Recently a friend and I were working on some or our interpreting coursework in an open computer lab and we had a gentleman ask us how to say something in ASL. This is such a complicated question and one of the phrases used endlessly throughout our journey has been, "It depends."

I know that this sounds like a cop out and that we are trying to avoid the question. However, the question itself assumes that there is a one to one interpretation for every English word or phrase. When you think about the word love, the meaning changes depending on whether you're talking to a friend, a spouse, a parent, a child, or if you're talking about a thing. Also, how many different types of happy are there? You could be ecstatic, elated, excited, content, joyful, glad, delighted, or any other synonym for delighted. Some of those may be signed similarly to each other and some may not. Some may also have a slightly different body position or facial expression that effect the meaning.

So much meaning depends on the circumstances and the people involved as well as how a word is being used in a sentence. So if you ask me how to say something and I reply, "it depends," know that it's normal and I appreciate that you want to learn. Plus, if you pause long enough I'm sure that I'll dive into why it depends and give you a whole lot more information on American Sign Language than you thought you wanted to know.

So I think it's fair to say that despite me still being on the younger side of being an adult, I am no spring chicken anymore. I feel old even using that phrase. I'd like to think that at this point I am able to set goals and create a plan to reach those goals. You know, like an adult. However, I seem to spend a solid amount of time setting personal goals that, are admirable, but aren't necessarily SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). I then flounder about trying to achieve them through weird trial and error, but mostly error, and then quit.

After two and a half years, I am nearing the end of my Interpreter Training Program. It has always felt worth it, but it hasn't always been easy. Between limited full days off, having limited time with my boyfriend who became my husband, and trying to find time for the sheer amount of homework, getting to the next semester was what kept me, and others in my cohort going. Without having to explicitly say it, we all had a SMART goal of becoming an interpreter. Now that we are nearing the end of the program there is so much more to think about than what is happening next semester.

I won't bore you with the details, but it boils down to finishing our last semester while also preparing to take the first of two national tests, getting all of our professional memberships and clearances lined up, slowly amassing an appropriate wardrobe, plus a litany of other adult things that will prepare us to be freelance interpreters. It's exciting and a little scary, in a good way, and fairly surreal. I am so amazingly ready to do this. And by that I mean that I am fully aware of just how unprepared I am. But I am supremely looking forward to continuing to learn and getting out in the community to foster open and effective communication. But first, let me get trough the next semester.

It Depends

Can We Start a Countdown Yet?