IW 203: Interview Stephanie Nichols Part 3: Business Practice - A Wink and a Handshake

"The customer is always right. Well, just ask to be sure."

Stephanie Nichols and I discuss some best business practices for sign language interpreters and interpreter agencies. It's time to prepare for more than just the interpretation, but expand our development to include our private business practices.

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Transcript

IW 203: Interview Stephanie Nichols Part 3: Business Practice - A Wink and a Handshake

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[ROCK INTRO MUSIC STARTS]

00:00:02 Tim

Good morning, good evening, good afternoon. Wherever you are, this is the Interpreter's Workshop podcast. I'm Tim Curry, your host. Here we talk everything sign language interpreting the ins, the outs, the ups, the downs, the sideways of interpreting. If you're a student, a new interpreter, experienced interpreter, this is the place for you. If you want to know more, go to interpretersworkshop.com.

00:00:28 Tim

Let's start talking... interpreting.

[ROCK INTRO MUSIC ENDS]

00:00:35 Tim

And now the quotes of the day.

00:00:37 Tim

The first by Alan Turing… let's say inventor.

00:00:42 Tim

“Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.”

00:00:52 Tim

The second quote by former president of the US Theodore Roosevelt.

00:00:59 Tim

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

00:01:08 Tim

And the last quote by Lisa Stone, co-founder and CEO of BlogHer.

00:01:15 Tim

“Wonder what your customer really wants? Ask. Don't tell.”

00:01:21 Tim

As a sign language interpreter, we work for customers.

00:01:25 Tim

We work for clients.

00:01:27 Tim

And these quotes connect with our conversation with Stephanie Nichols, the CEO of her own interpreter agency.

00:01:35 Tim

She imagined many things that needed to be improved in the working conditions of interpreters.

00:01:43 Tim

She knew that this work is worth doing.

00:01:47 Tim

And to find out what her customers really want, she asks them.

00:01:52 Tim

Every time they want an interpreter, she asks them, when do you want the interpreter there?

00:01:59 Tim

When do you want them to leave?

00:02:00 Tim

All of those questions to find out what they really, really, really, really want.

00:02:07 Tim

Today, let's finish the conversation with Stephanie and see how you, as a sign language interpreter, can improve your business, your practice in this profession.

00:02:20 Tim

Let's get started.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

00:02:26 Tim

Most of the jobs you're providing services for would be in-person.

00:02:32 Stephanie

We do both. We do virtual and live, on-site and virtual.

00:02:36 Tim

OK.

00:02:37 Stephanie

But still, that's not necessarily an AI.

00:02:40 Tim

Well, that's good to know that AI is not coming to the local level yet.

00:02:45 Stephanie

[both chuckling] That's definitely no-go.

00:02:48 Tim

Stephanie said,

00:02:50 Tim

Yeah.

00:02:50 Stephanie

Yeah. Zero AI. [both still lightly chuckling]

00:02:52 Tim

Yeah, it's not there.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

00:03:00 Tim

So, let's talk a little bit about the ethical and, well, philosophy, the approach to interpreting with the two mindsets that you, well, maybe three mindsets that you've had before the agency, at the early stages of the agency and now.

00:03:21 Tim

How has that changed or has it changed?

00:03:23 Stephanie

Yeah.

00:03:24 Stephanie

So, when I first started the agency, it was out of passion.

00:03:29 Stephanie

I felt like there was some things missing I didn't like.

00:03:33 Stephanie

I don't want to offend anybody that might know me. [chuckles]

00:03:36 Stephanie

But when I first started this 26 years ago, there were practices that I disagreed with as a working interpreter.

00:03:45 Stephanie

So, when I started SLRS as an agency, because my private practice was also “SLRS”, when I incorporated it and started it as an agency, there were things I immediately created, and we were the only ones in the state doing it.

00:04:00 Stephanie

SLRS created an after-hour rate, not rates, but the idea of an after-hour rate.

00:04:08 Stephanie

I would expect you as an interpreter to charge me more after hours and on the weekends.

00:04:15 Stephanie

If I do legal work, I expect to be paid a legal rate.

00:04:20 Stephanie

So, we started that.

