International Perspectives on Sign Language Interpreting

Sign Language Interpreter Education and the Profession in New Zealand

Sign Language Interpreter Education and the Profession in New Zealand 200 RA C H E L M C K E E , S H I Z U E S A M E S H I M A , L Y N E T T E P I V A C , A N D D A V I D M C K E E LOCATED IN the South Pacific Ocean, “next door” to Australia, New Zealand (NZ) is a nation of 4 million inhabitants of whom 67% are Caucasian (or European), 15% are indigenous Māori, 9% Asian, and 7% Pacific Islanders (Statistics NZ, 2007). Estimates of the deaf sign language community’s population range between 4,500 and 7,700, with Māori being overrepresented within the deaf population (Dugdale, 2000; Statistics NZ). Recent reexamination of deaf demographic data in other Western countries suggests that these estimates of the signing community may be inflated, and are likely declining with current medical interventions that are reducing infant deafness and promoting the early acquisition of speech by deaf children (Johnston 2004; Mitchell & Karchmer, 2004). STATUS OF THE INTERPRETING PROFESSION IN NEW ZEALAND The profile of interpreting in NZ has been enhanced by the development of a sign language interpreting profession since 1985, which reinforced the necessity of training and ethical standards across the wider profession, and supported advocacy for minority language access. Although sign language interpreters form a distinct professional group and are often employed through different avenues than spoken language interpreters, the size of NZ has engendered cooperative links between signed and spoken language interpreters in matters of professional development and strategic advocacy for the profession. Spoken language interpreting has professional status in some quarters, but is not yet comprehensively regulated in terms of standards , training, and employment; so while interpreting services are steadily becoming more professionalized, instances of “bring your own” or “call the cleaner” ad hoc provision still occur for both hearing and deaf interpreting consumers in NZ. Pre-degree-level training courses for spoken language interpreters (covering general liaison, medical, and legal settings) are available in several higher education institutions, and the first bachelor’s degree in translation and interpreting is currently under development. Postgraduate qualifications for spoken language translators and interpreters are offered at the University of Auckland, where translation tends to have a higher uptake than interpreting. In-house training and professional development for interpreters is also provided within some community-based interpreting agencies that have been instrumental in advancing standards of practice in the community sector. It is often the case in community-based training that immigrants with high-level qualifications in unrelated disciplines undertake interpreter training and work to support themselves temporarily while they seek work within their field, or because their bilingual skills are needed in support of other members of their immigrant communities. In a recent class of 24 in an introductory training course at the Wellington Community Interpreting Service, for example, 4 participants held doctoral degrees in various fields from their home countries, and most others had at least a first or second degree. This was a particularly highly educated group, but in general, such trainees have at least a first degree and about one quarter are professionally qualified in fields such as law, medicine, engineering, and teaching (D. Cheng, Wellington Community Interpreting Service, personal communication, November 27, 2007). This profile of spoken language practitioners entering community-level work contrasts with that of sign language interpreters, who mainly practice without a degree-level qualification, but more intensive training in interpreting theory and techniques. It is a slightly perverse situation that spoken language interpreters with advanced (though unrelated) academic qualifications can be found working in everyday community situations, whereas sign language interpreters without undergraduate degrees commonly undertake complex interpreting assignments such as academic conferences and courses. For spoken language interpreters and translators, the NZ Society of Translators and Interpreters (NZSTI) was established in 1985 to provide professional representation and development, and to promote standards and awareness of interpreting in the government and private sector.1 NEW ZEALAND 201 1. See http://www.nzsti.org/. 202 MCKEE, SAMESHIMA, PIVAC, AND MCKEE There is no national accreditation body, except the Māori Language Commission , which accredits Māori interpreters and translators under regulations of the Māori Language Act 1987 (the act made Māori an official language). Professional-level accreditation through the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI),2 or a...