Is the Profession of Sign Language Interpreting a Care Work Profession?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: The Biographical and Documentary Research SIG Roundtable (Table 4)

Abstract

There are not enough sign language interpreters in the United States to meet demand. Many interpreters leave the field early in their careers, causing a lack of available trained and qualified interpreters (Cogen & Cokely, 2015; Dean & Pollard, 2001). Studies have pointed to the physical and mental demands of interpreting and burnout as significant factors for the field’s turnover (Dean & Pollard, 2001; Humphrey, 2015; McCartney, 2006; Schwenke, 2015). Even though we are aware of this problem as professionals, we have yet to address why interpreters leave effectively. This paper will draw from research about interpreters who worked in the collegiate setting and dive into the invisible care work manifested in their lived experiences.

Author

• Taylor Woodall-Greene, Oklahoma State University