00:04:21 Stephanie

I'm not sure anybody really knows that, [both chuckle] but those didn't exist in Oklahoma before we started doing them. [Tim: yeah]

00:04:29 Stephanie

And so, in our request for quotes, when I, because most of my people were independent contractors at that time, [Tim: Mm-hmm] I would do, at that time, annual request for quotes.

00:04:39 Stephanie

And I had in there, what is your regular rate from this time to this time and what is your after-hour rate from this time to this time and weekends?

00:04:46 Stephanie

And what is your holiday rate and what is your on-call rate and what is your legal rate, et cetera, et cetera?

00:04:52 Stephanie

Because that's how I felt like.

00:04:54 Stephanie

I wanted to be paid more if I work on the weekends.

00:04:58 Stephanie

And so, my mindset then was kind of “righting wrongs” that I felt.

00:05:04 Stephanie

So that's what I mean when I say passion. [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:05:08 Stephanie

Providing services that were kind of more reliable then maybe there was one agency in particular that, you may or may not get an interpreter, even though you said you were going to, and that was kind of frustrating.

00:05:24 Stephanie

And getting cancelled last minute and being told that I can't charge for that, even though it was within my 20, it was less than my 24-hour cancellation policy, but the agency didn't get cancelled or the agency got cancelled in more than 24 hours, but they cancelled me in less than 20, you know, it's just stuff like that, practices that in agree with.

00:05:44 Tim

Yeah.

00:05:45 Stephanie

So that was my mindset in the beginning.

00:05:48 Stephanie

And in the beginning, I didn't know anything about business.

00:05:54 Stephanie

Pretty much nothing. [Tim chuckling]

00:05:56 Stephanie

And so, [laughs] I was talking with an interpreter the other day.

00:06:00 Stephanie

My contract now, my request for a quote now is like 14 pages. [Tim laughs]

00:06:06 Stephanie

And you know, when I first started, it was a “wink and a handshake.” [Tim laughs: yeah]

00:06:11 Stephanie

You know? [laughing]

00:06:13 Stephanie

And so, we were talking about that and she said, “I really appreciate your contract. I feel like it's thorough and I'm appreciative of it.”

00:06:21 Stephanie

And I was like, “Yeah, in every single page there was a major problem [both laugh] that needed a resolution or a mistake that I needed to right.” [Tim: Wow]

00:06:29 Stephanie

So, you know, you learn as you go. [Tim: yeah]

00:06:34 Stephanie

So, I would say passion then turned into trying to balance business with passion.

00:06:42 Stephanie

And now, at first, the first more than half, I really looked at things through an interpreter's eye. [Tim: Mm-hmm] 

00:06:54 Stephanie

And now I'm much more looking at things through a business eye, probably more than I probably should.

00:07:01 Stephanie

I'm sure I frustrate interpreters because it's more business now and less passion because I have a bottom line and now I'm very much more aware of that bottom line, and trying to balance it, and trying to make sure that I provide a professional product or service, you know, and [Tim: yeah] stuff like that.

00:07:21 Stephanie

So, I would say that that's my mindset has changed.

00:07:25 Stephanie

I've always tried to be very ethical.

00:07:28 Stephanie

I still feel like I'm trying to be very ethical, even, even though the mindset has shifted a bit.

00:07:34 Tim

Yeah.

00:07:36 Stephanie

A mindset that I wish more interpreters would have would be, and I say this with compassion, because in Oklahoma, we have just started having a bachelor's degree, and it's not even in interpreting, but there's a minor, and it's Deaf services, but so we still don't have a bachelor's in interpreting in Oklahoma.

00:07:59 Stephanie

And so that means there's not a lot of time in our programs to teach business practices.

00:08:04 Stephanie

So, I'm saying it compassionately.

00:08:06 Stephanie

But I would say that it would be nice if interpreters were a little bit more business savvy. [Tim: yeah]

00:08:13 Stephanie

For example, let's say as a contractor, we have offered you an assignment and you've looked at the details and they're very general.

00:08:21 Stephanie

They don't say who the Deaf person is or specifically where it's at, but you've got enough information to accept the assignment.

00:08:31 Stephanie

And then you call the day before or the day up and say, “Oh, I'm going to have to give that back. I had something conflict in my schedule.”

00:08:39 Stephanie

And it's just very, you know…

00:08:42 Tim

Wow.

00:08:42 Stephanie

If you want to bring out the monster in me, just do that. [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:08:46 Stephanie

I have very little patience for that kind of stuff.

