Trump administration says sign language services ‘intrude’ on Trump’s ability to control his image

[Servus]

Perhaps you can explain how a deaf person physically present at an event is meant to access the closed captioning?

Any number of speech to text devices starting with an ordinary phone.

 

[Servus]

You all are missing the salient point here (Thanks, Rob!): having the ASL person there

“would severely intrude on the President’s prerogative to control the image he presents to the public,”

As we all know, the fascist aesthetic does not allow weakness, deficiency, deviation on stage where it could corrupt the image of the model American embodied in the Leader: hale and virile, straight, strong, and decisive.

(Yes, I used the f word.)

It's sinister plot to subvert any deaf people attending a press conference.

 

[MarcusGregor]

As Ye might say, "MAGA doesn't care about deaf people."

 

[Landon Caeli]

As Ye might say, "MAGA doesn't care about deaf people."

MAGA being who exactly?

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Any number of speech to text devices starting with an ordinary phone.

I'm pretty sure that forcing disabled people to purchase something just to have access to government pronouncements is an ADA violation.

 

[Landon Caeli]

I'm pretty sure that forcing disabled people to purchase something just to have access to government pronouncements is an ADA violation.

Should they also recieve free shuttle to and from home? Gas costs money.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

You all are missing the salient point here (Thanks, Rob!): having the ASL person there

“would severely intrude on the President’s prerogative to control the image he presents to the public,”

As we all know, the fascist aesthetic does not allow weakness, deficiency, deviation on stage where it could corrupt the image of the model American embodied in the Leader: hale and virile, straight, strong, and decisive.

(Yes, I used the f word.)

I mentioned why that could be the case.

Another poster mentioned "ASL is it's own language" (Like Spanish, Japanese, French, etc...)

Trump heavily leverages things like alliteration, "play on words", rhyming, and hyperbolic rhetorical devices.

Things that don't translate well between languages.


Now, one could obviously say those aren't great presidential speech qualities, but if that's what he heavily relies on when giving press conferences and speeches, and puts a lot of weight into his "gift of gab" being one of the things that defines his image, then translations into different languages where most of those things won't make sense is, in essence, "stomping on his image"


The other aspect (and yes, I'll just say the quiet part out loud so we can all stop beating about the bush), there are times where it can be a distraction from the actual content.

In a piece from ResearchGate entitled "When Accessibility becomes performance"

The complexity centers around the fact that effective ASL interpretation requires expressiveness—it's not an optional stylistic choice. Facial grammar is a core component of ASL syntax, conveying questions, negation, and other grammatical features. Body language and movement help distinguish between characters in storytelling and add essential context.

However, valid critiques exist around interpreters who may go beyond linguistic necessity into performance that centers themselves rather than serving the content. This becomes particularly delicate in:

• Live music performances, where some interpreters have developed celebrity status and their interpretation becomes its own viral content
• Comedy shows and public speaking engagements, where timing and audience focus are crucial
• Theater, where staging and visual composition are carefully designed

The Deaf community itself has mixed views. Many appreciate expressive interpretation that captures the energy and emotion of performances, making content genuinely accessible rather than just literally translated. Others worry about "hearing interpreter culture" dominating spaces, or interpreters who lack deep fluency treating interpretation as entertainment.


Sorry if it's un-PC, but there are times where it's distracting (both of the speaker/performer) as well was the audience.

There were some of those state covid briefings back in 2020 when Gov. DeWine was providing information, and you could tell he was distracted, and there were times where I had to go back and watch it again because I was distracted watching the interpreter instead of processing the update he was giving. Gov. Kemp's interpreter (David Cowan...who seems like a cool guy, nothing against him personally) could be particularly distracting...he gained semi-celebrity status with his stage presence, where the only thing people remembered about the press conference was the interpreter.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I mentioned why that could be the case.

Another poster mentioned "ASL is it's own language" (Like Spanish, Japanese, French, etc...)

Trump heavily leverages things like alliteration, "play on words", rhyming, and hyperbolic rhetorical devices.

Things that don't translate well between languages.

Sure - so we ban all translation of Trump's words to languages other than English? Lol. Furthermore, text is very bad at conveying tone, and Trump also heavily uses tone of voice to emphasize his points. Simply reading the words that he says doesn't convey the full meaning either. But ASL does have ways to express tone.

The other aspect (and yes, I'll just say the quiet part out loud so we can all stop beating about the bush), there are times where it can be a distraction from the actual content.

This seems like it would be a very easy problem to deal with from the government's perspective. If an ASL interpreter goes "beyond linguistic necessity," then they're fired/not used again (not sure if they're government employees or contracted). Easy-peasy. "We're not going to do ASL interpretation at all because some ASL interpreters can get a bit extra," is a really weak excuse.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

This seems like it would be a very easy problem to deal with from the government's perspective. If an ASL interpreter goes "beyond linguistic necessity," then they're fired/not used again (not sure if they're government employees or contracted). Easy-peasy. "We're not going to do ASL interpretation at all because some ASL interpreters can get a bit extra," is a really weak excuse.

Ah yes, that'll go over well.

I can see the articles and conversations now.

"Trump fires ASL interpreter because he felt he was being overshadowed or not the center of attention due to his massive ego" will be how that conversation would likely go.

 

[essentialsaltes]

MAGA being who exactly?

In this case, Donald Trump and his White House who are fighting these accommodations in court.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Ah yes, that'll go over well.

I can see the articles and conversations now.

"Trump fires ASL interpreter because he felt he was being overshadowed or not the center of attention due to his massive ego" will be how that conversation would likely go.

That's literally the excuse you just made for getting rid of ASL translation altogether.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

That's literally the excuse you just made for getting rid of ASL translation altogether.

Correct, because when an elected official is giving an address or a presser, that official should be the center of attention.


If I was hired to play background guitar at a wedding, and during the first Bride/Groom dance (where all of the attention is supposed to be on them), I broke into a solo and started doing Pete Townsend style windmill guitar strums on the stage right behind them (and everyone started watching me), that would be rightfully viewed as "making it about my thing" instead of merely supplementing the content that's supposed to be the focus of attention.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Correct, because when an elected official is giving an address or a presser, that official should be the center of attention.

Maybe take some time and read what you're responding to?

If you think that the administration firing a translator because they're a bit "extra" makes for bad optics, how is that any worse than the administration getting rid of ASL translation altogether because some translators can get a bit "extra"?

I'm not challenging the premise. I'm challenging your reasoning as to why the administration did what it did.

 

[durangodawood]

Correct, because when an elected official is giving an address or a presser, that official should be the center of attention.


If I was hired to play background guitar at a wedding, and during the first Bride/Groom dance (where all of the attention is supposed to be on them), I broke into a solo and started doing Pete Townsend style windmill guitar strums on the stage right behind them (and everyone started watching me), that would be rightfully viewed as "making it about my thing" instead of merely supplementing the content that's supposed to be the focus of attention.

They can hire an ASL person who doesn't showboat. Problem solved.