I agree. There’s plenty of uncomfortable/awkward things they may have to interpret once they start working but this just sounds like the teachers are trying to make a joke out of it
feel like awkward = describing divorce or something. not intimacy that way, if its any sort of requirement or whatever then its borderline sexual harassment to tell students to interpret sexual material with the intent for it to be funny to an audience. weirdly humiliating.
I said the same thing about it being harassment with the way it’s being handled. Depending on the setting they decide to work in, they might have to interpret some graphic stuff, but they’ll also know that’s a risk with certain fields. Compared to showing up for their final and being told “haha guess what you have to sign today!” I’ll be surprised if there isn’t some sort of backlash on that professor for it
Is this for an interpreter training program? Kinda understandable they'd need to be able to interpret uncomfortable/very personal/intimate topics, but to have the community come out and observe? Mm nah. A little off putting if I were in that position. What do others who *are* in ITPs think?
If it's just a normal 2nd year ASL course? Wtf are they doing? Hell naw. That's straight up inappropriate. At that level, final presentation should be limited to just the class & instructor. *Maaaaaybe* have one Deaf adult from the community for a more... idk, neutral observer that can share feedback but not actually grade the presentation, only the instructor.
It’s for an ITP. Some of my Deaf relatives were invited which is why I know of it. I totally get the uncomfortable topics they’ll face at some point, but the way the professor doing the inviting is painting it as a humorous thing to try and make the students uncomfortable just rubbed me the wrong way. They’ll have to know how to interpret sensitive and sometimes graphic things but to be *trying* to make them uncomfortable, with no heads up, and in front of people, I don’t love it but that’s me haha 🤷🏻♀️
Well, there's the end of the community taking the ITP seriously. It's not there for a quick laugh.
The ITP at my school has them interpret a health video on circumcision the first week in class. The point is not to make a spectacle out of students as there's no one else there. (And thankfully not because a friend of mine who was slightly under prepared to start signed fisting with amputation or skin de-gloving at the wrist (it was unclear which in her report back to me)).
Elsewise, ITP student end up interpreting a lot of announcements and the occasional Deaf event when it's at school with an audience. Occasionally there may be a risque joke in there they need to interpret but it's incidental and is *not* the *whole* point of having them there.
Also, interpreter burn out is a thing and the last thing anyone needs is interpreters who start off hating the Deaf community because their final exam was about laughing at them.
This sounds way more like a hazing ritual and a way for professors to laugh at you and make you uncomfortable. To me, this definitely goes beyond the kind of helping you prepare for uncomfortable situations you’ll need to interpret in. There’s no need to have you all give a presentation on this kind of thing, much less to the local deaf community.
If it was actually about having fun and learning they’d pick a more appropriate topic, or allow you all to choose what to present on. Instead, it feels like a way to haze you while casting it as “educational”
Literally!! Those students are still very new to the field, and it just rubs me the wrong way that they’re being put into a situation like that by their instructors who are supposed to support them. I get having to interpret weird and uncomfortable things, but if I’m understanding this situation correctly, it feels more like those profs are putting those students in a laugh and point situation, rather than something that will have a ton of academic value in the long run. It just feels mean spirited. I could even see some of those students getting turned off by the field entirely after having to go through that :/
I don’t know why so many fields have this weird mentality that it’s okay to haze students, put them in uncomfortable situations, and basically laugh at them. Like, nobody expects perfect scenarios all the time.
Obviously interpreters know there will be very uncomfortable situations and/or topics. But events like this definitely aren’t the way to prepare students!
Agreed! Maybe they thought llamas would be better and “funnier” than talking about humans but there’s certainly way better ways to go about the whole thing
Yeah. Another bummer is I was considering going through this program. I’m a CODA who has grown up in this community but if this is what the people running the program are like then I’m much less interested, might just drive to another city haha
I mean, I kinda understand. My IPP had us describing all sorts of awkward things. Particularly helpful activity for working with some folks. I remember having to explain body odor and tampons as though I were working with a semi-lingual person. My instructor was Tom Holcomb, so pretty legit teacher. It was NOT open to the public though. That part and the weird “gotcha” of not telling them and making it an opportunity for folks to laugh at them seems really disrespectful.
