Expanding the collective narrative: exploring the experiences of American Sign Language/English interpreters of Asian heritage

Item

Title
Expanding the collective narrative: exploring the experiences of American Sign Language/English interpreters of Asian heritage
Creator
Christine Nakahara
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies
Project Type
thesis
Date
4/29/2016
Abstract
This study focuses on the experiences of Asian and Asian American/Pacific Islanders in the field of American Sign Language/English interpreting within the United States. This study was conducted in two phases, an online survey followed by one-on-one interviews either online or in-person. The information was gathered, coded, and then analyzed for common themes to see if there was a common trend or experience among this particular minority group. The literature review revealed that a majority of the Asian and Asian American/Pacific Islander community does experience microaggressions on a weekly basis, if not daily; however, this has not yet been investigated among current and former practitioners of American Sign Language/English interpreting. It was found that many Asian and Asian American/Pacific Islander interpreters experienced their interpreter education programs (IEPs) to be lacking in discussions about diversity and multiculturalism. The same holds true for practitioners who did not attend an IEP. Working interpreters often felt there was a lack of understanding and conversation about cultural differences and diversity among their peers and consumers. This lack of understanding can lead to more microaggressions and frustration experienced by the Asian and AAPI interpreter. To increase discussion and awareness, participants desired more education and discussion about race, racism, and microaggressions in their education and with their colleagues and consumers.
Committee Member
Vicki Darden, Melanie Landon-Hays, Geri Mu
Rights
Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 6/26/2018, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author at the email address listed above.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Language
eng
Date Available
5/25/2016
Type
Text
Identifier
theses/30