IDENTITY CONSTITUTIONS OF SIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN MACEIÓ: A DISCURSIVE STUDY
Applied Linguistics; Discourse; Identity Construction; Sign Language Interpreters/Translators
The educational reality of deaf individuals, in addition to constituting itself, also constitutes the professional Sign Language and Portuguese Language Translator-Interpreter (Tilsp) who shares the context of action with them through established dialogical relationships of "self and other". Thus, this study aimed to reflect on the constitution of identities (Hall, 2004; Fabricio, 2002; Souto Maior and Luz, 2019) of Tilsp professionals working in the early grades of Elementary School I in a public school in Maceió. The discussions are grounded in the qualitative approach of Applied Linguistics (Moita Lopes, 2006) and Implicated AL (Souto Maior, 2022), based on the enunciative-discursive conception of Bakhtinian language (Bakhtin, 2006; Bakhtin/Volochinov, 2010) in dialogue with studies in the field of deaf education and Sign Language translation and interpretation (Lacerda, 2009; Albress, 2015; Nascimento, 2013). The methodology adopted for data construction was ethnographic research (Oliveira, 2013), consolidated through the application of semi-open questionnaires, narrative interviews, and observations of Tilsp practices in the analyzed context, which were recorded in reflective diaries by the researcher. The data analysis procedure followed the methodology of data triangulation and analysis of networks of meanings regarding the Tilsp professionals' positions on the practices developed in the educational space. Thus, the study shed light on the important role of Tilsp professionals, especially in elementary education. Through the construction of research data, it was observed that there is a discouraging "architectural identity" which reveals the multiple functions attributed to these professionals due to the educational reality they face. This demands that these professionals adapt in order to ensure successful teaching and learning processes for deaf students.