American Sign Language-English interpreters employed in the video relay service (VRS)
industry in the United States are subject to numerous guidelines for processing calls,
which are mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or by independent
VRS companies. Anecdotally, VRS interpreters report ambiguity about the guidelines
and their impact on the quality of their interpretations. In this pilot study, I investigated
the origin of VRS guidelines by reviewing public documents from the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I then interviewed
four experienced VRS interpreters regarding their perceptions of the origin and
impact of the constraints placed on interpreters in VRS. Two themes emerged in the interview
data: 1) interpreters are uncertain whether the constraints placed on their work are
federally mandated or established by individual corporations, and 2) interpreters report
a sense of responsibility for their work and have concerns regarding constraints on their
professional autonomy. This study suggests that interpreters in the U.S. do not have sufficient
knowledge about the system in which they work to make informed decisions when
working in VRS.