00:08:49 Stephanie

I am usually quick to get on the phone and say, “OK, you do realize this person goes without.”

00:08:54 Tim

Yeah.

00:08:55 Stephanie

“Because at this late, everyone's booked. And so now this person doesn't get an interpreter. That company was already told you were coming and now you're not.”

00:09:05 Stephanie

And so, when we call and we have to say, “Sally gave back her assignment”, [Tim: Mm-hmm] we make sure that, you know, “well, we have a contractor that has unfortunately given that back, just will not be able to make it. And we don't have anyone that can come into place.”

00:09:21 Stephanie

So, we, you know, we have to apologize.

00:09:24 Stephanie

Often, we have to discount the next service, but the interpreter doesn't.

00:09:29 Tim

Yeah.

00:09:30 Stephanie

And so, it's frustrating.

00:09:32 Stephanie

So, there are business practices that I wish interpreters had a, in my opinion, a healthier mindset.

00:09:38 Tim

Yeah.

00:09:39 Tim

And you think that should be part of the bachelor's program then?

00:09:43 Stephanie

A bachelor's program, maybe.

00:09:44 Stephanie

We don't have a bachelor's program in interpreting yet in Oklahoma.

00:09:48 Stephanie

We're heading there.

00:09:49 Stephanie

So, in a two- or three-year ITP program, there's no room for business.

00:09:54 Stephanie

You've got to work on skills and language, and there's no room for it.

00:09:59 Tim

Do you think that might, at least in Oklahoma, contribute to burnout for interpreters because they feel like they just can't make it, can't get ahead, don't know how to handle the money?

00:10:09 Tim

The back end of their services, they're not able to handle, therefore, It causes more strain and stress on them?

00:10:16 Stephanie

Yeah, because we get into this not because we're businesspeople.

00:10:19 Stephanie

We get into this because we love Deaf people.

00:10:22 Stephanie

We love the language.

00:10:23 Stephanie

We want, you know, you're told as helpers, as a person that, you know, my love language is helping. [Tim chuckling]

00:10:30 Stephanie

And then, you know, you get into this and “you're not a helper”, “but I want to be a helper.” [both laughing]

00:10:36 Stephanie

So, we get in this because we have a servant heart or whatever. [Tim: yeah]

00:10:40 Stephanie

A lot of us don't have business practices or we don't know much about business.

00:10:44 Stephanie

But yeah, when I first made the decision that I was going to leave a W-2 staff position and go into a freelance and go do a freelance work, I had so many people say, no, that's just a bad idea. It's not…

00:11:01 Stephanie

But if you are...

00:11:04 Stephanie

I mean, I've always had like an entrepreneurial type mentality.

00:11:07 Stephanie

I may have been a moron at it, [Tim chuckling] but I've always kind of had that mindset. [Tim: uh-huh]

00:11:12 Stephanie

So, I guess I was brave enough to venture there.

00:11:16 Stephanie

You know, I've repelled.

00:11:17 Stephanie

If anyone has ever gone repelling, the hardest part is going horizontal to vertical or for vertical to horizontal or whatever, going from this to this. [Tim: yeah]

00:11:27 Stephanie

It's the stepping to the other direction that I've always been the kind of person that was like, yeah, it's going to be scary, but I want to do it.

00:11:34 Tim

Yeah.

00:11:35 Stephanie

I want to try.

00:11:36 Stephanie

And so, if you don't have that mentality, but you are an interpreter or you have a servant's heart or you know that's what you want to do, it's hard.

00:11:44 Tim

Yeah.

00:11:44 Stephanie

You know, in Oklahoma, we have...

00:11:47 Stephanie

“feast or famine”, “make hay while the sun is shining” - kind of an industry.

00:11:51 Stephanie

We have a peak one and a peak two, and there is no work in between. [Tim: yeah]

00:11:56 Stephanie

…very little work in between.

00:11:57 Stephanie

And so, you have to have a mindset, you have to be brave to go, I'm going to venture into a freelance, and I know that in these months, I'm going to be busy, and in these months, I'm not going to be busy at all, and then I'm going to be busy again.

