Philosophy Statement

Over the past two years of the Program of Sign Language Interpretation, there is much

that I have learned about being an ethical practitioner in the field of interpreting. The lessons I

learned in class became real and concrete through the experiences I had while volunteer

interpreting and on all three practicum blocks. These are lessons that I will carry with me

through my career as a Registered Sign Language Interpreter.

Values and Beliefs

As a human, I hold my own set of values and beliefs. I strongly believe that all people are

valuable and indispensable, no matter what they believe or how they choose to live their life. It is

also my belief that everyone is deserving of equal access to information and the world around

them. Similarly, it is my belief that everyone has the right to autonomy and should be able to

make their own decisions about their lives without unsolicited interference from outside people

or forces. These values fuel my passion for interpreting. I believe it is vital that the power stays

with the Deaf person. I understand that if the language barrier was not present, I would likely not

be involved in many of the situations that I will find myself in over the course of my career it is

important to me to remember and respect that.

Professional Development

As a professional, it is important to me to continue learning and growing through further

development of my skills. I believe that becoming stagnant in the area is not an option. Language

is fluid and constantly changing there is always more to learn. For this reason, our

understanding of the interpreting process continues to develop as well. To be an ethical

practitioner in the field of interpreting, a continuous effort to learn more and more about the

languages we use and the profession we use them in is necessary.

 Ethical Decision-Making

When working in a profession that deals closely with people, as interpreting does, it is

important to have a strong ethically foundation. For my ethical decision making, I utilize the

AVLIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Professional Conduct (COEGPC) as well as the

demand control schema and DCCRD (demands, controls, consequences, resulting demands)

breakdown. This is important to my everyday decision making and to my self-reflective

practices.

Reflective Practice

I believe that continuous self-reflection is the mark of an effective ethical practitioner.

Reflection is also one of the best ways to grow from both mistakes and successes. As a student, I

have become very used to constantly reflecting on my work, both on my own and with my

instructors, my fellow students, and professional interpreters. As a practitioner in the field of

interpreting, I will keep up this practice. I will actively engage in self-reflection and discussion

of my work with other practitioners for the purpose of growth and development.