“What a wonderful example of poor quality!”: How videos of pseudo sign language interpreters impact working professional interpreters in Canada

Abstract

A known issue within the field of sign language interpreting is pseudo interpreters: people who represent themselves as professional and qualified, yet do not actually know sign language or how to interpret. Numerous examples of this phenomenon have appeared in videos that circulate on social media, acting as pedagogical tools to the general public. These videos have distorted societal perspectives on Deaf people, signed languages, the role of sign language interpreters, and what constitutes the provision of accessible communication. In this study I examined the experience of 11 professional sign language interpreters in Canada and how these videos impact their personal and professional identities. Themes identified in this study include concerns related to professionalism, misunderstandings about the role of interpreters, the burden of labour that interpreters take on to educate others, and the identification of specific quality assurance protocols that would prevent this type of service provision failure.