Irish Sign Language Interpreting in Ireland: The Experience of Deaf Students
Keywords:
Inclusion, Access, Irish Sign Language, Interpretation, Higher Education, Communication, DeafAbstract
This article is based on thesis research carried out at the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin. The purpose of this research was to examine Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreting within higher education settings in Ireland. This empirical research documents for the frst time the experiences of Irish Deaf 1 students, who use ISL as their primary language, working with interpreters in this domain.
This research focuses on Deaf people who availed of an ISL interpreter between the years 2005 and 2015. A total of twenty-seven participants responded to an online questionnaire. The data results indicate that Deaf students prioritise the need for quality interpreting over access and place a high value on the relationship of trust they establish with their interpreter(s).Further exploration of the data reveals that trust is built upon an effective working relationship such as the interpreter acting in a benevolent manner, communicating with the student directly, adjusting signing styles to suit the student and establishing signs for subject-specifc terminology.
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