> The most highly qualified interpreters SHOULD be the language role
> models for Deaf children.

I'm one of those old-fashioned types who thinks a whole community of
native signers SHOULD be the language models. The extent to which a
single interpreter -- however kick-butt she is -- is *the* model is the
extent to which the system is out of whack. If all a hearing kid had
(in anything other than extreme circumstances, like shipwreck) was
access to a single language model, we'd see that for the abuse that it
is. And I'm including in that situations where there is no nearby
community to speak of. And no, I don't have any feasible ideas for a
fix. Any takers?

> And of course, the thoughts being expressed in this thread seem to
> support the concept that if all interpreters went out and got their
> Bachelors Degrees, then they would be paid as well as teachers (which
> still sucks by the way)

No question. All we ask for is the ability to be looked down upon not
as paraprofessionals, but as true professionals. :-)

> Passing anatomy does not make you a doctor.

I knew someone was going to bring up the medical analogy. Would that we
deserved it.

Well, perhaps medicine before the 19th century is a more apt
comparison. Doctors back then were paid comparatively little, and as a
rule, didn't know much more than the patients did. This changed,
slowly, with the invention of instrumentation like the stethoscope
(during the Napoleonic wars... so sue me), X-rays, etc etc. As the
knowledge needed to be a doctor got more complex, pay scales rose.

No, getting an A+ in anatomy (even gross anatomy in med. school)
doesn't make you a doctor. For that matter, passing med. school doesn't
make you much of a doctor. Not does passing your boards. There is a
whole process, which includes extensive hands-on work as an intern and
a resident for a reason. Failing any portion of this sure as hell makes
you NOT a doctor.

And as long as we're at it, if I didn't see all the right pieces of
paper on my doctor's wall, no amount of...

"But I'm a lifelong learner!"
"But I've been treating people all my life!"
"My parents were both patients, you know!"

.... would persuade me to do anything other than SPRINT, not walk, in
the other direction.

I've worked with PCC graduates as well, and the quality has not been
altogether even. Passing any test on a particular day (including
certification) doesn't speak to much more than the fact that one met
minimal expectations during a particular two-hour segment.

Which brings me back to the whole anecdotal thing. Where's the research
on this issue? I know of one dissertation coming down the pike which
looks specifically at educational interpreters. The question is: what
decreases the odds of getting a dud interpreter? Until we can back that
up with some actual data and analysis, all we're doing is BSing around
the water cooler.

Cheers,

-Dan.