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Vol.48 No.1, (1) Communication access: Exploring deaf adults’ perceptions of utilizing sign language interpreter services—Su-Hsuan Yang, Hsiu-Tan Liu(p1-30) Back


Rationale and Purpose: Communication access through sign language interpreting services is crucial to helping deaf individuals fully engage in activities of daily living. In this article, a sign language interpreter is defined as a hearing person who translates spoken Chinese language into Taiwanese sign language (TSL). Few studies have explored deaf individuals’ perceptions of TSL interpreting services. The objective of this study was to explore deaf adults’ perceptions of TSL interpreter experiences to help improve the quality of such services. Thus, the present study addressed two open-ended research questions: 1) Which aspects of the TSL interpreting services are deaf adults satisfied or not satisfied with? and 2) what expectations do deaf adults have regarding the quality of TSL interpreting services? These questions were explored using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which accounts for five subsystems: 1) the individual, 2) the microsystem (friends, family, relatives, and volunteers), 3) the mesosystem (interpreters and contact persons), 4) the exosystem (laws and service regulations), and 5) the macrosystem (Deaf culture and Taiwanese culture). Methods: In this qualitative study, six participants who were recruited through convenience sampling underwent in-depth and semistructured face-to-face interviews. All the interviews were conducted in TSL by researchers who were fluent in TSL. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) experience utilizing TSL interpreting service in the past 3 years, 2) activity in the Taiwanese Deaf community, 3) close familiarity with TSL interpreting services, and 4) knowledge of Deaf rights. The ages of the interviewees ranged from 29 and 40 years; three were male, and three were female. All the interviewees had had severe or profound hearing loss and expressed that TSL was their preferred language for communication. Results/Findings: Regarding question #1, the interviewees expressed different levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their experiences with TSL interpreters. Some of the interviewees commented on their satisfaction with their experience when they first contacted a service representative to request a TSL interpreter (mesosystem). In Taiwan, deaf individuals can apply for TSL interpreting services through multiple channels, and a contact person will track down a suitable TSL interpreter according to the individual’s needs. Some of the interviewees expressed that they were satisfied with the services of TSL interpreters generally. The interviewees noted the following: (1) TSL interpreters have professional sign language and interpreting skills; (2) TSL interpreters can help deaf individuals obtain a wealth of useful information and improve the efficiency and effectiveness at which they communicate, and (3) during interpreting, the interpreters’ clear, concise, and accurate signing; strong sense of professional ethics; and respect for the uniqueness of Deaf culture were evident. These perceptions led some of the interviewees to trust TSL interpreters. However, some of the other interviewees expressed dissatisfaction. They commented that when they attempted to apply for TSL interpreter services, the contact person did not ensure that the assigned TSL interpreter was qualified. The interviewees reported that the TSL interpreters were often unqualified, failing to provide synchronized, accurate, or proficient TSL interpreting services, which cultivated negative feelings toward and a distrust of TSL interpreters. The interviewees’ perceptions related to microsystem-level factors (friends, family, relatives, and volunteers) also varied. For example, when the interviewees did not have access to a professional TSL interpreter, they were forced to depend on relatives, friends, and volunteers, who were not fluent in TSL alone engaging in interpretation. Moreover, the interviewees commented that these informal resources, although appreciated, were inadequate, unstable, and otherwise inferior to professional and accurate TSL interpretation services. The deaf adults also mentioned that such professional and accurate TSL interpreting services are urgently required in legal situations. For example, in courtroom situations, the interviewees noted that judicial officials instruct TSL interpreters when and when not to translate the spoken words of the officials, thus placing deaf adults in legal jeopardy because they cannot fully participate or defend themselves in the courtroom, leading to anxiety and frustration. Question #2 pertained to the interviewees’ expectations for TSL interpreter services. At the individual level, the interviewees expressed that they valued TSL interpreting services because such services helped them better connect to the hearing world. Interestingly, the interviewees wanted themselves to gain more advanced TSL skills to help them take advantage of expert TSL interpreting services to better access the hearing world. At the mesosystem level (interpreters and contact persons), the interviewees noted that they hoped that interpreters would “have a heart for deaf people” and maintain a strong sense of professional ethics. The interviewees’ comments reflected interactions between factors at different system levels. For instance, policies (an exosystem-level factor) govern how the contact person is set up (a mesosystem-level factor), which indirectly affects Deaf rights and the quality of services accessible to deaf individuals. In addition, the interviewees expressed that they looked forward to strengthening advocacy through the Deaf community, contact persons, interpreters, and educational policies. Mainstream society must better understand Deaf culture, deaf characteristics, and the needs of deaf individuals. The interviewees also expressed looking forward to the training of deaf interpreters. Deaf interpreters are deaf professionals who work as a team with hearing interpreters to further break down concepts for deaf individuals with limited signing skills. Because they face disadvantages in the quality of education that they receive, many deaf individuals exhibit delays not only in Chinese language but also in TSL and may therefore require a deaf TSL interpreter to navigate medical and legal situations. Conclusions/Implications: On the basis of the findings of this study, the following recommendations for relevant stakeholders were developed. First, the costs of TSL interpreting services should be regulated by the government. Second, employees at the contact person for TSL interpreting services must receive higher-quality training and should be taught to quickly respond to emergencies at the service site through a supervisory mechanism. Third, all professionals and contact personnel should receive additional training to improve their sensitivity to Taiwanese Deaf culture. These sensitivity training sessions should be led by deaf adults. Fourth, TSL interpreters must hold formal qualifications and undergo continuing education on topics such as TSL linguistics, Deaf culture, and ethical behaviors. Fifth, the government should undertake efforts to make TSL interpreting services, including the role of deaf interpreters in medical and legal settings, more visible. Finally, researchers must conduct additional studies to gain further insight into the perceptions and experiences of deaf individuals to help improve the quality of TSL interpreter services. Research, advocacy, publicity, and TSL interpreting services should be considered holistically to help the Deaf and hearing communities better communicate with each other and help Deaf individuals navigate public institutions and exercise their right to information.


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