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Books
CDs, DVDs, and videotapes
Deaf events
Do-it-yourself
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Mentoring
Online teaching and learning
Organizations
Outside assessment and certification
People
Teaching
Web sites
Workshops and conferences
Use these to keep current on new trends and happenings in our field. Content knowledge about Deaf culture can make it easier to interpret such topics into English.
ABookMan.com.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Language and Linguistics - ERIC documents.
Hickok, G., Bellugi, U. & Klima, E. S. (2001, June). "Sign Language in the Brain." Scientific American, pp. 58-65.
Info to Go: Communication and Sign Language.
-->International bibliography of sign language. --> Click on "American Sign Language" or "ASL-dictionary".
Janzen, T., O'Dea, B., & Shaffer, B. (2001). The construal of events: Passives in American Sign Language. Sign Language Studies, 1:3, 281-311.
Perceptions & attitudes of interpreters with regard to sexual orientation. Acknowledging the lack of information regarding the interpreting profession and its perceptions, misconceptions, and overall understanding of homosexuality, the purpose of this research was to obtain empirical evidence regarding differences among homosexual and heterosexual interpreters regarding their perceived identity and attitudes within multi-faceted, socio-cultural constraints. The data was collected via standardized case presentations and rating forms distributed to individuals who were non-randomly selected, with anonymity protected in all phases of research. ANOVAs were performed in comparing Lichert Scale answers to the rating form items between and within the two populations. Results indicate differences between groups in self-perception, perception of others, identity, and global attitudes. Many of these disparities can be attributed to socio-cultural norms, differences between attributes afforded by cultural backgrounds, as well as established hierarchies of interpersonal and intrapersonal identity expression, with clear definition along boundaries according to sexual orientation. Heterosexual individuals displayed, in general, more positive attitudes and perceptions than homosexual interpreters towards the homosexual interpreter. Paper presented at RID Biennial Convention, Evanston, Indiana, 1993. (57 pages)
Petitto, L. (1986) Indiana University Linguistics Club.
Sign Language Studies archives.
Sign Language and Linguistics.
Woodward, J. (1978). "Historical Basis of American Sign Language" in R. Siple (Ed.). Understanding Language Through Sign Language Research. New York: Academic Press.
Shuey, E. (2004, June). The different ways men and women speak: Gender discourse and ASL-to-English interpreting. Views, 21, Issue 6. 1, 18-19. We've experienced it - talking to a member of the opposite sex and thinking that your point has been clearly stated, yet it just isn't taken the way you wanted. How does this difference in communication of men and women affect the way that we perform ASL-to English interpretation.?
Bailey, J. L. (1988, May). Performing arts interpreting: It's not just for us hams. Views 115, 5.
Burch, D. D. (2003, January). European Forum for Sign Language interpreters meets in Oslo, Norway. Views, 20, 1. p. 9. Excerpt: "Each year the EFSLI Annual General Meeting (AGM) centers around a theme. This year's theme was "Performance Interpreting: A Piece of Art?"... Presentation topics ranged from the role of the interpreter, to interpreting poetry, to the concept of mediated performances, to demonstrations of personal and troupe performances."
Cassell, J. (1988, May). In your hands. Views 115, 5.
Dillman, K. M. (2003, June). "To be or not to be," a performing arts interpreter. Views, 20, 16. Excerpt: Mannerisms are the most effective and enjoyable part of interpreting in performing arts. Many times there are a large number of characters in a scene at one time. The conversation speed may be too fast to accurately indicate which character is speaking at a give time. Mannerisms are instrumental in conveying the complete message and the personality, attitude, or state of mind of the speaker. (Working with the production director, lighting director and sound director are also discussed.)
Hargis, J., Castro, C., Johnson, S., & Pruitt, D. (2003, July). Exposing students to interpreters. Views, 20, 7. Excerpt: The degree to how much a [hearing] student is distracted [by an interpreter] may vary according to age, gender, grade level, background, abilities or interests.
Hutto, L. (2003, June). Interpreting Shakespearean theatre. Views, 20, 16. Excerpt: The goal for actors and interpreters is not necessarily to come to a complete understanding as much as it is to develop a continuously changing, responsive awareness that involves engagement in the play (Brown). The words become the medium through which one's imagination can devise a framewrok of actions.
Ladd, P. (1988, May). Performing arts interpreting: It's not just for us hams. Views 115, 5.
Potterveld, T. (2003, June). Understanding status to improve interpreting. Views, 20, 16. Excerpt: Interpreters can learn much about portraying status by watching Deaf actors and looking for physical techniques through which status is elevated and lowered.
Pugin, B. (1998, July). On-Set interpreting: The interpreter behind the camera. Views 15, 7. p. 11. A list of to-do's for the interpreter working in a film, television show, or commercial.
Boothroyd, A. (1988). The perception of speech by children with hearing loss. In A. Weisel (Ed.), Issues unresolved: New perspectives on language and deaf education, pp. 103-116.
Connor, C. M., Hieber, S., Arts, H. A., & Zwolan, T. A. (2000). Speech, vocabulary, and the education of children using cochlear implants: Oral or total communication? Journal of speech, language, and hearing research, 43, pp. 1185-1204.
Geers, A.
, Spehar, B., & Sedey, A. (2002). Use of speech by children from total communication programs who wear cochlear implants. American journal of speech-language pathology, 11, pp. 50-58.
Kluwin, T. N., & Stewart, D. (2000). Cochlear implants for younger children: A preliminary description of the parental decision process and outcomes. American annals of the deaf, 145, pp. 26-32.
Seal, B. C. (2003, March). Interpreting for students with cochlear implants. Views, 20, 3.
Tye-Murray, N., Spencer, L., & Woodworth, G. (1995). Acquisition of speech by children who have prolonged cochlear implant experience. Journal of speech and hearing research, 38, pp. 327-337.
Bahadir, S. (2001). The empowerment of the community interpreter: The right to speak with a voice of one's own. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: The ideal image of the interpreter as invisible and/or transparent agent still underlies most projects of professionalization. A closer look at the 'fieldwork' of community interpreting would lead us beyond endless discussions on neutrality and objectivity. Interviews with interpreters of the medical interpreter project at the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital show that from individually experienced situations we can work out insights for professional and ethical standards. ... We will describe this third party position as representing and mediating between cultures, as a third "culture-in-between".
Clark, E. (1998). Interpreters and speech pathologists: Some ethnographic data. This paper can be seen in .html, PDF, or word document formats, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: Speech pathology assessments place considerable linguistic and ethical demands on interpreters. Often interpreters are asked to analyze a patient's responses, in order to identify deviations from the language norms of the patient's community which might lead to a diagnosis of a speech or language impairment. This situation creates considerable confusion over roles and responsibilities for speech pathologists and interpreters. The author outlines the features of this complex context, focuses on the degree to which there is a shared understanding of respective professional roles, and makes recommendations regarding future collaboration and research.
Fowler, Y. (1998). No role plays please-We're British: Devising workshops on working through an interpreter for police, social workers and probation officers. This paper can be seen in .html, PDF, or word document formats, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: This paper describes some of the difficulties faced in enabling public service organizations to recognize their responsiblities when working through an interpreter. It highlights the crucial communicative role played by the Service Provider, and urges a process model of in-service training. While recognizing that Police Officers, Social Workers and Probation Officers are all working in different environments and may have conflicting agendas, the model can be adapted to suit each context provided that five main principles are observed. The five principles are described, as is the format for putting them into practice. Service Provider responses to the activities are summarized. The paper concludes that becoming skilled in providing a service to non-English speaking service users is to provide a better service to all, whether English speaking or not.