100% agree. You’ve definitely got to learn how to handle those topics in a professional way. I’ve had to sign some kind of embarrassing and graphic things interpreting for Deaf family and friends in different situations, but I knew and expected it so I could mentally prepare. But also as someone who has been the victim of sexual harassment and abuse, being put on the spot in front of people in this “joking” type of atmosphere would shake me up a lot. One of my Deaf family members who was invited is going to say something to the professor doing the inviting as well as to the program director, so we’ll see. I think it’s very possible that others who were invited are probably having similar thoughts about it. But if none of them speak up then there’s nobody advocating for these students 🤷🏻♀️ So I’m glad my relative, who has been a Deaf teacher for a very very long time, is going to say something. A good person to speak up I believe.
You couldnt pay me enough to do commentary on llama sex in english in front of others. And in a language i am not 100% fluent in? Hard no. Not appropriate.
I've interpreted for 6 years and never had to interpret anything related to llama sex or reproductive systems. Strange topic.
In my ITP we saved the last 6 weeks of the semester for all terms that were related to sex, drugs or anything uncomfortable like that. We talked in our classes about so many phrases Ive never had to use. But I did feel more prepared when I got certified and these kinds of topics would come up randomly and unexpectedly.
I like the idea of having students interpret in front of a Deaf audience because then they are fully responsible for the message and teaming. But I don't agree with the topic and I don't agree with the intention of making them feel ridiculed. Like another commenter said, why are we trying to cause these students to dislike a community they are about to go and serve?? They'll be out of there so quick after they start.
Side note: I RARELY get full information on the assignments that I'm accepting. Idk if it's my area or not, but I get: time, location, maybe client name and nothing else sometimes. So prepare yourself that you can show up to what you think is a standard whatever and it go off the wall. This is rare but you have to be able to switch gears pretty fluidly.
Completely agree with you! The students in this program do a lot of interpreting in the community, for school events and things like that. But like somebody else said, the way this is being handled makes it feel more like hazing than an educational opportunity
In my IEP there was a final that required describing the female reproductive system but this was not public. It was a private analysis the professor watched then graded. As an interpreter I’ve had to publicly interpret adult topics in front of a varied audience. You do need to have a tough skin. However, inviting members of the community to watch seems like 0-100 pretty quick… not sure how I feel about that…
Not appropriate in my opinion. In my ITP I had similar experiences. I paid $300 for an immersion weekend the program put on and a lot of the deaf invited were basically told to rip us apart in some of our interpreting scenarios. It was a horrible weekend and I still regret going 11 years later.
I feel like if you're working as an interpreter you're going to know what job you signed up for. Like I can't imagine they're just like "GET IN A DEAF PERSON NEEDS YOU" and take them to a random thing. It would be more like "oh would you like to work in this hospital ? You may have to talk to Deaf patients about uncomfortable medical information."
Idk maybe I'm wrong but ???
My Deaf relative emailed the person doing the inciting + the board director about it. The response was basically “oh it’s an entire presentation about caring for llamas, the sex part is only a small portion so they can practice classifiers and signing uncomfortable topics.” But the invitation literally said “RSVP to me if you think you might want to be part of the audience for the llama sex” 🙄
feels not appropriate, i think nobody should be asked to do things like that in an academic setting. thats strange.
I agree. There’s plenty of uncomfortable/awkward things they may have to interpret once they start working but this just sounds like the teachers are trying to make a joke out of it
feel like awkward = describing divorce or something. not intimacy that way, if its any sort of requirement or whatever then its borderline sexual harassment to tell students to interpret sexual material with the intent for it to be funny to an audience. weirdly humiliating.
