American and Puerto Rican sign languages and issues regarding the need for interpreters for the deaf community in Puerto Rico

Abstract

The origin of language has been debated by many scholars. Among those who believe the use of gestures was critical is Gordon Hewes, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado. Hewes (1973, p. 8) states: “The beginnings of a language system could have been elaborated from the fundamental finger-pointing gestures.” In the “Earliest Known History of Deaf People,” Gordon (2012, p. 5) asserts that “signs were probably the first language and that signs helped humans to start voice languages.” Sign languages appear to have been around for thousands of years, yet there is little historical evidence of them. This research paper looks at the use of American and Puerto Rican Sign Languages in Puerto Rico and explores several issues regarding the need for interpreters for the Deaf community in Puerto Rico. The Deaf community in Puerto Rico is a minority community that has been struggling for many years to be heard and respected. They have not been successful in gaining recognition for the Deaf community. This has negatively impacted the education, physical and emotional health, and identity of the members of the Deaf community in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, as Gómez (2014) states when a person identifies as Deaf in a majority community, they tend to be subjects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or ignorance, and which he labels a “silence in crisis” (p. 83).

The research will also explore the historical background of American Sign Language and Puerto Rican Sign Language, as well as some issues which both regions have had with interpreters of sign language. Most interpreters take part in the Deaf Community and are vital for the communication of a Deaf person with the hearing community or vice versa. The practice of interpreting in Puerto Rico, however, has no legislation. The United States has an organization that certifies the practices of being an interpreter, the National Interpreter Certification (NIC), yet in Puerto Rico there is none. Among the issues investigated in this research will be that of becoming an American Sign Language interpreter in Puerto Rico. This is the process an interpreter goes through in Puerto Rico to be certified in the United States and registered as a professional interpreter to be able to earn a better livelihood.

The following are the research questions which will be examined in this paper: 1) Will Puerto Rican Sign Language continue to be used? 2) Is it still a learned sign language within the Puerto Rican Deaf Community or has it been forgotten? 3) Has there been progress in increasing the availability of sign language interpreters in Puerto Rico? 4) Is the number of sign language interpreters increasing in Puerto Rico? 5) To what extent can interpreters in Puerto Rico code switch either between American Sign Language and Puerto Rican Sign Language or where necessary between English and Spanish? 6) What are the issues with having an interpreter that does not have all the tools to interpret in Puerto Rico, yet is still hired? 7) Will interpreters in Puerto Rico have their own licensure process like in the United States? The methodology of the research will use case studies and personal experience to address these questions.