00:12:12 Stephanie

And when to make hay while the sun is shining kind of deal, and when to, you know, hold back [Tim: yeah] and, you have to be able to at least understand that or practice it. [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:12:25 Stephanie

Otherwise, it can be very hard. [Tim: yeah]

[ROCK TRANSITION MUSIC STARTS]

00:12:28 Tim

Doing a podcast ain't easy.

00:12:30 Tim

It's hard work.

00:12:32 Tim

Is it worth it?

00:12:33 Tim

You be the judge.

00:12:34 Tim

Click on the link in the show notes.

00:12:35 Tim

Buy Me A Coffee to support all the costs that I put into this every week.

00:12:41 Tim

Thank you.

00:12:42 Tim

Now let's go back.

[ROCK TRANSITION MUSIC ENDS]

00:12:45 Stephanie

Another mindset that I wish interpreters would have is if you are actively running your private practice…

00:12:54 Tim

Right.

00:12:55 Stephanie

You are getting your own clients, you are finding your own teams, you are doing your own billing, you are doing all the administrative things, [Tim: Mm-hmm] when you work for me, you don't have to do anything administrative.

00:13:10 Stephanie

I'm gonna do it all for you, and that's in our contract.

00:13:14 Stephanie

So, your rate for an agency, at least an agency that you trust or an agency that does your administrative work for you, I feel like you should have a rate.

00:13:23 Stephanie

And if you are out doing your private practice and you are doing all your administrative work, your rates should- [Tim: increase.]

00:13:29 Stephanie

Be different. Yeah.

00:13:30 Stephanie

You should make sure that you're compensating yourself for that.

00:13:33 Tim

Exactly.

00:13:34 Tim

Yeah.

00:13:34 Tim

Taking into account that your time is valuable, not just when you're interpreting.

00:13:40 Stephanie

Right.

00:13:41 Stephanie

And running a private practice is a lot of work.

00:13:45 Stephanie

It's a lot of work.

00:13:47 Stephanie

Another thing I wish interpreters...

00:13:49 Stephanie

OK, so I was at a workshop a few months back here in Oklahoma, and I can't remember the organization.

00:13:55 Stephanie

It was a wonderful workshop, so I apologize for not being able to remember that.

00:13:59 Stephanie

But one of the things they were discussing was a big survey that they had done on interpreting services, and they were talking about the results of that survey.

00:14:09 Stephanie

I was the only agency owner in the auditorium.

00:14:13 Stephanie

And some of the presenters were saying that one of the biggest frustrations that interpreters expressed was that agencies kind of set, basically set their rates or set how they're gonna do or what they're gonna do.

00:14:26 Stephanie

And I can understand that.

00:14:28 Stephanie

I can understand that.

00:14:29 Stephanie

I have consulted several interpreters that are maybe, in other states or whatever that are trying to combat that kind of thing.

00:14:37 Stephanie

And how can they, what words can I use or what should my contract look like, that kind of thing.

00:14:43 Stephanie

But an agency, for example, I've been accused of trying to set rates for a private practice person.

00:14:50 Stephanie

So, there is a market in Oklahoma.

00:14:53 Stephanie

There's a market everywhere.

00:14:55 Tim

Right.

00:14:55 Stephanie

If, let's say, what a nationally certified interpreter with 20 years’ experience typically charges for their work.

00:15:02 Tim

Yeah.

00:15:03 Stephanie

And so, if I, if I know what that is, I'm gonna start building my rates accordingly 'cause I know what my market needs to be to cover my overhead and cover all this, so I, move accordingly.

00:15:15 Stephanie

And I'll have somebody come in that maybe has five years’ experience and half the certification, because remember, we have a state certification in Oklahoma, and they want to charge the same thing.

00:15:26 Stephanie

So as an agency owner, I am the purchaser, [Tim: Mm-hmm] we'll say, of interpreting services.

00:15:33 Stephanie

And I choose not to purchase that product at that price.

00:15:37 Tim

Right.

00:15:38 Stephanie

So, I will typically say something like, “I can't afford you, or that's a bit too high for me. No, thanks.” [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:15:46 Stephanie

And then we can negotiate that if you are open to that. [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:15:50 Stephanie

But that's not me setting your rate.

00:15:53 Stephanie

That is me unwilling to purchase at the price you're offering.

00:15:57 Stephanie

And you have the power to walk away.

00:16:00 Stephanie

And so now I do know that there are a lot of agencies out there that will set rates.

00:16:05 Stephanie

No, I will only pay this amount.

