Interpreting In-group Lingo?

1/7/08  Note:

Discussion item:
During an (email based) conversation between an advanced student of "ASL Interpreting" and an  administrator (Hearing) in a position that involves working with the Deaf, the following phrase was typed by the student:
"...spoken language conference interpreters are more of a conduit than sign language interpreters..."

The phrase above contains the word "conduit."

 In the lexicon of professional ASL interpreters, "conduit" is a word that has meaning beyond what you might find in a dictionary of English language. It can refer to a model of interpreting, a time period, or even a philosophical approach.
This "extra" meaning is often lost on people who haven't received formal interpreter training.
Which is to say that the word "conduit" means something to a professional interpreter and it "can" mean something very different to someone (such as an administrator, a typical deaf person, a coda, or a casual interpreter) who is not familiar with the lexicon of interpreter training.

--Bill Vicars