Conveying Meaning

8. How active are you in conveying meaning?  What is your experience using visual cues in the environment such as pictures, models (e.g., eye, heart, circulatory system).  Do you think critically about how to construct meaning so the patient and doctor understand each other or do you tend to stay off to the side and sign what you hear and speak what you see, giving them the responsibility to construct meaning.  

 In all of the groups it was stated that conveying the meaning was of utmost importance.  Interpreters used what was available to convey meaning to deaf consumers.  Using one’s own body was a strategy used by interpreters as well as asking health care professionals to draw diagrams that depict the procedure or the instrument that was going to be used.  Also using the charts and models in the room was a commonly used and effective technique.  These techniques support the communication process and were perceived by some of the participants in the focus groups as “advocacy” in helping deaf people understand their medical conditions or recommended treatments. 

One of the groups talked about having “a portable visual library”.  The participants did not all agree on the use of this library.  On one hand it could be useful for reference purposes and studying for interpreters themselves, but ultimately it was up to the practitioner to convey the message, not interpreters.  Interpreters asked practitioners for clarification if they themselves were not clear on the intent of the message.  Making sure they understood the message completely and accurately was paramount to interpreting in medical settings. 

Another technique participants used was to “chat” with deaf consumers and actively observe how individual deaf people communicate.  A general conversation can reveal many aspects of individuals that will become useful and shed light on providing effective communication once the actual appointment begins.