To those who can hear, life without sound may seem like a completely different world. A world without crystal clear guitar solos in your favorite song, the dull drone of your teachers’ lectures, or the shrill call of your parents from the next room over may seem unthinkable to most. Mr. Jeremy Little’s job is to bridge that gap.
Little isn’t a teacher or an aide, or someone you would interact with much unless you have a need for it. In short, Little is one of the unsung gears in the machine that executes the right for all students to have equal access to an education at North Penn High School. The longer answer to what he does is a freelance ASL interpreting, where Little works for individual students here at school. His job is to “provide both hearing and deaf people with equal access to information and interactions,” according to the National Deaf Center, but at North Penn, he primarily interprets teachers’ lectures into American Sign Language (ASL).
“Honestly, as an interpreter, it’s so rare for me to speak as Jeremy Little. It’s very abnormal and uncomfortable for me to speak as myself,” Little explained.
Instead, Little often communicates on the behalf of someone else.
“I work with one student all day, every day,” Little said. “The reality is that oftentimes, many Deaf [or hard of hearing] individuals prefer a live interpreter versus an iPad.”
Little started learning ASL ever since he was a young child, beginning with his parents and then continuing his knowledge further.
“My parents taught me sign language for the most part. They were hearing, but they were very interested in the dual language upbringing. So, myself and my siblings, all of us could sign before we could speak English,” Little recalled. “And I didn’t really use the language too much up until I met a Deaf individual at my church who encouraged me to learn more, encouraged me to go to college and see what interpreting classes look like.”
Becoming an ASL interpreter in schools requires certifications and degrees, which Little obtained at the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania-Bloomsburg in 2020.
“To work in education, I had to get the EIPA [Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment]. Prior to that, I went to Bloomsburg University and got my degree in American Sign Language and English Interpreting,” Little described. “From day one, I fell in love with it.”
As a freelance interpreter, Little has interpreted in almost every setting.
“With interpreting, it kind of allowed me to see and be a fly on the wall for a little bit of everything. I’ve been in jails and surgeries and shipping warehouses and interpreted at Lincoln Financial Field [for Kenny Chesney]. It’s never consistent. It’s always a new adventure.”
In the world of interpreting, sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan.
“I got called for what I was told was going to be a [college] introductory chemistry course, and it was not,” Little joked. “It was a 300 level class. I didn’t understand half of what I was interpreting, but thankfully, I had an amazing team interpreter who was able to get through it.”
Still, interpreting isn’t all country music shows and high school classes. The field presents challenges and hardships that require both physical and emotional resilience out of interpreters.
“Interpreting is draining in not only the physical aspect of having to move all day and be in sight lines, but actively processing the language and trying to get the deeper meaning of [what you’re interpreting] is such an active and involved process,” Little said. “I feel like something that isn’t really talked about enough in this field is the vicarious trauma that you can absorb. Sometimes you need to tell people a very serious diagnosis, and never knowing what’s going to happen, it does take a toll.”
Regardless, Little has no shortage of happy memories of interpreting to keep him from dwelling on the challenges.
“There are beautiful moments in interpreting. I’ve been there seeing young children having their [cochlear implants] work for the first time and hearing their mom’s voice. It’s some of the most beautiful work.”
Overall, Jeremy Little loves his job. ASL interpreting can be an exhausting field, especially among an ever-present shortage of interpreters. Little encourages young people to get involved with ASL and the Deaf community and to stay open-minded.
One of his main mantras while interpreting is “stay flexible.” The key to good interpreting is to always remember that it isn’t predictable and to be prepared to change course. His advice while interpreting can easily be applied to real life.
As high school students enter a time where decisions seem permanent and intimidatingly important, Jeremy Little’s advice can still ring true: stay flexible, and be prepared to adjust.
