{"id":21655,"date":"2013-01-30T17:04:32","date_gmt":"2013-01-30T22:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=21655"},"modified":"2013-01-30T21:57:36","modified_gmt":"2013-01-31T02:57:36","slug":"austin-interpreters-lotusign-take-on-sign-language-duties-at-obama-inauguration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/01\/30\/austin-interpreters-lotusign-take-on-sign-language-duties-at-obama-inauguration\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin interpreters LotuSign take on sign language duties at Obama inauguration"},"content":{"rendered":"

SIGN OF HISTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Austin interpreters LotuSign take on sign language duties at Obama inauguration<\/p>\n

BY CHAD SWIATECKI<\/p>\n

Barbie Parker and her staff have been part of performances by worldwide stars like Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Kanye West and Stevie Wonder.<\/p>\n

But on Monday, Parker and the other performance interpreters of Austin\u2019s LotuSign will have their biggest stage yet in Washington D.C. when they perform sign language interpreting duties for the swearing in of President Barack Obama at the 57th inaugural ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hear someone taking an oath of office is the most sacred thing and we can communicate the grandeur of that moment to people.\u201d – Barbie Parker<\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of Austin music fans have seen Parker, executive director of LotuSign, on platforms in front of stages at Austin City Limits Festival, where she and other interpreters sign and visually communicate performers\u2019 music to hearing-impaired audience members.<\/p>\n

Those jobs require Parker and her colleagues to be animated, energetic and improvisational in communicating nonverbal sound and art. Monday, obviously, will be a whole different ballgame.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact and importance of what we\u2019re doing is clear, and so it will be big, dramatic and solemn,\u201d said Parker, who has worked as an interpreter for 20 years. \u201cTo hear someone taking an oath of office is the most sacred thing and we can communicate the grandeur of that moment to people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opportunity to travel to the nation\u2019s capital for the high-profile ceremony came about because Austin\u2019s C3 Presents \u2014 the promoter of ACL Fest and Chicago\u2019s Lollapalooza, which LotuSign also handles \u2014 is the production company for the event that\u2019s expected to draw close to one million attendees. C3 also handled production duties for Obama’s campaign victory parties in 2008 and last year.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s relationship with the company made the big job a possibility that only became apparent about three weeks ago. Government officials began calling her to work out logistics for her and the five other Texas-based interpreters who are joining about a dozen D.C.-based interpreters.<\/p>\n

When Parker spoke with CultureMap last week, the exact itinerary of events she and others would be covering was still in flux, with the parade and assorted balls and gala events as possibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes through so many people, and the magnitude of an event like this is overwhelming,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause of all the things we\u2019ve done over the years we can handle what we need to from the production side, and knew we could handle the volume of work they need us to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from highly public concerts and political events LotuSign does interpreting at private gatherings in greater Austin, with Parker and her colleagues balancing the need to be engaging with needing to blend in and not draw excess attention to themselves. That was a pitfall for interpreter Lydia Callis, whose overly animated job signing during a press conference by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg after Hurricane Sandy made her Internet famous for 15 minutes in early November.<\/p>\n

Parker said such things can happen when a language is \u201c90 percent expression\u201d and that she had plans to watch several previous inauguration ceremonies to study the rhythm of the event and plan out how to do the best job possible.<\/p>\n

One factor in her favor: In May 2011 she served as the interpreter at an Obama fundraiser that featured a visit from the president.<\/p>\n

She gushes when talking about that event and getting to meet Obama, but is full of reverence and professionalism when looking ahead to Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I step on stage to interpret is important but as far as scope, occasionally it\u2019s sunken in how big this is,\u201d she said. \u201cI know I\u2019m grateful I can be a part of the group of people doing big and important things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/austin.culturemap.com\/newsdetail\/LotuSign\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SIGN OF HISTORY Austin interpreters LotuSign take on sign language duties at Obama inauguration BY CHAD SWIATECKI Barbie Parker and her staff have been part of performances by worldwide stars like Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Kanye West and Stevie Wonder.…<\/p>\n

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