Hamerik, N. (1998). Community interpreter training programme in Denmark. This paper can be seen in .html, PDF, or word document formats, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: In the mid seventies, the Danish Ministry for Social Affairs opened a so-called 'hot-line' manned by 4 phone interpreters. Over the years it became obvious that the existing interpretation services were not sufficient and needed improving. Thus, the first training programme was launched at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in 1985, followed by five other programmes from 1988-1990, and finally in 1996 a more comprehensive training programme was initiated by the CBS and the Aarhus School of Business (ASB). The paper gives a short overreview of the general interpreter training situation in Denmark. Then, it discusses the community interpreter training situation focussing on the new programme and giving a description of the curriculum and the ideas behind it.
Lucas, S. E. (2006, January). What you should know about agencies and what agencies should know about you. Views, 23, 1. 1 & 41. "I have learned a great deal from all the hats I have worn -- as interpreter and as owner -- and hopefully this article will provide a glimpse of conversations to be had between stakeholders. If freelance interpreters and agencies were to honestly hash out their respective concerns, these would be some of their main points."
Parra, A. (2001). Community interpreters: Full-fledged professionals. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: In Quebec, only Court interpreters are certified by the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec. However, the other branches of Community Interpretation in settings such as health care or education are not recognized by the Ordre. It can be difficult for an interpreter, not accepted by his peers, to demonstrate his expertise to other professionals. Using a questionnaire addressed to doctors, social workers, etc., and my own experience, especially in ethnopsychiatry, we will see that community interpreters have the necessary skills to become members of a professional order. As such, they will be officially considered as the full-fledged professionals that they have always been.
Phelan, M. (2001). Community interpreting in Ireland. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: Ireland used to be a country of net emigration but over the last decade there has been a steady increase in immigration by asylum seekers and by workers from the European Economic Area and from outside Europe. There has been a rapid change from an exclusively English speaking country to a multilingual one with up to a hundred languages being spoken. Clearly this presents particular problems when non-English speakers are in contact with officialdom. Interpreting is provided in the courts, in police stations, in hospitals and over the phone for doctors. But the interpreters receive absolutely no training in interpreting. They are not tested and there is no forum where they can receive guidance on ethical issues. The official attitude is that these foreigners will learn English and will no longer need interpretation. The discussion will focus on what can be done to increase awareness of the issues surrounding Community Interpreting?
Rinker, J. (2004, February). Shop-Talk for community interpreters. Critical Link, No.2. pp. 7-11. A lot of your equipment as an interpreter relates to being on the road with no place to touch down during the day. If you have three appointments totaling six hours of work or so, you are actually going on an urban camping trip. You will have to plan on how to sustain yourself in comfortable (and presentable) condition without any outside means of support. Here is a list of basic necessities for the journey. This is a downloadable PDF file.
Shuey, E. (2004, June). The different ways that men and women speak: Gender discourse and ASL-to-English interpreting. Views, 21, 6. Exerpt: We've all experienced it - taling to a member of the opposite sex and thinking that your point has been clearly statedt;l;errterrteretrte, yet it just isn't taken the way you wanted. ... How does this difference in the communication of men and womenaffect the way that we perform ASL-to-English interpretation?
Spring, M. (2001). Evolution of language services - The Australian scene from infant to teenager. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: This paper will provide an overview of the evolution of language services in Australia, which has a unique national testing system (NAATI ) for the accreditation of translators, interpreters and language aides. The testing format, levels of accreditation, languages tested, language panels and a brief history of NAATI will be explained. Various government departments have been pro-active in developing language services policies which will be highlighted. Efforts to ensure policies are implemented at the grassroots level will be outlined. Attempts to provide language services to our indigenous population will also be discussed. Does this mean that social justice is enjoyed by all? No! What are the barriers we still need to overcome and what are the steps necessary to ensure equity of access becomes a reality for all Australians?
Swartz, D. B. (2002). Developing a training program for staff interpreters. Interpreters are in high demand and short supply. One downfall of working for an agency as an interpreter can be the lack of effective on-the-job training, as well as effective peer counseling and mentoring. This paper examines some of the needs of interpreters in the job setting, as well as preliminary guidelines for establishing an effective training/mentoring program. (79 pages)
Gile, D. (1995). Fidelity assessment in consecutive interpretation: An experiment. Target, 7, 1, 151-164.
Dean, R. K. & Pollard, R. Q. (2001). Application of demand-control theory to Sign Language interpreting: Implications for stress and interpreter training.
Feuerstein, M., T.E. Fitzgerald. 1991. Biomechanical factors affecting upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders in sign language interpreters. Journal of Occupational Medicine 34, 3: 257-264.
Harvey, M., & Gunther, P. (1994). Negative emotional fallout of interpreting for deaf persons. Proceedings of Breakout III: New Traditions. Psychosocial rehabilitation for persons who are deaf and mental ill (pp. 23-28). DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University.
Heller, B., Stansfield, M., Stark, G., & Langholtz, D. (1986). Sign language interpreter stress: An exploratory study. In Proceedings of the 1985 Convention of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association. Little Rock, AK: ADARA.
International bibliography of sign language - interpreting: biomechanical stress.
McIlvaine Parsons, H. (1978). Human factors approach to simultaneous interpretation. In D. Gerver & H. W> Sinaiko (Eds.), Language interpretation and communication (pp. 315-321). New York: Plenum.
Madden, Maree J.The prevalence of occupational overuse syndrome among Australian sign language interpreters. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety: Australia and New Zealand. 11, 3. 257-263.
Moser-Mercer, B., Künzli, A. & Korac, M. (1998). Prolonged turns in interpreting: Effects on quality, physiological and psychological stress (Pilot study). Interpreting 3: 1. 47-64.
Peper, E., & Gibney, K. H. (1999). Psychophysiological basis for discomfort during sign language interpreting. Journal of Interpretation, 11-18.
Podhorodecki A D and Spielholz N I. (1993). Electromyographic study of overuse syndromes in sign language interpreters. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 74 (3): 261-262.
Stauffer, L. K. (1999, June). Leadership burnout. Views, 16, 6. Excerpt: [W]hat causes stress and burnout in leaders, and, more important, how can we prevent it? ... [S]tress occurs when we perceive ourselves as having excessive demnds without the appropriate resources.
Stedt, J. D.
Interpreter's Wrist: Repetitive Stress Injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Sign Language Interpreters. American Annals of the Deaf, 137, 1. 40-43.
Swartz, D. B. Papers. These papers focus on various aspects of stress, burnout, and satisfaction as follows: Job satisfaction, job stress, job burnout, role, venue (situation in which interpreter process occurs), supervision, training, retention, interpersonal relationships, salary/compensation/perks, decision-making, and working conditions.
Vidal, M. (1997, June). New study on fatigue confirms need for working in teams. Views, #14, 6, p. 1, 43-45.
Villeneuve, S. (2001). Closing remarks [of the Critical LInk 3 conference]. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: Community interpreters are the first to be concerned about the development of their profession. They should be present and be partners in decisions that affect their field, whether it be in the development of training programmes or of standards for practice. Critical Link 3 has been an excellent opportunity for us to share our ideas, theories and experience... Throughout the conference, it has been evident that the need for appropriate professional training for community interpreters is now fully recognised. The next step will be the acknowledgement of community interpreters as professionals. As professionals they can then come together to create a united professional body and gain recognition, better working conditions and the ability to make living in the community interpretation field.
