No firing darts from here--I agree with you. Here in
eastern Iowa, there is little to no monetary incentive
to pursue more qualifications. Starting pay in some
towns, especially for school districts is horrifyingly
low--one could work at Wal-Mart or McDonald's for the
same pay...

Carissa D. Huffman, CT
Bettendorf, Iowa
--- Tammy Fischer <tjfisch@...> wrote:
> RE: Non-Degreed Interpreters [was: Non-Degreed ITP
> Instructors]Actually, I believe it was Beth Ann who
> spoke about the issues regarding spelling and
> English literacy. I agree with her 100%. The
> English competency of some interpreters is pi**
> poor! But Judi's points are also well made
> regarding educational interpreting.
>
> The most highly qualified interpreters SHOULD be the
> language role models for Deaf children. 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), and not looked on as mere aids or
> paraprofessionals, however, time and again, as
> interpreters have gotten certified (at least in the
> Portland Metropolitan area - Oregon), the school
> districts have made NO moves toward increasing pay
> schedules or improving benefits for interpreters who
> attain higher level skills and/or certification or
> degrees.
>
> There is no incentive for interpreters to do so -
> and at $12.50 an hour, who can afford it? YES -
> Interpreters should STILL go on and pursue advanced
> training for the good of the profession and their
> own abilities to do their jobs, however this idea
> that we all go out and get degrees and the
> educational world will suddenly welcome us and pay
> us a bunch more money just doesn't bear out in
> actual practice.
>
> Finally, I can't remember who made the comment that
> many Interpreter Training Programs require passage
> of the RID Written exam in order to graduate from
> their programs, but my response to that is a
> rousing SO WHAT? Again, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN FILL
> OUT PAPERWORK DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN INTERPRET!!! What
> happens when you pick up your hands? Do you have
> Deaf people looking at you like you are signing in
> Swahili? Can you voice interpret? Or are you one of
> those interpreters who when your team interpreter
> arrives you say, "Can you do all the voicing, I
> don't really do that very well?" Passing anatomy
> does not make you a doctor.
>
> Here ends my tirade - I have ceased to don
> protective armor - take your best shots!! :-)
>
> Tammera J. Fischer, CI & CT; NAD IV
> Certified Sign Language Interpreter
> (503) 267-4861 (V)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Drew, Alysa
> To: TERPS-L@...
> Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 8:53 AM
> Subject: Re: Non-Degreed Interpreters [was:
> Non-Degreed ITP Instructors]
>
>
> I'm afraid I have to agree with you, Judi. I have
> tried to put it off to poor typing skills, rather
> than poor English skills, but the fact is, we're
> language people. We should have an excellent command
> of both languages in which we work. The occasional
> error is understandable - a typo - I do it all the
> time, but appropriate grammar is important.
>
> However, one of the problems may be the
> informality of email. Some people don't see it as a
> necessary thing to write well and accurately,
> assuming we'll just understand. However, I, too, am
> often distracted, and tend to just delete the posts
> without reading them fully. It's frustrating, and I
> guess I'm an education snob or something, but I'd
> rather read something that's well written.
>
> Soapbox tucked safely back in closet...I am yours,
> critically,
>
> Alysa
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judi Webb [mailto:utuqu@...]
> Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002 3:34 PM
> To: TERPS-L@...
> Subject: Re: Non-Degreed Interpreters [was:
> Non-Degreed ITP Instructors]
>
> Beth Ann wrote:
> >To interpret effectively, we need fluency in
> both
> languages. I am shocked when I read postings by
> interpreters who can't spell "interpreter".
> I am dismayed when I see postings by k-12
> interpreters
> and I can't follow their logic
> because I am distracted by poor spelling and
> language
> use. And I ache for the deaf students who are
> forced
> to do extra work to mentally translate what these
> interpreters are trying to convey.<
>
> I am an RID Certified interpreter, and have been
> since
> 1986. I attended a 1 year certificate program,
> plus I
> have four years of college, much of it relating to
>
> bilingual education.
>
> I was a staff interpreter at a college for 3
> years,
> then took a job at an elementary school. Imagine
> my
> surprise when people questioned why I, a certified
>
> interpreter, was 'lowering' myself to do public
> school
> work with kids!
>
> By the way, that was probably the best, most fun,
> challenging job I ever had!
>
> Judi Webb
>
>
>
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