Certified ASL Interpren

Passed Bill Requiring The Mandatory Use Of A Certified ASL Interpreter for ALL Public Speaking Training: In light of the recent events, there has been a proposed bill passed in Florida requiring all government agencies to only use certified ASL translators for all live televised emergency presentations. The idea is that in the event that someone gets physically hurt or does not understand a language they should seek immediate help and not waste time by watching a video. A few months ago, during a live video presentation there was an elderly gentleman who appeared on screen and started speaking and while he spoke, the presenter cut him off and asked, “What are you saying?” The gentleman responded, “I’m saying, Mr. Secretary, please do not kill me.” It was clear that the gentleman understood English and did not need the translator to give him a translation. We strongly believe that such a law is a violation of our First Amendment rights and Sign Language Interpreter will most likely be overturned in court.

An American citizen must have a right to be free to come and go as he or she chooses during a live broadcast. The Second Amendment to the Constitution clearly states “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” There is no reason that the right of the people to view their elected representatives must be infringed. There is also no reasonable expectation of privacy, especially if a live broadcast takes place, without the use of an interpreter. This type of legislation is akin to an invasion of privacy because the translator would be able to see the private information that a citizen does not have a right to know, such as what medication the patient is taking, where they are traveling, and who they are with while traveling.

There is no evidence that the use of an ASL interpreter would cause an increase in crime, but the use of ASL translators will only serve to add to the costs of the training session and possibly make the session impossible to attend. If you want to see the benefits of using ASL interpreters instead of a live translator, then you should contact your representative and demand the use of certified ASL translators.