Valli, C.
(1990). The nature of a line in ASL poetry. In W. H. Edmondson & F. Karlsson (Eds.), SLR '87: Papers from the Fourth International Symposium on Sign Language Research (pp. 171-182). Lappeenranta, Finland July 15-19, 1987. (International Studies on Sign Language and Communication of the Deaf; 10) Hamburg: Signum.
See Resources for working with Deafblind people - journals.
Baker-Shenk, C. (1985). Characteristics of oppressed and oppressor peoples: Their effect on the interpreting context. In McIntire (Ed). Interpreting: the art of cross-cultural mediation, Proceedings of the 1985 RID Convention. Silver Spring, MD: RID Publications. pp 59-72.
American Annals of the Deaf.
Bar-Tzur, D. Interpreting for culturally diverse settings - Journals. These journals are about Deaf subcultures: African American/Black, Asian American, Christian, Deafblind, Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Transgendered/Intersexed/Questioning, Hispanic/ Latinas/os, Jewish, Member of a less represented religion, Muslim, Native American, Pacific Islander, Physically challenged/ Disabled, Women's movement/ Feminism.
Deaf Weekly is filled with news reports from across the USA and around the world. It covers all kinds of topics, including education, science, business, technology, arts, entertainment and sports. It is mailed free of charge to subscribers every Wednesday morning.
Gallaudet Today.
Info to Go: For and about Deaf and Hard of Hearing people.
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. England.
NTID Focus magazine.
NTID papers & publications - 2000: Culture.
Rutherford, S.
Funny in Deaf - Not in Hearing. Journal of American Folkore, 96, 381. 309 -322.
Swartz, D. B. Cultural Implications of Audiological Deficits on the Homosexual Male. The purpose of this research was to examine differences between normal-hearing, hard-of-hearing, and deaf homosexual males regarding their perceived identity and attitudes within multi-faceted, socio-cultural constraints. Differences with regard to self-perception, identity, and attitudes were noted between groups. Many of these disparities can be attributed to socio-cultural norms, as well as established hierarchies of interpersonal and intrapersonal identity expression, with clear definition along audiological boundaries. It was expected that hearing-impaired individuals from hearing-impaired familial backgrounds would have more positive attitudes and perceptions than hearing individuals from hearing familial backgrounds.
The Live Wire on the Web: Deaf culture.
The Tactile Mind Weekly. Week after week, The Tactile Mind Weekly dishes out signing community wit and wisdom. John Lee Clark, Trudy Suggs, Christopher Jon Heuer, Sara Stallard, Adrean Clark, and Raymond Luczak maintain weekly columns alongside regular appearances by guest writers. This free publication also keeps readers abreast of new The Tactile Mind Press titles. Surrogate formats of our products can be made available for large print and Braille readers. To get items in the format desired, simply order the items and then e-mail us details about your preferences. For large print requests, please specify the font and size of choice.
World Around You: A magazine for Deaf teens.
Downs, S. (2005, July/August). Project ADEPT: Accessible distance education for Postsecondary teaching. Views, 22, 7. pp. 18-19. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, we firmly believe that students' on-line experience must be as accessible as if the student were sitting on campus in a classroom. With the recent advent of two on-line masters degree programs which have attracted many students who are deaf and hard of hearing (Rehabiliation Counseling and Teaching Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing), we faced the challenge of obtaining full accessibility for these courses.
Odyssey features articles about a wide range of issues important to the families of deaf and hard of hearing children and to those of us involved in deaf education.
Baldwin, S. (2003/4, December/January). Of wine and wisdom: A review of Fulton Tontine. NADmag, 3, 5. pp. 22, 24-25. Excerpt: Fulton, Missouri, the location of the Missouri School for the Deaf (MSD), played a significant historical role for the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Perhaps to best understand it is to take a look at America's struggling governmental endeavors.
Deaf History International newsletter.
Gallaudet University Deaf biographies index.
Gannon, J. (2003/4, December/January). The impact of Deaf history on our lives. NADmag, 3, 5. p. 26. This article is a of a keynote speech at the first International Conference on Deaf History, in June 1991.
International bibliography of sign language - deaf history.
Lane, H., Pillard, R. & French, M. (2003/4, December/January). "Them" and "us": Early emergence of U.S. Deaf ethnicity. NADmag, 3, 5. pp 20-21. Roots in the Notheast, Birth of the New England Gallaudet Association, Group consciousness.
Lindquist Bergey, J. (2003/4, December/January). "Action!" for the Deaf Eyes Project. NADmag, 3, 5. pp. 30-31. A major documentary film and a new book are extending the reach of the "History Through Deaf Eyes" exhibition hosted by Gallaudet University and curated by Jack R. Gannon. "Deaf Eyes" aligns nearly 200 years of the history of deaf people with the social history of the United States.
Woodward, J. (1978). "Historical Basis of American Sign Language" in R. Siple (Ed.). Understanding Language Through Sign Language Research. New York: Academic Press.
Burns, T. J. (1999, November). Who needs a Deaf interpreter? I do! Views, 16, 10. p. 7. Excerpt: "It is important to acknowledge from the onset that is the hearing interpreter who needs the services of a Deaf interpreter. ... When teaming with a competent Deaf interpreter, I welcome the opportunity to learn new communication approaches. ... Deaf/hearing team interpreting provides yet another opportunity to level the playing field between our cultures and languages."
Colorado Registry of interpreters for the deaf. (2006, December). RID mentorship grant helps fund deaf interpreter internship/mentorship program. Views, 23, 11. The purpose of the intership/mentorship is two-fold: (1) to allow the newly-trained DIs to gain hands-on experience working in diverse settings with a variety of hearing interpreters and deaf and hearing consumers, and (2) since the use of a DI is still a developing role in Colorado, the internships will hopefully open permanent doors of opportunity for work.
Merkin, L. (2004, July). Deaf Members in Leadership (DML): Representing the Deaf perspective in RID. VIEWS, 21, 7.
Agan, T. (2004, January). HIPAA and the medical interpreter. VIEWS, 21, 1. Excerpt: PL 104-91, commonly referred to as HIPAA (the Heath Insturance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), established safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of health information. ... This article will focus on [privacy], what it entails, and how it applies to and impacts interpreters working in medical settings.
Briskina, G. (1996, March). Understanding the interpreter's role: An analysis of interpreter-mediated doctor/patient communication. 18th annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Chicago, Il.
Cartwright, B. (2005, February). Best practices. Views, 22, 2. p. 16. "I interpreted for a client in a hospital recently and looked at her medical chart. Now, either the client is lying about her condition (which is much more serious than she is letting on) or her doctor hasn't been clear with her, or worse yet, the previous interpreter wasn't clear. To be safe, should I admit I looked at her chart?"
Cumsky Weiss, A. (2003, April). Childbirth: A case for team interpreting. VIEWS, 20, 4. Excerpt: This paper is a recounting, with the parents' permission, of the effectiveness of utilizing a team interpreting approach during childbirth.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing AA 12 Step recovery resources.
Dean, R. K. (2003, January). Training medically qualified interpreters: New approaches, new applications, promising results. Views, 20, 1. pp. 1, 10-12.
