceptive way of speeching for the public in most professional atmospheres. It is unfortunate butit is the truth for now. Foreigners I have noticed have attempted to speak as american as possible I assume to be accepted for descent professionals and general acceptance.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the feedback! I don't even know where to begin. I will have to process and get back to this.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the code-switching idea, but it's also easier said than done. For someone like myself, I was born and raised in KY, but I don't necessarily have as strong of an accent, some would say none at all compared to most from KY. That being said, my accent shows on specific words -- the typical ones like nine, five, time, july. Now, if someone were to tell me that my accent on those specific words was distracting, would it be easier for me to do away with it or harder? Part of me would say easier, because it's only those few words - at the same time, the fewer words means it doesn't happen as often, so I'm less concentrated on it than compared with someone who has an accent all the time, so they would constantly be focused on it. I really like my baby accent, and I'm not sure how I'd feel about someone playing into the label that it makes me less intelligent. Red flags pop up all over the place for me.
ReplyDeleteI think code-switching should be something the interpreter must do. If an accent is obviously getting in the way of communication and more attention is being given to the accent than the message being relayed, the interpreter may need to learn how to reduce their accent in certain situations. This is nothing against the southern region and dialect of the interpreter. But sometimes a job calls upon a person to step outside of their comfort zone and do something that is different for them. If the interpreter doesn't want to speak in any other dialect, they should stay within the southern region and interpret there. You can't always have it both ways.
ReplyDelete