A little over a year ago, my father broke his hip and ended up in a rehab center to undergo in-patient physical therapy. Due to the pandemic at that time, I wasn’t able to visit him in person. So we’d talk through VRS. (Keep in mind that I am deaf; my dad is not.)
For those who don’t know, VRS is Video Relay Service, a service for deaf people where they can videophone with a sign-language interpreter and the interpreter would verbally relay messages to the hearing speaker. It’s how deaf people can communicate with hearing people through the phone. We deaf people usually call it VP for videophone which is a general term for deaf-to-hearing and deaf-to-deaf communication. Ain’t technology great?!
Anyway, on Christmas Day, I used VP to wish my father Happy Holidays and to find out how he was doing. The call was uneventful and pleasant. After my father and I hung up, I cheerfully signed to the interpreter:
“Thank you so much for interpreting! I appreciate your service. I know it must be tough to work during the holidays. I hope you get a break soon and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends!”
The interpreter paused and got quite teary. As she wiped her eyes, she explained that she had been “working all day yesterday (Christmas Eve) and today”, and that I was the FIRST person ever to thank her for her services. She went on to say that while she was just doing her job and didn’t expect gratitude, she always felt happy and validated whenever someone thanks her.
Shame on those who take the interpreters for granted! Please remember to thank any interpreter you use, both through VP or in person. It doesn’t matter how long they interpreted for you, who they are (regular interps, CODAs*, or CDIs*), or if you’re having a bad day. They make our communication with the hearing world (and vice versa) so much easier. We’d be completely lost without them. Keep in mind that these interpreters worked VERY hard to learn our language, take difficult tests, get certifications, and so on.
From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the deaf community… Thank you, interpreters! Not just ASL interpreters, but any foreign language interpreters as well. Happy ho-ho-holidays!
—Tabby
*CODA = Child of Deaf Adult
*CDI = Certified Deaf Interpreter