DeMatteo, A., Veltri, D., & Lee, S. M. (1986). The role of the sign language interpreter in psychotherapy. In M. McIntire (Ed.) Interpreting: The art of cross-cultural mediation (pp. 183-206). Silver Spring, MD: Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.
Ethics corner. (2004, February). Critical Link, No.2. p. 27. Mental health scenario without solution.
Fleury, F., & Cuha, M. (2001). Behind every word, there are more words that evoke the worst. This is a PDF file, written by spoken language interpreters. Excerpt: [W]e will focus on certain words that are used and which foster a fluidity in language and its comprehension, occasionally to the detriment of exactitude in representing what is taking place. This places a greater emphasis on the meaning than on the representations. Working a posteriori has allowed us to give a new dimension to a so-called mechanical translation.
Fredericks, C. (1998). Using non-professional interpreters in a multiethnic primary care clinic. This is a PDF file, written by spoken language interpreters. Excerpt: In multiethnic countries such as Malaysia more than six different languages are spoken by patients in publicly-funded clinics. Sometimes doctors are unable to speak the patient's language and there are no professional interpreters, Research on doctor-patient communication has rarely included the language variable and its impact on information exchange and patient outcome in such situations. This paper illustrates some of the problems of using untrained interpreters in a primary care setting. Consultations were audio taped and the transcripts were used to show how messages underwent distortion, condensation, and omission in interpreter-mediated consultations.
Gibson, S. (2005, April). VIEWS 22, 4. pp. 1, 16. Excerpt: "In the fall of 2003, I had the opportunity to participate in the research study Mental Health Training for Interpreters using the D-C Schema and Observation-Supervision, created and led by Robyn K. Dean, CI and CT. This reseatch project... studies the effectiveeness of the 'observation-supervision' method for training working interpreters to be maximally effective in mental health service settings."
Haffner, L. (1992). Translation is not enough: Interpreting in a medical setting. Western Journal of medicine, 157, pp. 255-259.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (1998). Ensuring linguistic access in health care settings: An overview of current legal rights and responsibilities. In order to ensure access to care for limited English proficient residents, there are a number of federal and state laws and policies that compel publicly funded health care programs and activities to provide language access. This report focuses on the language access responsibilities of health care and coverage providers pursuant to federal civil rights laws.
Howard, D. Medical interpreting standards of practice. Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association and Education Development Center, Inc.
Info to Go:
-->International bibliography of sign language. --> Click on "D", then on "deaf patients" or "deaf therapists".
Karlin, T. "Umm, the interpreter didn't understand": Interpreting for individuals with thoughts. VIEWS, 20, 4.
Kaufert, J. M. & Putsch, R. W. (1997). Communication through interpreters in healthcare: Ethical Dilemmas arising from difference in class, culture, language, and power. The Journal of Clinical Ethics, 8 (1), pp. 71-87.
NTAC. (2002, May). Cultural Diversity Series: Meeting the mental health needs of persons who are Deaf or alternate site. This is a PDF file.
Roy, G. & Kapoor-Kohli, A. (2001). Beyond words: Bridging the gap. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: We will be dealing with the professional relationship between a social worker and an interpreter and their interactions with people who are emotionally scarred, extremely distressed, and have completely lost their bearings. What are the barriers to overcome in order to reach out to these people and join them in their suffering? How can we create a feeling of trust despite the linguistic, ethnocultural, gender, socio-political, and psychological obstacles? How is it possible for a social worker and an interpreter to join together to help these people take control of their lives despite the vulnerability, culture shock, and fear that they are experiencing? Through psychosocial interventions, we will demonstrate the process used during interviews, which enables us to establish the bond to support them and grasp their innermost feelings. While capturing their spirits, we are able to create some "magical moments" where the client feels free to express himself and gradually regain control over his life.
Rusman, G., Scanlon, J. & Kemp, K. (1977). Medical interpreting for hearing impaired patients. Journal of the American Medical Association 237, 22. pp. 2397-2398.
Swartz, D. B. (1992).
Problematic areas in the implementation of behavioral modification techniques in treating deaf alcoholics. Problems exist in identifying and treating deaf alcoholics and substance abusers. Even once they are identified, there are still problems in effectively applying existing regimens of therapy to this special population. Employing existing behavior modification therapeutic methods in programs geared for the rehabilitation of alcoholics with normal hearing, with only the adjustment of supplying an interpreter for the Deaf, may not be enough. These do not take into account the unique culture of the deaf person, and inherent development idiosyncrasies that may dictate an adaptation of behavior modification.
Therapeutic factors in treatment of deaf children who have suffered from sexual abuse. Problems exist in identifying and treating deaf "survivors" of child sexual abuse. Even once they are identified, there are still problems in effectively applying existing regimens of therapy to this special population. While mainstreaming the deaf person into society seems to be the wave of the future, and there are positive aspects to this, careful consideration, respect, and acknowledgement must be given to the special culture of the deaf person. Employing existing therapeutic methods, with only the adjustment of supplying an interpreter for the Deaf, may not be enough. (19 pp.)
Thress, R. (2005, April). HIPAA and the new rules" Have you signed YOUR contract? Views, 22, 4. pp. 17-18. Excerpt: "A firm grasp of HIPAA's requirements is especially important if you work... in a health care setting. There are rules under which we, as interpreters in a healthcare setting, must perform our duties. To better uderstand HIPAA, it's importnat to take a quick look at HIPAA and then venture into how it directly impacts interpreters and agencies."
Villeneuve, S. (2004, February). The forces at work in a psychotherapeutic relationship that involves interpretation - Part 1. Critical Link, No.2. pp. 14-20. A psychotherapeutic relationship is a relationship between two individuals: a clinician and a patient, both of whom usually speak the same language. However, this duo changes into a trio when the patient is deaf and communicates through sign language and when the therapist does not understand this idiom. In this article, we look at different intervention settings and the characteristics of various psychotherapeutic approaches. We discuss the specificity of clinical work with a deaf person who communicates through an interpreter and the forces that are at work between the individuals participating in this situation. We present an overview of the elements that could potentially damage the therapeutic alliance. Lastly, we address the key points that contribute to its success and that take the reality of the need for a third person into account. This is a downloadable PDF file.
Woloshin, S. and others. (1995, March). Language barriers in medicine in the United States. JAMA, 273 (9), pp. 724-728.
Bennett, D., McEnhill, C., and Gemalsky, L. (1998, January/February). C-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-n-g through interpreters: A skill to be learned. Perspectives in Education and Deafness, 16, 3.
Blaylock, A. (1999, August/September). An unsanctioned approach to inclusion in the elementary setting. VIEWS, pp. 54.
Bowen-Bailey, D.
(1996, March). The challenges of educational interpreting. VIEWS, 9.
Bowers, S. (2004, March). Educational team members roles and expectations. VIEWS, 21, 3.
Compton, M. & Shroyer, E. H. (1997). Educational interpreter preparation and liberal education. Journal of Interpretation.
Ferrell, N. (1997, March). Educational interpreting: Interpreting by objectives. Views, 17, 3.
Hargis, J., Castro, C., Johnson, S., & Pruitt, D. (2003, July). Exposing students to interpreters. Views, 20, 7. Excerpt: The degree to how much a [hearing] student is distracted [by an interpreter] may vary according to age, gender, grade level, background, abilities or interests.
Hayes, P. L. (1992). Educational interpreters for Deaf students: Their responsibilities, problems, and concerns. RID Journal of Interpretation, 5, pp. 5-24.
