Interpreting for Obama all in a day's work for sign language professor

GOSHEN, Ind. – When U.S. Sen. Barack Obama came to Concord High School in Elkhart, Ind., for a presidential campaign town hall meeting on Aug. 6, thousands of people wanted to hear his every word. But for those who couldn't hear the Democratic candidate, Goshen College Assistant Professor of American Sign Language Julie Armstrong was able to convey the message.

For two and half hours, Armstrong "was Obama," in the sense that the Deaf people in the audience were receiving his message primarily through her, while also being able to see the candidate. A good interpreter must be a good performer, Armstrong said. She had to portray the tone and intent of the speaker all of the time, and yet when the speaking stopped, she had to be completely neutral as well. As an interpreter, she also can't twitch, scratch or be visibly distracting. "It is very physically fatiguing," she said.

For Armstrong, interpreting for a presidential candidate was all in a day's work and wasn't about her political perspective. She has interpreted for a number of high-profile people before, including mayors and governors from both the Republican and Democratic parties. "And I would interpret for (U.S. Sen.) John McCain if he came too," she said.

Armstrong holds national certification as an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, is a doctoral candidate and has 15 years of experience as an interpreter. And there are very few other ASL interpreters in the region with those qualifications.

A local interpreting agency called Armstrong on Aug. 2, the day the event was announced to the public, with an assignment request. "I said 'yes' before I knew who I would be interpreting for," she said, because she was available for the following Wednesday morning and the assignment was close by.

Some of Armstrong's preparation for the event included doing Internet research on the issues she expected Sen. Obama to speak about, reading his recent speeches and watching videos of other speeches he has given. These gave her a sense of his word choices, his rhythm and his pacing when he speaks. In addition, she always listens to national news, because in this line of work – when you never know who will need an interpreter – "staying up on world knowledge is so important," she said. "I have to be able to rattle 'Afghanistan' off my hands right now."

Armstrong particularly enjoys "platform interpreting," which usually involves interpreting on a stage for a public speaker. "It is a venue that requires different training and preparation, and the demands are different," said Armstrong, who has had a lot of experience in this kind of interpreting.

As a professor of ASL and interpreting, Armstrong's students benefit from her regularly using her skills in real settings. "I believe I have to be able to interpret to be able to teach interpreting," she said. "It is important to keep a close connection with the Deaf community and to create solidarity with them. It is important for them to know I am an interpreter first and a teacher second."

Armstrong often brings anecdotal experiences into her teaching. As she teaches the next generation of ASL interpreters, she is able to tell them how she prepped for assignments, the linguistic choices she made and how she interacted with the Deaf people she was working with.

Besides interpreting for politicians, Armstrong has recently had interpreting assignments at a psychiatric hospital, a college class, conferences, family gatherings, weddings, funerals and a theater. "No two days are the same," she said. "I like the variety of being in different places and meeting different people."

But what really motivates Armstrong in her work is meeting a significant need of an underserved community. "It is important to me to be part of providing access for the Deaf community," she said. At the Obama town hall meeting, "Deaf people had this information presented to them in their native language in real time. And I think that's just amazing."

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.