Most people try to better themselves and be the best that can be in their profession.
As an interpreter, there is so much I don't know. There are so many ways to sign a simple sentence. Most of my job is left to how I hear or see something and figure the best way to give it to the other consumer with the same meaning.
This weekend I got to sit in a conference for 3 days with some of the most inspiring, supportive and motivating people I have ever met. Going to a conference where you don't really know anyone in the profession had me shaking in my xtra-tuff boots. The interpreting world can be so rude... ie: not helpful, and this "I'm better than you attitude". But it was so refreshing to meet 60 men and women who are so far away from that type of interaction. Everyone was so helpful, encouraging, motivating, wanting to work together for the betterment of ourselves and as a team to provide the best services we can to our consumers.
Our presenter was Nigel Howard... no words can describe the beauty of his signing. He can take something that we hearing people/ working interpreters made way too complicated and he would sign it so beautifully, shrug his shoulders and say thats all. If only it was that easy.
To truly get an idea how phenomenal this guy is, we talked in depth amount of the human anatomy and I wish that he was my interpreter when I took Anatomy and Physiology. I would of totally and completely understood the class better by watching him than I did listening to a semester of lecturing. That is the true gift that I hope to one day be able to provide to my consumers. If only my interpretation of the content would be so clear that a hearing person, who does not know sign language, would be able to understand the content material...One can only dream!
Here is to feeling the best I have felt about my profession and truly look forward to working with all these wonderful people I met from all over Alaska, the United States, and Canada!