James, R. (2006, March). Apples for educational interpreters. Views, 23, 8-10. What is the role of an educational interpreters when it comes to the IEP meeting? Are there materials for a young deaf student with no language? How am I evaluated if there is no job description for my position?
Jamieson, J. R., Formal and informal approaches to the language assessment of deaf children. In Marschark, M. & Spencer, P. E. (Eds.), (pp 275-288). New York, Oxfor University Press.
Jones, B. E.
(in press). Competencies of K-12 educational interpreters: What we need versus what we have. In Winston, E. A. (Ed.), Interpreted education: Questions we should be asking. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.
(1999, February). Providing access: "New roles" for educational interpreters. VIEWS.
, Clark, G. M., & Soltz, D. F. (1997). Characteristics and practices of sign language intertpreters in inclusive eucation programs. Exceptional Children, 63 2, pp. 257-268.
King, S. (1997, April). How not to get stale when working as an educational interpreter. Views, 14, 4. p. 34. Excerpt: (1) Join local RID, (2) videotape yourself and critique, (3) find a buddy and critique each other, (4) establish a roundtable, (5) ask school system for training videotapes, (6) ask school system to allow you to orient teaching staff, (7) ask teacher if you can teach some basic signs, (8) get school involved in Deaf Awareness Week, (9) locate summer interpreting with deaf adults, amd (10) ask local ITP to run the Professional Development Endorsement System.
Kischer-Browe, K. (1999, April). The multifaceted role of the interpreter/aide in the public school setting. VIEWS.
Koplitz, D. (2006, January). Letters. Views, 23, 1. 6. This letter is in response to "Overview of the role of educational interpreter," which appeared in the October 2005 issue of VIEWS.
La Bue, M. A. (1995). Language and learning in a deaf education classroom: Practice and paradox. In Lucas, C. (Ed.), Sociolinguistics in Deaf communities, (pp. 164-220). Wshington D. C.: Gallaudet University Press.
McCreery, S., Feldman, K., Donnel, H., & David K. (1999, February). Ethical educational interpreting: Perspectives of multiple team members. VIEWS, pp. 6-7.
McIntire, M. L. & Sanderson, G. R. (1995). Who's in charge here?: Perceptions of empowerment and role in the interpreting setting. Journal of Interpretation.
Mills, J. (1996, March). Educational interpreting at the elementary level. VIEWS.
Patrie, C. J. (1994, February). "Educational interpreting: Who leads the way?" Views, 11, 2.
Ramsey, C. L.
(2000, August). The true confessions of an ex-educational interpreter. Paper presented at the meeting of the National Educational Interpreting Conference, Kansas City, MO.
, Williams, K. & Bolster, L. (1999). Skill levels of educational interpreters working in public schools. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 4, 2, pp. 144-155.
Scheibe, K. & Hoza, J. (1986). Throw it out the window! (The Code of ethics? We don't use that here): Guidelines for educational interpreters. In M.L. McIntire (Ed.), Interpreting: The art of cross cultural mediation, pp. 128-134. Silver Spring, MD: RID Publications.
Schick, B.
(2003). The development of American Sign Language and manually coded English systems. In Marschark, M. & Spencer, P. E. (Eds.), (pp 275-288). New York, Oxfor University Press.
Seal, B. C.
(1997, April). Interpreting in kindergarten: A single-subject research design. Views, 14, 4. Excerpt: Single-subject research enables questions about dependent variables (the student's learning, grades, communication with others, as examples) to be answered before, during or after the independent variables (the presence of the interpreter, the nature of interpreting, the frequency of interpreting, as examples) are manipulated. Questions about the effectiveness or approriateness of an interpreter for young children lend themselves well to single-subject research.
Siple, L. A. Working with the Sign Language interpreter in your classroom.
Thomas, C. (2003, November). Educational interpreting: Interpreting by objectives. Views, 20 , 10.
Warford, P. (2006, May). Certification requirements and employment and safety standards in K-12 education. Views, 23, 5. 26-27, 29, 46.
Wasson, K. (2001, March). Educational interpreters and IEP's: Some guidelines. VIEWS.
Winston, E. A.
(In press). Interpreted education, classrooms and teachers. In Winston, E. A. (Ed.), Interpreted education: Questions we should be asking. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.
(2004, March). Interpreted education: Is this good enough for your child?. VIEWS, 21, 3. Excerpt: Without adequate language skills in either sign language or English, [deaf students] are expected to master both, at the same time, while also learning content, and all too often, through a less than adequate interpreter.
(1998, February). Ethics in educational interpreting. VIEWS.
(1994). An interpreted education: Inclusion or exclusion. In Johnson, R. C. & Cohen, O. P. (Eds.), Implications and complications for deaf students of the full inclusion movement. Gallaudet Research Institute Occasional Paper 94-2. Washington, D. C.: Gallaudet University.
(1990). Mainstream interpreting: An analysis of the task. In Swabey, L. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Eighth National Convention, Conference of Interpreter Trainers 1990. CIT Publication.
Yarger, C. C. (2001). Educational interpreting: Understanding the rural experience. American Annals of the Deaf, 146, 1, pp. 16-30.
Zalar, L. (2001, February). Educational interpreters: What to do during downtime? VIEWS.
Blaylock, A. (1999, August/September). An unsanctioned approach to inclusion in the elementary setting. VIEWS, p. 54.
Bowen-Bailey, D.
(1996, March). The challenges of educational interpreting. VIEWS, 9.
Compton, M. & Shroyer, E. H. (1997). Educational interpreter preparation and liberal education. Journal of Interpretation.
Dean, R. & Pollard, R. (2004, October). A practice-profession model of ethical reasoning. Views, 21, 9. pp. 1, 28-29. Excerpt: "... [I]nterpreting is a 'practice profession', like medicine or law enforcement, where academic preparation and skills development precede a career in human service... The ubiquitous 'it depends' response... fails to offer generalizable rules that the student or mentee can apply to their reasoning and decision-making in future interpreting situations. Other practice professionals realize there are many possible appropriate responses to a given work situation. They are taught not only to expect variability in practice circumstances, but to carefully consider the implications of all all the different ways they might respond."
Dear Best Practices. (2006, January). Views, 23, 1. 31. "A student with Tourette's syndrome... will frequently make inappropriate/obscene outbursts. The interpreter signs all the outbursts [to the Deaf instructor] and the student has filed a complaint with our office that such makes him uncomfortable. He says that the outbursts have nothing to do with the subject being discussed. I'm wondering where this falls in your ethical guidelines?"
Ethics corner. (2004, February). Critical Link, No.2. p. 27. Mental health scenario without solution.
Hayes, L. P. (1992). Educational interpreters for Deaf students: Their responsibilities, problems, and concerns. Journal of Interpretation.
International bibliography of sign language - interpreting: ethics.
Jones, B. E. (1999, February). Providing access: "New roles" for educational interpreters. VIEWS.
McCreery, S., Feldman, K., Donnel, H., & David K. (1999, February). Ethical educational interpreting: Perspectives of multiple team members. VIEWS.
McIntire, M. L. & Sanderson, G. R. (1995). Who's in charge here?: Perceptions of empowerment and role in the interpreting setting. Journal of Interpretation.
Mills, J. (1996, March). Educational interpreting at the elementary level. VIEWS.