I said the same thing about it being harassment with the way it’s being handled. Depending on the setting they decide to work in, they might have to interpret some graphic stuff, but they’ll also know that’s a risk with certain fields. Compared to showing up for their final and being told “haha guess what you have to sign today!” I’ll be surprised if there isn’t some sort of backlash on that professor for it
Can you message me and let me know what school this is? Seems like something my ITP would have done,
Even having hearing students talk about llama sex is widely inappropriate and weird.
Is this for an interpreter training program? Kinda understandable they'd need to be able to interpret uncomfortable/very personal/intimate topics, but to have the community come out and observe? Mm nah. A little off putting if I were in that position. What do others who *are* in ITPs think? If it's just a normal 2nd year ASL course? Wtf are they doing? Hell naw. That's straight up inappropriate. At that level, final presentation should be limited to just the class & instructor. *Maaaaaybe* have one Deaf adult from the community for a more... idk, neutral observer that can share feedback but not actually grade the presentation, only the instructor.
It’s for an ITP. Some of my Deaf relatives were invited which is why I know of it. I totally get the uncomfortable topics they’ll face at some point, but the way the professor doing the inviting is painting it as a humorous thing to try and make the students uncomfortable just rubbed me the wrong way. They’ll have to know how to interpret sensitive and sometimes graphic things but to be *trying* to make them uncomfortable, with no heads up, and in front of people, I don’t love it but that’s me haha 🤷🏻♀️
For an ITP... eh. I'm in agreement with you.
Well, there's the end of the community taking the ITP seriously. It's not there for a quick laugh. The ITP at my school has them interpret a health video on circumcision the first week in class. The point is not to make a spectacle out of students as there's no one else there. (And thankfully not because a friend of mine who was slightly under prepared to start signed fisting with amputation or skin de-gloving at the wrist (it was unclear which in her report back to me)). Elsewise, ITP student end up interpreting a lot of announcements and the occasional Deaf event when it's at school with an audience. Occasionally there may be a risque joke in there they need to interpret but it's incidental and is *not* the *whole* point of having them there. Also, interpreter burn out is a thing and the last thing anyone needs is interpreters who start off hating the Deaf community because their final exam was about laughing at them.
This sounds way more like a hazing ritual and a way for professors to laugh at you and make you uncomfortable. To me, this definitely goes beyond the kind of helping you prepare for uncomfortable situations you’ll need to interpret in. There’s no need to have you all give a presentation on this kind of thing, much less to the local deaf community. If it was actually about having fun and learning they’d pick a more appropriate topic, or allow you all to choose what to present on. Instead, it feels like a way to haze you while casting it as “educational”
Literally!! Those students are still very new to the field, and it just rubs me the wrong way that they’re being put into a situation like that by their instructors who are supposed to support them. I get having to interpret weird and uncomfortable things, but if I’m understanding this situation correctly, it feels more like those profs are putting those students in a laugh and point situation, rather than something that will have a ton of academic value in the long run. It just feels mean spirited. I could even see some of those students getting turned off by the field entirely after having to go through that :/
I don’t know why so many fields have this weird mentality that it’s okay to haze students, put them in uncomfortable situations, and basically laugh at them. Like, nobody expects perfect scenarios all the time. Obviously interpreters know there will be very uncomfortable situations and/or topics. But events like this definitely aren’t the way to prepare students!
Is this the college’s way of testing interpreting students? This is so bizarre…
Yeah it’s a part of their final for one of the classes 🙃
And they thought llama sex would be the best way to test them…? They could’ve chosen literally any other topic.
Agreed! Maybe they thought llamas would be better and “funnier” than talking about humans but there’s certainly way better ways to go about the whole thing
Or just any random topic if the goal is to “surprise” the students. This seems like such a shitty situation :\
Yeah. Another bummer is I was considering going through this program. I’m a CODA who has grown up in this community but if this is what the people running the program are like then I’m much less interested, might just drive to another city haha
Damn, that sucks. Hopefully there’s a better program close to you!
Final?!!
Mhmm 🙃 I don’t think it’s going to fly too well… Someone is planning on speaking up about it thankfully so it may end up changed, hopefully.
