The Role of the Interpreter of Brazilian Sign Language in the Dialogue Among Deaf and Hearing Students in Mathematics Classes

Abstract

This chapter is based on a research project whose focus is the teaching and learning of mathematics in environments where deaf students and hearing students are together. In this context, the complexity of teaching and learning processes becomes more evident due to the use of two languages for communication and the presence of a new person in the classroom, the interpreter, whose function is to interpret/translate the Portuguese to Libras and vice versa. However, using a teaching methodology based on an inquiry approach, in which the dialogue is the main pattern of communication, the role of the interpreter can have other characteristics. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the practices of the interpreter, this chapter discusses some episodes from mathematics classes, highlighting the interpreter’s participation. We first present the working context of the interpreter, including the policies, challenges, and perspectives of this profession. After this, some relevant aspects of the dialogue perspective adopted in the research are elucidated. Finally, we present two episodes in which the interactions in the mathematics classes were mediated by an interpreter. The results indicate that in the context of landscapes of investigation, the role of the interpreter gains characteristics that go beyond the interpretation/translation. We recognize the role of the interpreter as fundamental in promoting equality in classrooms where deaf and hearing are together. And we understand this equality as a crucial point for creating new ways of understanding, especially with respect to mathematics.