00:16:07 Stephanie

We try to put on our RFQ, our request for quote.

00:16:10 Stephanie

We try to put what, in general, what somebody at this level is charging. [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:16:18 Stephanie

But that is by no means, you know, there are some fantastic interpreters in Oklahoma that have and do come to me and say, this is my rate.

00:16:28 Stephanie

And I will look at that and I'll go, “Yeah.” [Tim chuckles] “I won't make any money off you, but I'll have you.”

00:16:34 Tim

Yeah.

00:16:35 Stephanie

And that's more important to me. [Tim: Mm-hmm]

00:16:37 Stephanie

Because if it's just 1, 2, 3, 4 people, I'm still going to make money.

00:16:41 Tim

Yeah.

00:16:42 Stephanie

And so, I'm willing to pay a higher rate for a better product.

00:16:46 Stephanie

You know what I mean?

00:16:47 Tim

Yeah.

00:16:47 Tim

There are instances where you need that product.

00:16:50 Stephanie

Yes.

00:16:51 Tim

Because of the experience, the knowledge.

00:16:53 Stephanie

Mm-hmm, yeah.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

00:16:59 Tim

OK, let me do a word association real quick, OK?

00:17:02 Stephanie

Oh, OK.

00:17:03 Tim

So, I will give you a word and you give me the first thing that comes to your mind, whether it's another word, a phrase, a story, a feeling.

00:17:13 Stephanie

These aren't going to be hard words, are they?

00:17:15 Tim

Oh, no, not at all.

00:17:16 Tim

So, speaking of astrophysics, no, I'm kidding. [Stephanie bursts out in laughter, joined my Tim]

00:17:24 Tim

OK.

00:17:25 Stephanie

Uh-oh.

00:17:26 Tim

OK.

00:17:26 Tim

The first word, comfort food.

00:17:30 Stephanie

Ooh, mashed potatoes and gravy.

00:17:32 Tim

Mashed potatoes and gravy.

00:17:34 Tim

So, what type of gravy?

00:17:36 Tim

Dark? White?

00:17:37 Stephanie

White.

00:17:38 Tim

White.

00:17:38 Tim

OK.

00:17:39 Stephanie

You nuts?! [both laughing]

00:17:45 Tim

Why, why is that your comfort food?

00:17:50 Stephanie

So, my mother was a good cook and we're from the South.

00:17:54 Stephanie

I mean, she was raised off Southern food.

00:17:57 Stephanie

She cooked Southern food for us.

00:17:59 Stephanie

Southern food's my favorite kind of food, soul food, Southern food.

00:18:03 Stephanie

So I mean, yeah! [both chuckling]

00:18:07 Stephanie

Mashed potatoes and gravy, because I look at that as not the healthiest kind of food.

00:18:11 Tim

Right.

00:18:11 Stephanie

And so, for me, it's like, if I'm cheating and I want to have something like, yeah, it's going to be chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.

00:18:23 Tim

That's a good reason.

00:18:24 Tim

It's feels good.

00:18:25 Stephanie

Cornbread.

00:18:26 Tim

Yeah.

00:18:26 Tim

Cornbread.

00:18:30 Tim

Some people listening don't know what we're talking about.

00:18:34 Stephanie

No.

00:18:34 Stephanie

And I'm so sorry.

00:18:36 Stephanie

It's so good.

00:18:39 Tim

OK.

00:18:39 Tim

Next community.

00:18:42 Tim

Love.

00:18:43 Tim

Love.

00:18:45 Tim

That's all you need. [both chuckling]

00:18:48 Tim

That's what I've heard.

00:18:49 Stephanie

[singing All You Need is Love by the Beatles] “Na… na… na, na, na”

00:18:53 Tim

“Na… na… na, na, na” OK. And next interpreter.

00:18:59 Stephanie

Skills.

00:19:00 Tim

Skills.

00:19:03 Tim

OK.

00:19:05 Tim

Confusing.

00:19:07 Stephanie

Um, there's nothing. 

00:19:09 Tim

[laughs] The word confusing.

00:19:13 Stephanie

Um, astrophysics. [both chuckling]

00:19:18 Tim

OK.

00:19:21 Tim

Uh, OK. Next…

00:19:24 Tim

Attitude.

00:19:26 Stephanie

Bad.

