The impact of interpreters on my life as a Deaf person

At work today, something critical came up for the product I help manage and build for Sorenson. As a product owner, I work closely with engineers who maintain and build the actual product- I decide the priorities of what to build and work on. With that position, I have influence over a product- which I don't take lightly. My company, Sorenson, serves the Deaf/HH people by providing remote and in-person interpreting services and develops technology to support that. The products that are built directly impact the interpreters and Deaf/HH consumers- and empower the Deaf/HH to communicate and connect with everyone.

I addressed the critical issue that came up today by collaborating and communicating with key people, and encouraged them that I had their backs. But especially the interpreters’ backs. It felt good fighting for them. Later on through the day, a co-worker posted an announcement that it was Interpreter’s Appreciation Day.

I was struck by the interesting timing, and contemplated about how interpreters have impacted my life. But there’s one interpreter that stands out among all others.

My own mom.

The first Deaf person that my mom met was a newborn baby in her arms- me. Around 18 months later, mom spotted signs that I had hearing loss and took me to the doctor to confirm. The doctor tested for hearing loss by slamming a door. I turned around. My response was “confirmation” for the doctor that I didn’t have hearing loss. In hindsight, the vibration and the light breeze of the door swinging probably caught my attention.

But my mom trusted her instincts, and fought. Eventually, it was discovered that I had profound deafness, which means I don’t hear anything quieter than 90-95 decibels. My mom grieved the loss of a “normal childhood” for me. I didn’t even qualify for a cochlear implant back then because I was born deaf and had no residual hearing to work with.

But my mom fought. She was determined to not allow my hearing loss to be a barrier for me. She was able to connect with the local Deaf community and advocates which encouraged her to learn sign language. Mom eventually fell in love with the Deaf culture and sign language, and changed her career to become a certified sign language interpreter. And a damn good one.

And my mom continued to fight. Not only for me, her daughter, but for the Deaf community. She lobbied at the state capital, influencing senators and politicians to pass legislation for the state to mandate certification for sign language interpreting to assure quality. (And by quality, ensuring an interpreter was capable of actually translating accurately and clearly- such as making sure an ASL student that studied for only 2 years wasn’t placed to interpret a crucial medical appointment)

She became an interpreter at a public school district and worked closely with Deaf/HH students to give them the absolute best and clearest access to education so they could thrive in the future. And thrive, they did. She also opened doors for me to participate in unique opportunities, to show that the Deaf people can do anything, but hear. With her support, I traveled down to California to compete in the Deaf Academic Bowl and met peers just like myself. A world of opportunities opened up to me.

She made sure I had access to as many things as possible. Such as requiring my immediate family members to communicate with me in sign language. Which is actually a rare thing, which is heartbreaking. Around 75% of Deaf children’s parents never learn sign language- which means the Deaf children are being left out of virtually everything in their own families. Not including a Deaf child in their own family has a huge and profound negative impact on their mental and emotional health, along with language and academic development, and much more.

My mom continued to fight throughout my childhood, paving ways for me to succeed. I remember especially when I was struggling with a Calculus class at my high school. My mom demanded that a certified interpreter be provided, and fought for that. And because of her, I was able to follow along with the teacher in the class and actually learn, instead of missing 50% of everything due to an unqualified interpreter which obviously impacts my education. I graduated in top of my class, and got a full-ride scholarship to a university.

I’ve gone on to get a degree, start businesses, raise children, and am now climbing the corporate ladder. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for my mom and her passionate heart for advocacy. At my company, I make sure they know that my mother used to work as a Video Relay Service interpreter, and that I was going to advocate for the interpreters as well as Deaf users.

I remember that I actually was embarrassed of how hard my mom fought. I remember telling her as a “Miss Know-It-All” teenager that she needed to chill out and tone it down. Get this- my mom has always fought a clean battle, and with honor. She fought well, in a way that earned her a respected reputation. She continued to fight for me even though I was a frustrating and arrogant hormonal teenager. Not only that, she had her own incredible challenges to fight through for herself. At times, it was deeply heartbreaking and painful to watch my mom fight through those incredible challenges.

But my mom continues to stand, hold her chin high, put her heart on her sleeve- and fight. And it’s awe-inspiring. I am so proud to call her my mother.

The past decade has been hell for me personally. I endured many hard losses and incredibly painful situations. I was backed into a corner. I could have given up. I was so exhausted. I knew I was at a pivotal point. I had to choose to fight back and fight my way out of a corner I was backed into. The only choices I had were to develop the strength and endurance to push through seemingly insurmountable challenges, or to crumble. I absolutely hate conflict and avoid it whenever possible. I had to learn how to have hard conversations with grace, make hard choices, set strong boundaries and hold them- and it took me several years to learn how to endure ongoing challenges while remaining hopeful and positive.

In my journey of growth, my mother’s strength and passion grew in me. Before, I was embarrassed of my mother’s strength and passion. But now I’m proud and deeply thankful for the incredible model I had growing up. If I didn’t have my mother’s strength in me, I would’ve never made it this far.

And now, circling back to Interpreter’s Appreciation Day. Interestingly, I find myself in a unique position working as a Product Owner as a Deaf daughter of a sign language interpreter for a tech company providing sign language interpreting services for Deaf/HH users. I have an intimate understanding of both perspectives, having witnessed and experienced both sides of the service: as a daughter of an interpreter and from the perspective of Deaf users.

In my position, I have the opportunity to fight for the Deaf/HH users to experience full access to communication. But not only Deaf/HH users- I’m actually also uniquely positioned to help advocate and improve the interpreters’ experience providing service through Sorenson.

Today, I got to advocate and fight for the interpreters’ experience. I communicated that I had their backs.

And it felt so good. Now I understand why my mom fought so long and hard for me. It feels so good knowing that I’m making a small difference and impact in the interpreters’ lives.

And the interpreters deserve the best. They’re the only reason why I made it through school, college, and even up the corporate ladder. Without them, I would’ve not made it through- not even close. I am so thankful that my mom fought for the best for me- because that has brought me into this unexpected position where I can help influence and improve the interpreters’ experience for the best nationwide and worldwide. I don’t take this honor lightly and am deeply thankful for this opportunity, and will bring my mother’s strength and passion to work every day.

Thank you, interpreters. And thank you, especially to my mom. 🤟