Scheibe, K. & Hoza, J. (1986). Throw it out the window! (The Code of ethics? We don't use that here): Guidelines for educational interpreters. In M.L. McIntire (Ed.), Interpreting: The art of cross cultural mediation pp. 128-134. Silver Spring, MD: RID Publications.
Schroeder, A. (1999, November). Neutrality and interacting with hearing consumers in interpreting situations. VIEWS. pp. 10, 26. Excerpt: "[A]ny time we're not neutral we should examine why we're not, and decide if it was the most appropriate and professional behavior. We need to be aware of how our actions, even seemingly innocent or positive actions, can color people's views of us and by extension, color their view of the deaf consumer."
Seal, B. C. (2000, November). Excerpts from Educational Interpreting in the 21st Century. VIEWS.
Stager Murosky, K. (2004, February). The missing ethic. Views, 21, 2. Excerpt: There are many organizations that have within their codes an ethic of being respectful to one's colleagues. ... If an overt ethical standard was established to promote professional collegiality, then perhaps all interpreters would take their interactions more seriously or with more thought and conduct themselves in a manner befitting our vocation.
Winston, E. A. (1998, February). Ethics in educational interpreting. VIEWS.
Wasson, K. (2001, March). Educational interpreters and IEP's: Some guidelines. VIEWS.
Zalar, L. (2001, February). Educational interpreters: What to do during downtime? VIEWS.
Bélanger, D-C. (2004). Interactional patterns in dialogue-interpreting. Journal of Interpretation, 1-18. "Our findings highlight two features specific to the interactionist framework... 1) the communicative context is a trilogue rather than a dialogue, within which we find six different interactional patterns; and 2) interactional patterns that vary in nature and purpose can overlap."
CIRIN: An international information network on conference interpreting research (CIR).
Communicate! AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence) Newsletter.
Critical Link. A bilingual Critical Link journal is published with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, edited by Diana Abraham. The aim of the journal is to connect community interpreters throughout Canada and the world, to share information, raise issues and stay informed.
Gordon, P. (2003, January). Life in the fast lane: Analyzing an interpreteing assignment. Views, 20, 1. p. 8. Excerpt: "Yes, the speaker's pace was rapid. I, too, felt challenged by his speed, but I also knew that I was using some specific tools for managing the interpretins task. Rather than relying on a literal interpretation as a way to manage the the task, discourse and text analysis allowed me to make decisions about the most effective way to interpret the speaker's message."
Index to interpreting periodicals, newsletters, proceedings and other related materials. Serchable data base.
International bibliography of sign language - Signed English.
Interpreter training resources.
Interpreting: International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting.
LeMoine Wright, R. (2006, October). Embracing feedback: The risks and rewards of rose-colored glasses. Views, 23, 9. After three years of interpreting, I now avoid working with uncooperative and/or narcissistic interpreters. As Mark Twain put it, learning is "that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge."
Moose, C. (2006, July/August). Title. Views, 23, 7. 14&50. Whenever you volunteer your time and energy, whether it's writing a newsletter article for your affiliate chapter or Views, mentoring an interpreter training program student, or even running for a position on a board of directors, you are indirectly helping yourself. [11 ways are listed.]
Nettles, C. (2006, March). National supply and demand of interpreters to be quantified: CSUN awarded firt RID research grant. VIEWS, 23, 24, 25, 35. The research plan is to (1) document the shortages reported by institutions and agencies, (2) determine levels of certification/skills of interpreters and/or situations that are experiencing higher demand, (3) identify supply-side issues, and (4) explore factors contributing to interpreter retention and attrition in the field.
NTID papers & publications - 2000: Communication & language.
Seal, B. C. (2004). Psychological Testing of Sign Language Interpreters. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Volume 9, Number 1, pp. 39-52 (14). Oxford University Press. Abstract: Twenty-eight sign language interpreters participated in a battery of tests to determine if a profile of cognitive, motor, attention, and personality attributes might distinguish them as a group and at different credential levels. Eight interpreters held Level II and nine held Level III Virginia Quality Assurance Screenings (VQAS); the other 11 held Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification. Six formal tests, the Quick Neurological Screening Test-II, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, the Test of Visual-Motor Skills (TVMS), the d2 Test of Attention, the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test, and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), were administered to the interpreters. Average scores were high on most of the tests; differences across the three groups were not statistically significant. Results from only one test, the d2 Test of Attention, were significantly correlated with interpreter level. Comparisons between educational and community interpreters also revealed no differences. Personality traits were widely distributed, but one trait, abstract reasoning, tested extremely high in 18 interpreters. Discussion of the potential implications of these results, particularly for educational interpreters, is offered.
Shyr, M. (2001). Opening remarks [of the Critical Link 3 conference]. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: The complexity of community interpretation is always challenging. This is particularly so when one must take into account radically different cultures and highly dissimilar values and social systems. For example, must one attempt to, and how can one, transmit the ambiguity of Asian speech when interpreting towards a Western language that is much more direct without betraying the spirit of the meaning when one language uses a high degree of ambiguity and the other more direct? Interpreters are the links that transform cultural differences into solidarity. They are also the bridges that allow communities to come together and communicate harmoniously.
The Signers' Network - deafness-related publication. To receive a sample copy, send your name and address and specify SN at: .
Stauffer, L. K. (1999, June). Leadership burnout. Views, 16, 6, pp. 1, 13. Excerpt: [W]hat causes stress and burnout in leaders, and, more important, how can we prevent it? ... [S]tress occurs when we perceive ourselves as having excessive demnds without the appropriate resources.
Swartz, D. B. Bidding & Winning Government Contracts. As our professional becomes more sophisticated, we are now faced with more refined methods in scoping out RFQs/RFPs, and placing bids on the same. Initially, government agencies simply issued elementary RFQs/RFPs with little thought to the actual competitive bidding process, and little inclusion of facets governing the actual process of interpretation delivery and quality of the same. Today, government agencies, both state and federal, have “come of age,” and are demanding strict adherence to elaborate “Scopes of Work” in their RFQs/RFPs. It is prudent for interpreters in private practice, and agencies who secure interpreting work for their agencies/employees, to better understand the process of bidding.
Translation Journal.
Yanis, W. (1999, June). Four basic questions to ask yourself for earning more CEUs. Views, 16, 6. Excerpt: (1) Are you teaching any academic courses/ classes? (2) Are you mentoring, either as a mentor or a mentee? (3) Are you attending any in-service training for your company, school, or organization? (4) Are you attending any adult education courses in the upcoming future?
Bailey, J. (2006, December). A pictorial history of interpreting: A work in progress. Views, 23, 11. 1, 8. I have become enmeshed in a new project -- to create a pictorial history of the interpreting profession. Look in those old boxes in the basement; reach for that file on the top shelf of your closet and let's pull together a collective history that we can leave as a legacy to the field.
Cambridge, J. (2003, January). "Help! This client doesn't speak English." Working effectively through an interpreter. Critical Link, No.1. pp. 37-42. For several years now I have been running one-day courses aimed at public service providers, to encourage them to use professional interpreters, by explaining the issues involved 6 and giving them hands-on experience of working across language and culture with a trained professional. This is a downloadable PDF file.