00:19:26 Tim

Bad.

00:19:27 Tim

OK.

00:19:28 Stephanie

Bad attitude.

00:19:29 Tim

Bad attitude is bad.

00:19:30 Tim

OK.

00:19:31 Tim

OK?

00:19:33 Tim

Pet peeve.

00:19:35 Stephanie

Giving back work. [meaning interpreting gigs scheduled]

00:19:36 Tim

Giving back work.

00:19:38 Tim

Naughty interpreter.

00:19:39 Tim

Bad interpreter.

00:19:41 Stephanie

Yeah. Be a man or woman of your word. [Tim: ahh]

00:19:43 Stephanie

Run your business effectively.

00:19:47 Stephanie

I tell my kids this all the time.

00:19:48 Stephanie

You're the captain of your ship.

00:19:50 Stephanie

Captain on.

00:19:52 Stephanie

Captain on.

00:19:53 Tim

Captain on.

00:19:54 Tim

OK.

00:19:55 Tim

And last fake.

00:20:00 Stephanie

OK…

00:20:01 Stephanie

Nails.

00:20:02 Stephanie

I don't know why.

00:20:03 Tim

Nails. [chuckling]

00:20:04 Stephanie

First thing that came to my mind.

00:20:05 Stephanie

Fake nails.

00:20:06 Stephanie

I don't know why.

00:20:07 Tim

Fake nails.

00:20:08 Tim

OK.

00:20:08 Tim

Hmm.

00:20:09 Tim

Something an interpreter should not have.

00:20:11 Tim

OK.

00:20:12 Stephanie

Should not have. [chuckling]

00:20:13 Tim

No fake nails when you're interpreting.

00:20:16 Tim

OK.

00:20:17 Tim

So, let's finish up with just a couple of questions or maybe one.

00:20:22 Tim

Depends on how we go.

00:20:24 Tim

Two things.

00:20:27 Tim

What advice or what wish would you say to other interpreting agencies?

00:20:35 Tim

And then how would you answer that question if you were speaking to, say, just interpreters?

00:20:43 Stephanie

For me, dealing with national agencies, like common things I hear are when you're there, you must represent us.

00:20:54 Stephanie

You must put on our name tag or our title or whatever, which we don't do.

00:21:01 Stephanie

You do not have that scope.

00:21:02 Stephanie

We are not your employees, and you will not…

00:21:05 Tim

Yeah. Yeah.

00:21:06 Stephanie

Expecting an interpreter to get there 15 minutes early on their own.

00:21:11 Stephanie

That's to me a messy ship.

00:21:14 Stephanie

Ask your consumer what time we're supposed to be there and that's the time we'll be.

00:21:17 Stephanie

Don't assume we'll give you 15 minutes of time each time.

00:21:20 Stephanie

Because for us, resources are too limited.

00:21:24 Stephanie

We can't assume 15 minutes early each time.

00:21:28 Stephanie

We can't schedule like that.

00:21:30 Stephanie

There's too many needs.

00:21:30 Stephanie

Too many things would go into it.

00:21:33 Stephanie

I would say that is just kind of buttoning up business practices would be nice.

00:21:39 Tim

And for interpreters?

00:21:42 Stephanie

The things I've mentioned, the business practices, being a little bit more mindful of that, [Tim: Mm-hmm] professionalism, a little bit more mindful of that.

00:21:50 Stephanie

We've got some fantastic interpreters.

00:21:52 Stephanie

I mean, most of our interpreters in Oklahoma are really just great people.

00:21:57 Stephanie

They run a tidy ship.

00:22:00 Stephanie

It's just every now and again, you get somebody…

00:22:03 Stephanie

But, you know, for the most part, Oklahoma is a nice place to live, nice place to work, nice place to run a business.

00:22:10 Tim

Yeah, I agree.

00:22:12 Tim

So last thing then, what is one of the most embarrassing moments you've had as an interpreter agency?

00:22:21 Stephanie

Oh, as an agency?

00:22:22 Tim

As an agency and as an interpreter.

00:22:24 Stephanie

OK, let me answer the “as an interpreter”, because as an agency, there's not a whole lot of opportunity for embarrassment, although there's some.

00:22:33 Stephanie

Usually, it's if we make a mistake, then you feel like, oh, I apologize, you know, you feel bad about that.

