Posted by Calnotary on 12/28/07 3:40pm
Msg #228031

Both hearing impaired borrowers.

How do you handle a signing with someone you can not communicate with?
I was told that I could use an interpreter but can you do that in CA?
Via video interpreter?
Anybody here have done one like this?

Reply by LKT/CA on 12/28/07 3:50pm
Msg #228032

Interpreters are not allowed in CA. I would have my laptop, sit between them and type what I had to say. I'm sure they can read. May take a little longer but it will get the job done.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 12/28/07 3:50pm
Msg #228033

I don't sign, but both borrowers could read lips and write.

If I couldn't understand a question, they wrote it down. If they couldn't understand me, I wrote.

Smooth signing, and the most well-behaved dogs (3) I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Reply by Linda Juenger on 12/28/07 5:34pm
Msg #228042

Re: I don't sign, but both borrowers could read lips and write.

I also have had this experience. I wasn't told ahead of time and was unprepared in my mind when I got there. I thought to myself "What the h*** am I gonna do"??? This ole pea brain got an idea and I got out a large piece of paper and started writing. The first thing I wrote is "Can you read this"? They both shook their heads YES and off we went. They could read very well. I wrote down my name and told them that I would point out the numbers of the loan first. They understood. Then we just went doc by doc, pointing to the heading and occasionaly writing out what they meant. It went just fine and they could read lips very well. They were as sweet as could be. Yes, it took longer, but thankfully I was in no rush. They both hugged me when I left. It was a wonderful, heartwarming story of 2 people who do not consider themselves handicapped at all.

Reply by Ernest__CT on 12/28/07 11:51pm
Msg #228090

Umm, ... deaf people _aren't_ handicapped.

They just can't hear.

When I was in highschool I learned to sign somewhat 'cause I lived with a family that had a totally deaf person in it. Later on I took courses, both community- and college-based. I'm not qualified as an interpretor, but I can communicate.

I had a delightful closing quite a while ago where both borrowers were deaf, and we used both ASL (American Sign Language) and written notes.

Just remember, as you sit and watch deaf people sign rapidly, they're speaking what to hearing people is a foreign language. If we can't understand it, we're the ones with the handicap.

Reply by CaliNotary on 12/28/07 9:16pm
Msg #228067

"I was told that I could use an interpreter but can you do that in CA?"

????? I can't believe you're asking this Cal, of course you can't use interpreters in CA. Please tell me you really already knew this and were just asking for peace of mind, that's a pure newbie question!