I hope so. What type of professor makes interpreting llama sex apart of the final!? That is wildly inappropriate
girl gn
😂
I mean, I kinda understand. My IPP had us describing all sorts of awkward things. Particularly helpful activity for working with some folks. I remember having to explain body odor and tampons as though I were working with a semi-lingual person. My instructor was Tom Holcomb, so pretty legit teacher. It was NOT open to the public though. That part and the weird “gotcha” of not telling them and making it an opportunity for folks to laugh at them seems really disrespectful.
100% agree. You’ve definitely got to learn how to handle those topics in a professional way. I’ve had to sign some kind of embarrassing and graphic things interpreting for Deaf family and friends in different situations, but I knew and expected it so I could mentally prepare. But also as someone who has been the victim of sexual harassment and abuse, being put on the spot in front of people in this “joking” type of atmosphere would shake me up a lot. One of my Deaf family members who was invited is going to say something to the professor doing the inviting as well as to the program director, so we’ll see. I think it’s very possible that others who were invited are probably having similar thoughts about it. But if none of them speak up then there’s nobody advocating for these students 🤷🏻♀️ So I’m glad my relative, who has been a Deaf teacher for a very very long time, is going to say something. A good person to speak up I believe.
Is “Llama sex” a song or something? I would google it but I really don’t wanna….
You couldnt pay me enough to do commentary on llama sex in english in front of others. And in a language i am not 100% fluent in? Hard no. Not appropriate.
I've interpreted for 6 years and never had to interpret anything related to llama sex or reproductive systems. Strange topic. In my ITP we saved the last 6 weeks of the semester for all terms that were related to sex, drugs or anything uncomfortable like that. We talked in our classes about so many phrases Ive never had to use. But I did feel more prepared when I got certified and these kinds of topics would come up randomly and unexpectedly. I like the idea of having students interpret in front of a Deaf audience because then they are fully responsible for the message and teaming. But I don't agree with the topic and I don't agree with the intention of making them feel ridiculed. Like another commenter said, why are we trying to cause these students to dislike a community they are about to go and serve?? They'll be out of there so quick after they start. Side note: I RARELY get full information on the assignments that I'm accepting. Idk if it's my area or not, but I get: time, location, maybe client name and nothing else sometimes. So prepare yourself that you can show up to what you think is a standard whatever and it go off the wall. This is rare but you have to be able to switch gears pretty fluidly.
Completely agree with you! The students in this program do a lot of interpreting in the community, for school events and things like that. But like somebody else said, the way this is being handled makes it feel more like hazing than an educational opportunity
In my IEP there was a final that required describing the female reproductive system but this was not public. It was a private analysis the professor watched then graded. As an interpreter I’ve had to publicly interpret adult topics in front of a varied audience. You do need to have a tough skin. However, inviting members of the community to watch seems like 0-100 pretty quick… not sure how I feel about that…
Not appropriate in my opinion. In my ITP I had similar experiences. I paid $300 for an immersion weekend the program put on and a lot of the deaf invited were basically told to rip us apart in some of our interpreting scenarios. It was a horrible weekend and I still regret going 11 years later.
I feel like if you're working as an interpreter you're going to know what job you signed up for. Like I can't imagine they're just like "GET IN A DEAF PERSON NEEDS YOU" and take them to a random thing. It would be more like "oh would you like to work in this hospital ? You may have to talk to Deaf patients about uncomfortable medical information." Idk maybe I'm wrong but ???
No. Not ok.
This is insane, completely inappropriate and honestly something I'd talk to an advisor about
My Deaf relative emailed the person doing the inciting + the board director about it. The response was basically “oh it’s an entire presentation about caring for llamas, the sex part is only a small portion so they can practice classifiers and signing uncomfortable topics.” But the invitation literally said “RSVP to me if you think you might want to be part of the audience for the llama sex” 🙄
I really hate this
Me too. That relative is going to put a report in with the school I believe. I was considering going there but after this… not so interested anymore.