Carberg, PJ. (2006, July/August). Big agency versus big bucks. Views, 23, 7. 16-17. A person who is weighing the decision whether to work independently or to work for an agency should consider several things: Are you good at following through? How much are you really making? Will you get the support you need for your skills to improve? To decide which agencies to work for as staff, consider: Do the agencies take taxes out of your pay? Does one agency offer more work hours than another? Do the agencies reimburse for travel expenses? Does the agency with the higher salary have as many employee benefits? Is one agency asking you to sign a contract that makes you feel uncomfortable? Does the agency with the higher salary offer as much support staff as the other agencies? How long as the agency been in business? What is the work environment like at each agency? Does on agency have more opportunites for advancement than the others? [Webmaster: All of these questions are expanded on.]
Carlson, K. (2006, October). Abundant choices in a growing profession. Views, 23, 9. What type of work do I want to do? Opportunities for part-time and full-time employment have expanded from mostly academic and non-profit work to include specialized settings, such as hospitals and courts, businesses (as companies hire and promote Deaf professionals), communities (as staff of interpreting agencies), and, of course, the world of video interpreting.
Evans, D. N. (2006, December). If language is power, why aren't we using ours? Views, 23, 11. 9, 14. If we view the field of interpreting as a practice profession, the terminology we use to reflect our profession ought to appropriately describe our work, especially to those who are unfamiliar with what we do. Terminology employed by other practice professionsincludes community-based, independent contractor, practitioner, and private practice.
Fanny H. Lang: Obituary (2006, January). Views, 23, 1. 27.
Frasu, A. (year, month). How interpreters can market themselves professionally. Views, 23, 11. 10-11. Given the high demand for services and the short supply of service providers, it seems that employment opportunites abound for professional ASL-English interpreters and translators. However consumers' expectations and employers' requirements are also changing with the times., and interpreters need to consciously market themselves as dynamic candidates in the business world.
Hains, J. (2006, October). Welcome to the working world: A guide for recent graduates. Views, 23, 9. 1, 5. You have just walked across the stage and received your degree to become a sign language interpreter, but are you ready? Truth be known, many students who graduate from interpreter training programs (ITPs) are afraid to step into the real world to jumpstart their careers.
Humphreys, L. (2006, July/August). Interpreters" Learn the rules! VRS companies: Play nice! Views, 23, 7. 10-11. Background investigations; employment applications, agreements, and contracts; learn the rules and play nice.
Wiesman, L. (2006, July/August). Rate yourself! Views, 23, 7. 12-13 & 34. Undercutting, define the competition, setting rates (finding out what others charge, calculate overhead, calculate the percentage of profit you would like to earn), supply and demand,
Dean, R. K. & Pollard, R. Q. (2001). Application of demand-control theory to Sign Language interpreting: Implications for stress and interpreter training.
Gamal, M. Y. (1998). Teaching interpreting at a technical college: The Granville experience. This paper can be seen in .html, PDF, or word document formats, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: The Granville College of TAFE (Technical and Further Education) is situated in Granville, a suburb in western Sydney with a high concentration of Arab migrants. It began offering courses in community interpreting in mid 1996. The college also offers other interpreting courses in Turkish and Farsi. Training in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese is offered at other TAFE colleges. The courses cater for the high demand for interpreters to assist migrants in the traditional areas of welfare, legal and health settings. The present study examines some aspects of interpreter training which are different from those commonly encountered in conference interpreter training. It also focuses on non-European languages in migrant communities.
Hoza, J. (1998, July), A survey of Baccalaureate degree programs in ASL/English interpretation. CIT News. 18, 3. pp. 11-12.
International bibliography of sign language - interpreting: theory, methodology.
Roy, C. "Evaluating Performance: An Interpreted Lecture." In M. McIntire (ed.), New Dimensions in Interpreter Education: Curriculum and Instruction, Proceedings of the Sixth National Conference of Interpreter Educators. Rockville, MD: RID Publications, (1987): pp. 7-12
Séro-Guillaume, P. (2001). Sign Language interpreting. A PDF file. Excerpt: Since the early 1980's French Sign Language (LSF) interpreters intervene in many new areas, for example theatre performances and conferences, or assisting deaf students attending secondary school and university courses. Meanwhile, LSF interpreters continue to work in many social domains. In both cases, interpretation is a decisive factor in the social integration of the deaf person. However, there is a gap between the bilingual French - French Sign Language deaf student, well integrated into the community, and a deaf person with little or no education, or no language skills at all. It is not just a question of linguistics. The interpreter must be able to convey meaning without reference to a language, adapt to the audience and to the context, assist the speaker in adapting to the context, and evaluate the intercultural and social scope of the interpretation. These elements constitute the basis of the interpreter training programme.
Zhong, W. (2003, July). Memory training in interpreting. Translation Journal, 7, 3.
Bozeman, L. K. (2000, January). [Kentucky] Licensure: A process in collaboration and consensus building. Views, 17, 1. pp. 12-13.
Chaillie, C. (2000, January). State [of Arizona] legislation for interpreters. Views, 17, 1. pp. 1, 6.
Flores, K. L. (2000, January). Michigan's road towards licensure. Views, 17, 1. p. 11. Michigan is one of the few states with laws that provide coverage where the federal laws cease. This is part of the reason it has been so difficult to enact legislation that would require interpreters to be licensed.
Hauser, P. A. & Sewell, J. (2005, May). Interpreter and transliterator licensing in North Carolina: A history and update. Views, 22, 5. p. 17.
Moose, C. (2000, January). Illinois legislation. Views, 17, 1. p. 10. Interpreters for the Deaf Act is summarized and analyzed.
Pareja, S. M. (2005, May). Requiring quality: The push for legislation. Views, 22, 5. pp. 1, 20. Excerpt: "We all have the right to receive proof of... qualifications from our doctors and lawyers, but most times we trust that they are in their positions because they are qualified. Unfortunately, this system is not required of interpreters in all states. In this article, I wish to address interpreters in those states which do not have licensure requirements for interpreter for the deaf." Webmaster: This also deals briefly with what has transpired in Florida, but is of general interest.
Parmir, J. (2000, January). Ohio licensure update. Views, 17, 1. p. 15.
Potter-Maxwell, K. (2000, January). The status of licensure in Iowa: Licensure for interpreters looms on the horizon. Views, 17, 1. p. 16.
Scoggins, B. B. & Parker, D. (2000, January). the birth of licensure in Kentucky: Another perspective. Views, 17, 1. p. 13.
Andrews, J. F. (2006, May). The Deaf suspect/defendant and the Bill of Rights. Views, 23, 5. 1, 7-9, 31. The challenge for legal interpreters; who is the deaf semilingual individual?, legal interpreting considerations, legal documents: legal register and discourse, syntactic and discourse complexities, recommendations for legal interpreters, references.
de Mas, S. (2001). U.K. the EU, translation, interpreting and legal rights: The law and reality. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: Fair Trial Abroad is a European NGO concerned with citizens' rights to justice when outside their own country. Our concerns are not theoretical, but the practical enforcement of fundamental rights in police stations and courts throughout the world in accordance with international law. ... interpreting and translation are... crucial tools for the protection of legal rights and civil liberties. But does the average non-native speaking citizen benefit?
Fields, W. H. (1998, July). Ethics anbd legal consequences: Where the Code and the law collide. Views, 15, 7. Excerpt: Suppose an interpreter facilitating communication in a hospital emergency room between a couple with a child and hospital staff realized this was the fourth time in recent months she had interpreted for this couple in a different emergency room. Suppose further that the interpreter was positive that child abuse had occurred. What action should the interpreter take?
