美国国家公共电台 NPR Gallaudet President Navigates From World Of Hearing To Sound Leadership Of The Deaf

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: 

There is another new president in Washington, D.C., at Gallaudet. It's the only liberal arts university devoted¹ to the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and the school's newest president is the first deaf woman to lead the university. NPR's Parth Shah has this profile of Roberta Cordano.

PARTH SHAH, BYLINE³: Gallaudet University President Roberta Cordano never attended a deaf school.

ROBERTA CORDANO: (Through interpreter) I grew up during a period of time where it was believed that American Sign Language was what they called a monkey language.

SHAH: That's Cordano speaking through an interpreter provided by Gallaudet. She grew up in a Deaf community. Her parents and big sister are Deaf, and so were many of her neighbors. Delavan, Wis., where she grew up, is home to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. But even though her father was a teacher there, her parents sent her to the local public school instead.

CORDANO: (Through interpreter) They wanted to make sure that their children were going to do well. At that time, you know, it wasn't understood that American Sign Language was a language in and of its own right.

SHAH: Throughout the interview, Cordano whispers out in English as she signs. Going to a hearing elementary, middle and high school made her a pro² at reading lips and pronunciation. She never had an interpreter in the classroom. In hindsight, Cordano says it was exhausting.

CORDANO: (Through interpreter) You know, I had worked all day long trying to understand people and focusing so much on what they were saying and then figure out what I was trying to be taught.

SHAH: She says she worked twice as hard as her classmates to keep up, but she didn't burnout. When time came to choose a college, Cordano decided⁴ to stay in a hearing environment. She went to Beloit College for undergrad and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for law school. She broke with family tradition. Her parents and older sister all went to Gallaudet.

CORDANO: (Through interpreter) They understood the value of understanding and appreciating the richness of both worlds.

SHAH: While Cordano says she enjoyed her college and grad school experience, she was often the only deaf person in the room. Her experience is night-and-day different from how Gallaudet students live their lives on campus.

ARIELLA DRAMIN: (Through interpreter) It's like another country, really. You know, it'd be nice if we had another country, but, you know, we don't.

SHAH: That's freshman⁵ Ariella Dramin speaking through a Gallaudet interpreter. Dramin says being deaf is a culture, not a disability. It's something many people outside of Gallaudet don't understand when they meet her.

DRAMIN: (Through interpreter) I hate when, you know, people, like, at a store try to say something to me, and I say, you know, I can't hear you, then they have this pity face, which is not something I want them to do. We're a community. We're fine. We have a language.

SHAH: At Gallaudet, students sit with peers⁶ in the lunchroom. They walk to class together. They carry out their conversations with their hands and facial expressions, instead of spoken words. Gallaudet feels like any other college campus, just quieter. Third-year Savannah Hobbs chose Gallaudet because she doesn't want to rely on someone to translate for her. She didn't enjoy having an interpreter when she was in elementary school.

SAVANNAH HOBBS: (Through interpreter) For example, when I went to lunch, the interpreter doesn't go with me to lunch. I mean, I was completely left out of any kind of conversation. But here, not only can I have my own conversation at lunch, but I can just look over to a table and see what other people are talking about 'cause everyone's using the same language. And that's something I never had before.

SHAH: Even though Cordano grew up in a deaf family, she brings an outsider's perspective to Gallaudet. She spent most of her personal and professional life in the hearing world. Her wife and two kids are hearing. She was the assistant attorney⁷ general for the state of Minnesota. She's also helped start two charter⁸ schools for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

CORDANO: (Through interpreter) When I moved to Minnesota, I actually saw the model of bilingual education.

SHAH: Bilingual education meaning students are given equal instruction in English and ASL.

CORDANO: And so I grew to love and respect that model so very much because I realized it was an option that I was never given.

SHAH: Cordano never had a deaf school experience of her own where she could sign to her classmates and friends, but she doesn't feel like she missed out. She's an optimist⁹.

CORDANO: I think have always navigated¹⁰ two worlds, and I have cherished¹¹ both worlds.

SHAH: Parth Shah, NPR News, Washington.

1 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

2 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

6 peers   

n.同等的人，贵族vi.凝视，窥视vt.与…同等，封为贵族v.凝视( peer的第三人称单数 )；盯着看；同等；比得上

参考例句：

• She enjoys the respect of her peers. 她受到同侪的尊敬。
• She peers into my eyes. 她盯着我的眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 attorney   

n.（业务或法律事务上的）代理人，辩护律师

参考例句：

• He acted as attorney for me.他充当我的律师。
• The attorney for the union accused the Mayor of playing politics.工会的律师谴责市长在这次罢工中耍阴谋。

8 charter   

n.特许状，执照，宪章；v.特许，发给特许执照

参考例句：

• This new law amounts to a tax evader's charter.这项新法律简直成了为逃税者开的许可证。
• We will charter a steamer to convey the goods.我们将租一艘船运送这批货物。

9 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

10 navigated   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• He navigated the plane through the clouds. 他驾驶飞机穿越云层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ship was navigated by the North Star. 那只船靠北极星来导航。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 cherished   

v.珍爱( cherish的过去式和过去分词 )；怀有；爱护；抚育

参考例句：

• Children need to be cherished. 儿童需要无微不至的爱护。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer. 她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。 来自《简明英汉词典》