Biases [INTERPRETER]

Thinking back over the questions you have been asked to consider thus far, do you notice any biases in your thinking? What assumptions have you made about yourself or new interpreters? Think also about the places you are not comfortable interpreting. Why is that? What assumptions might you hold about the people and those places? What did you say about your own ability to teach a new interpreter even if you have not had much experience as a mentor?

All of these questions serve the same purpose – to help us identify biases that we hold against people, places, or things. These biases may not necessarily be negative, but it is important to be aware of how to view others before we interact with them. This is important to consider because not only do we work with a wide variety of people in the field every day, but your mentees may come from backgrounds and life experiences that are very different from your own.