Deaf people say interpreter for Dallas County is unqualified; concerns arise on contract
There were several people in the deaf community who said the interpreter for a Tuesday, March 31 Dallas County press conference was unqualified. Here is a video clip from Fox 4 News.
[Clip from Fox 4 Dallas on March 31]
THE DAILY MOTH:
As you can see, the interpreter uses some signs that are not used in ASL such as those signs that are unclear or she relies on fingerspelling. She seems to not be able to keep up with the fast pace of the speakers.
I reached out to a Dallas-based organization that provides advocacy and interpreting services, Deaf Action Center (DAC). I was able to chat with the Executive Director Heather Hughes. She said that the “interpreter” for Tuesday night was not qualified nor certified, and that there was another interpreter on Sunday night that was not certified under the RID or BEI.
I will show you a clip of the Sunday night interpreter.
[Clip from Fox 4 Dallas on March 29)
THE DAILY MOTH:
I do not know the names of the interpreters.
Hughes explained that Dallas County has a contract with an organization called “Final Graphic.” They provide a multitude of services including translation services for more than 180 languages. Hughes said Final Graphic does not have the experience or the staff to understand the importance of hiring qualified interpreters and Certified Deaf Interpreters.
HEATHER HUGHES:
DAC is a non-profit organization here in Dallas. We are led by several deaf staff who make sure that our community has communication access. One thing that I noticed on the television was that the interpreter was not clear or qualified. We looked into this and found out two things. The first interpreter on Sunday night was not certified. The second one — I mean neither RID nor BEI certified. The second one was not qualified or certified. I was disappointed to see that the person was willing to stand up in front of everyone and sign in a subpar way. I can’t call her an interpreter as I can only call her a signer. I know that spoken language companies are just taking over and ignoring the need to see deaf experts who really provide support and collaboration with the community. They are just looking at the bottom line, the money, instead of making sure that deaf people have communication access and qualified and skilled interpreters. So I have to say that my own county is more concerned about money than clear communication that can save lives.
THE DAILY MOTH:
I asked her on what Dallas County has said about her concerns.
HUGHES:
I think they gave us the standard response. The response was that they are “working to resolve the issues and that we are working to see if the next conference will have a qualified, certified interpreter.” That was just a standard response that is given not to just me but to others as well. I hope they will contact us to provide leadership and encouragement on why we need skilled ASL interpreters.
THE DAILY MOTH:
I was able to view an email from the owner of Final Graphic, Obed Ortiz, who wrote a response to concerns brought up by a Dallas-area certified interpreter, Shelley J. Hardell. The email was based on the Sunday interpreter. Hardell said the interpreter was not clear in her interpretation.
Ortiz replied by saying sarcastically that he was “impressed that (Hardell) represented the Deaf Community of Dallas County.” He said that he was contacted by other Deaf Community members who said the Sunday interpreter did well. Ortiz said the (Sunday interpreter) was “certified” but did not name which organization certified her. Ortiz said in the email they are not required to provide certifications or names of their interpreters to private businesses or individuals to satisfy curiosities, but they do provide the information to their clients. Ortiz sad Hardell was to “cease and desist” from levying false accusations.
I asked Hughes on what DAC is doing to respond to the situation.
HUGHES:
Right now we have offered to provide interpreting services at no cost just to show that it is critical because of the emergency. At the same time, I’m in talks with them and telling them to find someone who can provide skilled, qualified interpreting services. At the same time, we are asking volunteer interpreters to film themselves so the they can replace a cropped out part of the unqualified interpreter. The information will be late, yes, but it is important to continue to put out information. Not only that, our staff are getting calls in which they have to explain the errors from the (press conference) and explain things. It takes a lot of time from our staff to re-educate our clients. So that’s what is happening.
THE DAILY MOTH:
Hughes said she is proud of how the deaf community has responded in solidarity.
Hughes said she is concerned that interpreters hired by Final Graphic is being used in courtroom settings.
I asked Hughes if she noticed this issue come up in other states or counties where a government would enter in a contract with a general language service to provide ASL interpreters rather than a specialized ASL interpreting organization.
HUGHES:
Yes, it is a huge concern because again, for spoken language companies, interpreting services may make up just 1% of their services. So again deaf signers make up a small base compared to other spoken languages. So yes, many organizations that are Deaf-led and Deaf-run or are established with roots in the community for many years are starting to be rejected in favor for spoken language companies. Again, it’s about the cheapest bid possible. It is a concern because not only does it affect the community but it affects us because the revenue from interpreting goes into our advocacy efforts. We don’t make a profit from interpreting services, but the money goes into advocacy to make sure that the community is providing communication access. So, yes, spoken language companies are becoming more brash and aggressive in providing the cheapest interpreting services possible to keep their contracts for both spoken and signed languages.
THE DAILY MOTH:
Thank you for your time, Hughes. We know that many eyes will be on Dallas County’s next press conference and the interpreter that is assigned, if there is one assigned.
Tuesday Interpreter: https://www.facebook.com/Fox4DFW/videos/238999423906239/
Sunday Night Interpreter: https://www.facebook.com/Fox4DFW/videos/232720694578802/
https://www.finalgraphic.com/index.html