原版英文小故事 4. A Signer Helps Students

Joan’s job is to use American Sign Language to enable instructors¹ to communicate with English-speaking deaf students. She went to school for three years to get her certificate. According to Joan, learning ASL was not that difficult, but learning to be an excellent interpreter could take a lifetime.

Three years after enrolling² at Pierce College, Joan graduated as a Certified³ ASL Interpreter. Plenty of job opportunities were waiting for her. She likes the college environment, so she applied⁴ for a job at Newton Community College, a school with 28,000 students. There are 22 hearing-impaired students at NCC. Joan has worked with most of them.

They are very friendly with her. Often they invite her to have a cup of coffee after class. They talk about school and about what they hope to do after graduation. Sometimes the women talk about personal things, especially about how hard it is to find “Mr. Right.” Joan agrees with them, saying she herself has given up on finding him. They also talk about their favorite movies, books, and music. Even deaf people can “hear” music. Many are good dancers.

Joan is one of the four interpreters on campus. Two are full-time⁵; Joan works part-time. She accompanies a deaf student to class. The student sits in the front row. Joan usually sits near the teacher, facing the student. She signs as the teacher talks. If the class is less than 90 minutes long, there is only one interpreter per student. If the class is longer, there are two interpreters per student. They alternate; one interpreter will sign for 20 minutes, and then the other will.

Joan will go back to school soon. She wants to become a Certified French Sign Language Interpreter. She already speaks French fluently; her mom taught it to her. Her mom also taught Joan that American men are hopeless. She frequently told Joan that only a French man knows how to make a woman feel like a woman. Joan idolizes her mom, and takes her advice to heart. It will take Joan about three more years to get certified.

What then? Then she will leave California, move to Paris, find a romantic French boyfriend, and live happily ever after.
 

1 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

2 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

3 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。