ABSTRACT
The Deaf Professional/Designated Interpreter (DP/DI) Paradigm was introduced by Hauser and Hauser (2008 ) to describe the phenomena of staff interpreters assigned to a specific deaf professional and how their practices together are different from ad hoc interpreting. Over the past decade, scholars have debated and studied the DP/DI Paradigm and this chapter reviews what has been presented and published on this topic. Emphasis is placed on how the DP and DI work together to achieve seamlessness and how the DI ensures the DP’s voice represents the DP’s true self, especially in social and networking situations. Research on DP’s and DI’s perceptions, on DI roles, and responsibilities are discussed. This chapter was written for new interpreters, DPs, and supervisors who have not worked with DP or DIs in the past as it provides a good overview of the need for DIs (or preferred interpreters) and what is involved in developing a working DP–DI relationship.
