Building Relationships with the Deaf Community

Interpreters are often under enormous pressures that distract them from paying attention to relationships with Deaf consumers. It’s not uncommon for interpreters to be focused on achieving the technical skills of interpreting rather than soft skills. However, healthy relationships are the key to solving a problem or achieving effective communication. Building and sustaining the foundation of trust is central to your work as an interpreter of the community. To achieve success in building connections, we all need to explore ourselves and increase the courage to be more involved in the Deaf community and support others. The goal is to become comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable to regain trust in our relationships with the Deaf community. 1. Define the interpreters’ role in the community as of today. 2. Identify the interpreter’s own strengths and weaknesses in building relationships. 3. Identify the Deaf consumer's own strengths and weaknesses in building relationships. 4. Define one’s…