00:22:39 Stephanie

But as an interpreter…

00:22:41 Stephanie

So, I had just gotten an Oklahoma QAST level 5.

00:22:44 Stephanie

So, I was like, and I was young and cocky.

00:22:48 Stephanie

And so, I accept this job and it is an oval table full of professionals.

00:22:56 Tim

OK.

00:22:57 Stephanie

And I had, my team was an interpreter that I hadn't worked much with, but she was known in the State.

00:23:04 Stephanie

And so, I accept the job.

00:23:07 Stephanie

And so, it's my turn to get up and voice, and I’m voicing.

00:23:11 Stephanie

And there were, there were blind people, not- hearing blind people in- at the table.

00:23:19 Stephanie

But I didn't understand that.

00:23:21 Stephanie

I didn't understand that they were blind.

00:23:23 Stephanie

So, I would hear people say, Joe's talking, and then I would blah, blah, blah, blah.

00:23:29 Stephanie

But I didn't understand why they were doing it.

00:23:32 Stephanie

OK, so then we get this super highly professional Deaf person, [Tim: Oh, goodness] and she starts talking and I have reviewed nothing.

00:23:40 Stephanie

I know nothing.

00:23:41 Stephanie

And so, she starts going, and I was a good interpreter. [Tim: yeah]

00:23:45 Stephanie

I am fluent in American Sign.

00:23:47 Stephanie

I mean, like, I knew my stuff, but not today.[both laughing]

00:23:53 Stephanie

So, she starts going and I'm voicing and then she starts talking about specific tech, specific service names and fingerspelling, and I'm like, oh!, so I'm like fumbling.

00:24:07 Stephanie

And so, and instead of, - and I never talked with my team of how are you going to feed me?

00:24:13 Stephanie

We did none of that.

00:24:14 Stephanie

So, she just stood up and started voicing. [Tim: Uh-oh]

00:24:17 Stephanie

And it, it's this big, huge round oval table.

00:24:20 Stephanie

And so, the “off” interpreter was sitting and the “on” interpreter was standing…

00:24:24 Tim

And then she was behind you and she just stood up.

00:24:26 Stephanie

She was like next to me and started and started voicing over me.

00:24:30 Stephanie

So, I'm like, “OK, how do I recuperate?”

00:24:32 Stephanie

How do I, you know, should I, OK, I'm watching and I'm hearing.

00:24:36 Stephanie

So now I've got it figured out for the most part.

00:24:39 Stephanie

And so, I'm like, do I, [Tim chuckles: nudge her?] do I start voicing over her?

00:24:43 Stephanie

What do I do?

00:24:44 Stephanie

How do I recapture what I, [Tim: yeah] how do I fix this?

00:24:47 Stephanie

And so, there was enough of a lull that I was able to go, OK, thank you, I got it.

00:24:51 Stephanie

And then, so now we're wrapping up.

00:24:53 Stephanie

And then the Deaf person goes, “You didn't understand anything I said, right?”

00:24:59 Stephanie

So, I had a voice interpreter, you didn't understand anything I said, did you? [both laughing]

00:25:05 Stephanie

And so, it was like “super cool.”

00:25:07 Tim

Yeah, that's always “wonderful.”

00:25:08 Stephanie

Great experience. [chuckling]

00:25:09 Tim

Yeah.

00:25:11 Stephanie

So here I was, you know, it was embarrassing.

00:25:15 Stephanie

Super embarrassing.

00:25:16 Tim

How did the, did you, you mentioned there was a blind person in the room.

00:25:22 Tim

How did they react to all of this?

00:25:26 Tim

Or did they?

00:25:27 Stephanie

They did, yeah.

00:25:28 Stephanie

But hearing people that were around were basically telling them what was going on, the nonverbal stuff.

00:25:35 Stephanie

And then I never, because I'm voicing, I never said, “Joe's saying.”

00:25:41 Tim

Yeah.

00:25:42 Stephanie

I didn't understand what was that for, why were we doing that?

00:25:46 Stephanie

That I never did right. [Tim: uff]

00:25:48 Stephanie

So other people had to fix it for me.

00:25:51 Stephanie

Yeah, it was terrible.

00:25:52 Tim

Yeah, wow.

00:25:54 Stephanie

And there was one other embarrassing one is microphone interpreting, stage interpreting, and me and my team.

