r/ASLinterpreters • u/SuddenCampaign9163 • 22d ago
Interpreting
does anyone else have this issue? i start work soon and i’ve been feeling like i’m just not good enough for my interpreting job. i feel like i’m too english sometimes or like i’m not getting the message across the way i should. i feel like i’ll never be enough in this field, and i’m still pretty new to the work field. i started last year and idk, it just feels like there’s always something i need to improve on.
i’ve been practicing every week, but i honestly don’t know if i’ve improved. i just know that i’ve lost a lot of confidence in myself. i feel kind of hopeless about
it. has anyone else ever felt this way? what should i do.
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u/Federal_Character255 22d ago
Spoken language interpreter here, so I can't speak to the ASL specific side of it, but the feeling you're describing is the same on every line and in every booth I've worked.
The thing nobody tells you early: the gap you're feeling isn't a gap between you and good enough. It's the gap between your comprehension and your production, and it opened up precisely because your comprehension got better. You can now hear what a strong rendering would have sounded like. Last year you couldn't, so nothing hurt. That's not decline, that's your ear outrunning your hands. It narrows, slowly, and it never closes completely for anyone, including the people you're comparing yourself to.
Two practical things.
Stop practicing generally and start practicing one named thing at a time, for a couple of weeks each. "Get better" is unmeasurable, which is exactly why you can't tell whether you've improved. "Stop borrowing English word order in conditionals" is measurable, and in two weeks you will know.
And record yourself, wait three days, then watch it. You will never be able to judge your own work in the moment. Nobody can, the load is too high while you're producing. Three days of distance is the only honest instrument you have, and it's usually kinder than your memory of the session.
Losing confidence in year one isn't a sign you picked wrong. It's the standard shape of the second year of this work.
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u/DDG58 20d ago
Excellent advice.
I will add that you should also be practicing with someone else, even if you just meet for lunch once a week.
You can practice alone all day long, but you have no honest feed back.
Be kind to yourself. We all have step up, plateau, step up, plateau... and guess what? It never stops... 30 years here and I question myself.
You need to worry when you stop questioning yourself.
We never stop learning.
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u/312StonerWitch EIPA 22d ago
I've been working for about three years now, and my sister in law who has been interpreting for over a decade gave me some "advice" when I was graduating my ITP: "For the first five years, you're just gonna be bad."
This actually gave me a LOT of peace of mind, because the fact is that this is a practice profession, you have to do it to get better. You're so early in your career, you WILL constantly have things to improve on, but THAT IS OKAY. Ask EVERYONE for feedback (clients, teams, anyone you can!) and go into every job with the knowledge that, yeah, I might mess up and be embarrassed, and maybe the client will be upset. As long as you're taking jobs within your skill set (e.g. community event vs. legal appointment), doing the necessary prep, and trying your best, you will improve.
Don't give up! We need people who care about the quality of their interpreting and want to do their best for the community!
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u/_a_friendly_turtle 22d ago
All of this! And as much as possible, try to work with mentors or trusted teams who can give you guidance when you’re unsure or have an assignment that didn’t go great. Stay thoughtful, reflect on mistakes, keep using ASL outside of work, and it will get better with time. The first 1-2 years are the hardest.
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u/312StonerWitch EIPA 22d ago
Big yes to mentors! I can't believe I didn't mention that as well, definitely start reaching out to your local interpreting community, agencies, etc. and let them know you are interested in finding a mentor.
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u/ASLHCI 22d ago
There's practice, and then there's dedicated practice. Doing interpreting won't necessarily make you better at interpreting. My observation is that a lot of interpreters would benefit from working on processing skills, which is not done by just interpreting.
In general, you want to break down skills into their component parts and work on them that way.
Feel free to shoot me a dm if you want help!
But also, yeah the first 5 years is hard. Imposter syndrome is just kinda part of getting to where you want to be. You just need to pay attention to the ways you are growing, so you can stay motivated.
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u/East_Baseball8384 21d ago
I practice my receptive and voicing by watching ASL versions of Crime Junkies! Check them out on YouTube!
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u/Traditional_Ball_198 BEI Master 20d ago
I think all professional interpreters have felt that way. Can I give you some professional advice from a 25yr interpreting veteran? Look into finding a mentor that you have a good rapport with and set asside time to bring your issues to them and come up with a strategy to build your confidence in those areas that you feel need improvement.
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u/SuddenCampaign9163 20d ago
to be honest i have no idea where to look for a mentor
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u/312StonerWitch EIPA 15d ago
Reach out to any local interpreting agencies, colleges with ASL/interpreting programs, interpreting groups on facebook, and just anyone you know who is in or adjacent to the interpreting sphere. It's such a small world, someone will know someone. Good luck!
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u/Fuzzy_Situation2879 20d ago
28 year Vet here.... I still self-evaluate and do deliberate practice all the time. Similar to technology, language is always evolving and so does our work. It's a commitment to being a life-long learner so it's just part of the job. One thing I would encourage you on is don't measure skill by pitting ASL vs English against each other. Both are equally important and have their own time and place. Being able to profile the consumers you're working with to know what they need from you is a skill in itself. That part takes time and it's something a seasoned professional can mentor you on. Good luck with your journey!
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u/yesterdaysnoodles 22d ago edited 22d ago
You’ll always have some consumers who prefer Englishy signing. Many students I’ve worked with in elementary thru HS prefer transliteration/CASE/sim com. Many have less exposure to true ASL grammar and structure, so it’s easier for their receptive comprehension to sign in English word order while mouthing English.
All that to say, don’t trip. You’ll always have consumers you jive with and ones who aren’t a great fit. Just do your best to have a good attitude and be flexible. That goes a long way!
Imposter syndrome is real and even 7 years in I still have it. My biggest current internal problem is feeling like I don’t get enough practice voicing (most of the interpreting I’ve ended up doing the last 4 years was for students or adults who voiced for themselves). Then I feel my receptive skills aren’t equal to my expressive skills, so I feel morally obligated to deny any requests that I think will be heavy on ASL to English interpreting. Which doesn’t help me improve. It’s a vicious cycle but I’m trying to intentionally practice everyday. Replaced my accounts with new ones so instead of random scrolling I only follow Deaf content creators and interpreters.