A raison d’être is a “reason for being” – it’s the driving force behind why someone does what they do.
For me, being an interpreter presents a marvelous opportunity to connect people through language so that they can engage in the rich conversations that define our lives. When deaf and hearing people come together, interpreters must have sharp linguistic skills and be adept arbiters of conversation. An interpreter’s presence should always be facilitative, rather than distracting.
My job is to ensure that interpreters have the tools they need to be facilitative – location or connection information, prep documents, attendee bios, etc. – in short, supporting interpreters in the ways I would want to be supported.