All workshops are for a full day, unless otherwise stated. Workshops can be modified and geared to your community of interpreters. I present workshops for:

• educational and communtiy interpreters,
• video relay interpreters,
• theory and practice.

If you would like to book a workshop, please contact me.

Workshops for Educational and community based interpreters

Transliterating: Show Me the English  

 

Just what is Transliterating and how is it different from Interpreting.  This workshop explores three broad categories of Transliterating: Grammar and Vocabulary, Processing and Mouth Movement Patterns.  The workshop is taught through lecture, modeling proper and improper Transliteration through videotapes and practice time for participants.

 

ASL to English Interpreting: Say It Like They Mean It

 

English is linear and the way information is conveyed is unique to the language.  ASL handles language differently in it’s usage and cultural adjustments.  This workshop explores how information is presented in ASL, and how to make cultural adjustments so it makes sense in English.  Areas of focus will be contrasting, faceting, reiteration, use of 3D space, explaining by examples, describing and couching.  Students will be shown examples of language use in ASL and discuss and come up with ways to best present the meaning in English.

 

Turn Taking Rules:  Keeping the conversation moving

 

Participants will look at how turn-taking naturally occurs in ASL and English.  Participants will become aware of non-verbal and non-manual markers that keep a conversation moving.  Emphasis will be placed on how communication can break-down in interactive interpreting because of processing time. Participants will become aware of cultural cues, both Deaf and hearing, which the interpreter must use to assist individuals to have a successful and smooth conversation.

 

Nouns to Nonce: How interpreters handle fingerspelled nouns and numbers

 

Fingerspelling is used primarily in ASL to represent proper nouns which could include specific terms, English words that do not have ASL lexical equivalents and technical terms. In this workshop interpreters will look at how and when a sign or classifier replaces the fingerspelled noun, when nouns remain fingerspelled (lexicalized, abbreviated or as a nonce) and what to do about name signs.  Also, participants will explore how to keep numbers straight to clarify order, counting or placement as well as numbers used in the educational settings.

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Workshops for video relay interpreters

Can You Hear Me Now: Turn Taking Rules for Video Relay Interpreters

 

Participants will look at how turn-taking naturally occurs in ASL/signed English and English. Participants will become aware of non-verbal and non-manual markers that keep a conversation moving and identify the components that are part of the technology of conversation. Emphasis will be placed on how communication can break-down in interactive interpreting because of processing time and how the interpreter keeps interaction flowing. Participants will become aware of cultural cues, both Deaf and hearing, which the interpreter must use to assist individuals to have a successful and smooth conversation.

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You Mean I Have to Talk to People? 

Yes, interpreters are very good at interpreting what one person says or signs to another, but how good are we at dealing with people?  How well do we handle the customer service aspect of interpreting?  Organizations today are involved in participatory decision making who look more at skill than position.  For this reason, an interpreter in the market has to define themselves by their overall abilities and not their title.  As interpreters we often feel alone, and think that whatever we do during the interpreting moment has no impact in the greater scheme of things.  The first part of this workshop will explore how what we do as interpreters interrelates our connection to our team member, to other interpreters in the field, our chapters, our agencies, our school districts, our deaf consumers and our hearing consumers.  The second part of the workshop will look at the benefits of creating goals, a personal mission statement and a vision.

Ethics:  Process v. Content

Often issues that arise during an assignment are seen as only ethical issues.  But the interpreting task is divided into two parts, process and content, and not ever issue is an ethical problem.  This workshop deals with first analyzing whether a dilemma falls under process or content, then looks at if the issue is needing to be death with on an ethical level, a legal level, or if it is simply a protocol issue.   Through lecture and group discussion, participants will explore these areas.

 

Mentoring or Coaching?

Mentors have been around throughout history.  This workshop explores how we can take the idea of mentoring and apply it to Sign Language Interpreters.   We will explore what makes up a mentoring relationship, how much time is involved, how to give feedback, and how to use videotapes already available during the mentorship process.   This workshop also explores how we can take the idea of coaching and apply it to Sign Language Interpreters.   We will explore what makes up a coaching relationship, how much time is involved, how to give feedback, and how to use videotapes already available.  The workshop is taught through lecture, student interaction and use of videotapes.

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