00:26:01 Stephanie

And it was me and the...

00:26:04 Stephanie

person that came out on stage was at that time, the Miss Deaf Oklahoma.

00:26:09 Tim

Oh.

00:26:10 Stephanie

Now this is many, many years ago.

00:26:12 Tim

Yeah, yeah.

00:26:13 Stephanie

And so, I pride myself on my ability to sign.

00:26:18 Stephanie

But apparently, I signed [like] “old people” because here she comes, new and clean and all young, and she starts signing, and I mean, like, not a word.

00:26:32 Stephanie

I didn't understand a single thing she said.

00:26:34 Tim

Wow.

00:26:34 Stephanie

And so, I got a microphone…

00:26:38 Tim

Just holding it, and then give it over. [laughing]

00:26:39 Tim

That's great.

00:26:41 Stephanie

[laughing] And he was brilliant.

00:26:43 Stephanie

He was brilliant.

00:26:44 Stephanie

And he just took it out and started going... [both laughing]

00:26:45 Stephanie

Oh, he was so awesome.

00:26:48 Tim

Yeah, sometimes our brains just have that fog.

00:26:53 Stephanie

Not a word.

00:26:54 Stephanie

Not a word.

00:26:54 Stephanie

Wow.

00:26:55 Stephanie

I got nothing.

00:27:00 Tim

OK.

00:27:00 Tim

Well, thank you for your time, Stephanie.

00:27:03 Stephanie

Yeah.

00:27:04 Tim

Yeah, it was good to see you.

00:27:05 Stephanie

It's so great to see you again.

00:27:06 Tim

Thanks for the information. [Stephanie: absolutely]

00:27:08 Tim

I know there are many out there who are hungry for knowing the system and how it works and how it might be an inspiration for them.

00:27:19 Tim

Thank you.

00:27:20 Stephanie

Yeah.

00:27:21 Stephanie

And I'm open to, I mean, I'll talk to anybody.

00:27:23 Stephanie

I'll talk your ear right off.

00:27:24 Tim

Yes, you will. [chuckling]

00:27:27 Tim

I mean.

00:27:29 Stephanie

[laughing] How dare you?!

00:27:32 Tim

Yes.

00:27:35 Tim

All right.

00:27:35 Stephanie

I enjoy talking with you.

00:27:37 Tim

Yeah, definitely.

[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]

[ROCK EXIT MUSIC STARTS]

00:27:44 Tim

Well, business as usual, or is it?

00:27:47 Tim

Stephanie has given us some quick advice.

00:27:51 Tim

beautiful stories of how we can improve our private practice as sign language interpreters, our business.

00:27:59 Tim

That our time is worth more than just the time when we are interpreting.

00:28:05 Tim

That we're more than just a number.

00:28:07 Tim

And if we want to know what our clients want, what they need, we need to ask.

00:28:13 Tim

We need to imagine how we can improve our practice.

00:28:18 Tim

Whether it's our skills, whether it's our professionalism, our accounting, our administrative work, so many things that involve our private practice.

00:28:29 Tim

And yes, we might be embarrassed by some of the mistakes that we make, whether interpreting or as a business.

00:28:37 Tim

If we're not prepared for interpreting, if we don't have the materials, just like Stephanie…

00:28:43 Tim

We've got nothing.

00:28:45 Tim

We don't understand.

00:28:46 Tim

We misunderstand what's happening in the room.

00:28:49 Tim

If we don't prepare for the business, the same thing happens.

00:28:54 Tim

Mistakes happen.

00:28:56 Tim

And just like Stephanie, in that embarrassing moment when she first started, she knew ASL very well.

00:29:05 Tim

That embarrassing moment gave her even more humility to realize that she's not perfect, that she does have things to learn.

00:29:16 Tim

She can't always do the job if she's not prepared.

00:29:20 Tim

No matter how skilled you are, we need to prepare not only for interpreting, but for the business of private practice.

00:29:29 Tim

We all have work worth doing.

00:29:33 Tim

Some people can't imagine what it is we do, but we still do those things that no one can imagine.

00:29:41 Tim

So, until next time, keep calm, keep imagining beyond your interpretation.

00:29:48 Tim

I'll see you next week.

00:29:50 Tim

Take care now.

[ROCK EXIT MUSIC ENDS AT 00:30:25]