Fowler, Y. (1998). No role plays please-We're British: Devising workshops on working through an interpreter for police, social workers and probation officers. This paper can be seen in .html, PDF, or word document formats, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: This paper describes some of the difficulties faced in enabling public service organizations to recognize their responsiblities when working through an interpreter. It highlights the crucial communicative role played by the Service Provider, and urges a process model of in-service training. While recognizing that Police Officers, Social Workers and Probation Officers are all working in different environments and may have conflicting agendas, the model can be adapted to suit each context provided that five main principles are observed. The five principles are described, as is the format for putting them into practice. Service Provider responses to the activities are summarized. The paper concludes that becoming skilled in providing a service to non-English speaking service users is to provide a better service to all, whether English speaking or not.
Guilbride, S. (2004, February). A day in the life of a court interpreter. Critical Link, No.2. pp. 7-11. "8:00 a.m. As I get dressed for work and make breakfast, I think about the possible drug-related vocabulary that could come up in today's all-day drugtrafficking case, which promises to be challenging..." This is a downloadable PDF file.
Hale, S.
(1997). "Excuse me, the interpreter wants to speak" - Interpreter interruptions in the courtroom: Why do interpreters interrupt and what are the consequences? This is a PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: When interpreters interrupt proceedings they move away from their strict role as mouthpiece and become active participants. Knowing when and how to interrupt proceedings is a very difficult decision for interpreters, as any interruption will inevitably have ramifications on the case. This paper will present the results of a study on interpreter interruptions based on 17 Local Court Hearings in New South Wales, Australia. It was found that interpreters interrupt for a variety of reasons: to ask for clarification of a question or an answer, to correct a question when it is an obvious unintentional mistake, to finish interpreting a previous, interrupted utterance, to provide unsolicited information, to offer a personal opinion, or to protest to the Bench. The study found that very few interruptions were justifiable, although some were well intentioned. This paper will explore the reasons behind each interruption and discuss their consequences.
International bibliography of sign language - interpreting in court.
Jones, D. (1998, July). Excerpt: Holding your own in a legal deposition. Views, 15, 7. pp. 1, 12-13. This article is devoted to empowering interpreters and providing a number of tips and strategies to assist interpreters in participating fully and equally during legal depositions and to insure an accurate record is preserved.
Language in the Judicial Process.
Mathers, C. (2004, August/September). Responding to subpoenas. Views, 21, 8. pp. 1, 24-25. Excerpt: A number of issues face the interpreter who receives a subpoena to testify in court about a prior interpreted assignment. Foremost, there is the concern for confidentiality of interpreted assignments, and the knowledge that the interpreter who is asked to divulge assingment-related information is being commanded to breach this important ethical tenet. As well, most interpreters are not seasoned witnesses and the thought of testifying in any caise is disconcerting. The following discussion should allay some of the concerns and provide a roadmap for the interpreter who recieves a subpoena.
Milton, J. & de Sena Franca, L. H. (2001). The selection and training of interpreters in the community at the Catholic University, São Paulo. This is a PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: As in most developing countries, the profession of a community interpreter as such does not exist in Brazil. Sworn translators may be called to act in legal situations, or representatives of the community of friends or family "who speak the language" unofficially play the role of the community interpreter. Rather than speaking of community interpreters as such, we perhaps should think of interpreters involved in the community, their work and training not being restricted to simultaneous booth work. Nowhere should this be more so than the Catholic University São Paulo (PUC), one of the homes of Brazilian Liberation Theology, which has a strong tradition of working for and with poorer communities. This paper examines how elements of community interpreting are present in the PUC Interpretation course, the first university course in Brazil specifically designed to train interpreters, set up in March 1999.
Nagao, H. (2001). Working conditions of court interpreters in Japan. This is a PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: Along with the dramatic influx of foreigners into Japan, the number of criminal cases requiring court interpreters has increased in the past decade. Naturally, demands for interpreters of various languages became urgent. However, a lack of understanding and the absence of a training system for court interpreters have placed physical and psychological burdens on the interpreters. In 1992, the Japan Judicial Interpreters' Association was organized by several court interpreters in Osaka who created a communication network among isolated court interpreters for the exchange of information and for self training with the co-operation of lawyers, and won mass media support. This movement has placed pressure on the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court and succeeded in gaining understanding of the authorities. As a result, the working conditions of the court interpreters are greatly improving.
Petterson. A. (2004, May). From certified to legally qualified interpreter: Taking the first steps. Views, 21, 5. Excerpt: Our plan was to familiarize the participants with the legal system in general, including its historical basis, sources of laws, and culture, then move to the practical knowledge interpreters need in order to negotiate the legal process. Our goal was to reduce the intimidation factor of legal proceedings by allowing the participants to learn about them in a safe environment.
Potterveld. T.
(2004, May). Interpreters as joint agents. Views, 21, 5. Excerpt: In the American judicial system, testimony is considered hearsay if "a witness relates, not what he knows personally, but what others have told him" [Black's Law dictionary]. The officer had no way of knowing if the information voiced by the interpreter was an accurate interpretation of the Deaf person's statement. ... There is an exception to the hearsay rule that deals with this dilemma called 'joint agency' which is codified under the Federal Rule of EVIDENCE 801 (D)(2). interpreter misconceptions.
Proteus, the NAJIT (National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators) Newsletter.
Terhune, K. L. (2004-2005, December/January). Deaf criminal defendatns: Is the System just? NADmag, 4, 5. pp. 20-21. A historical perspective; Constitutional protections, Protections from 1960-1970, Subsequent to the passage of Section 504, The effect of the ADA, Real-life experiences, Proposed revisions.
Turner, M. (Summer 1998). Moshe Dayan used to live in Zahala. This article shows violations of neturality in an English-Hebrew court setting, but is of interest for non-court interpreters.
Vernon, M. (2005, Summer). Obstacles faced by Deaf people in the criminal justice system. American Annals of the Deaf, 150, 3, 283-291. Deaf people, especially those who are not well educated, are at risk for serious injustices when they enter the criminal justice system. The present study describes these risks at all stages of the legal process, including arrest, trial, probation, prison, and parole. These dangers are greatest for those who are poorly educated, read at a fourth-grade level or lower, have poor communication skills (American Sign Language and English), and lack awareness of their legal rights. Primitive personality disorder (PPD) is the term mental health professionals use to describe this set of characteristics. The risks that the segment of the deaf population with PPD faces when its members run afoul of the law are described, a case history provided, and some relevant legal and interpreting issues are discussed. A case is made for applying the concept of linguistic incompetence to deaf individuals with PPD.
Villarreal, Y. (2001). A quest for the professionalization of the Chicago Area court interpreters. A PDF file, written by a spoken language interpreter. Excerpt: The Chicago area court interpreters certification project has not been an easy one. The fear of being saddled with unfamiliar standards posed a threat on our already comfortable and established system. Administrators only knew that the court interpreters were getting the work done. Academia knew nothing about court interpreting and very little about the needs of the community for such professionals. With this background, we looked to the certification project as a guiding light. It had literally taken years to have court interpreters and court administrators consider the court interpreters' certification programme. That is why it is imperative that any policy for offering the certification exams include in the negotiations the members who ultimately will be responsible for offering the certification in any given state. If not done, the objective, which is to certify court interpreters, is not accomplished and this will only be one more exam without much meaning.
Villeneuve, S. (2003, January). Summary of the VIth International Forum on Certified Translation and Legal Interpretation. Critical Link, No.1. pp. 37-42. In June 2002, I spent three, very full days in Paris at a conference on translation and interpretation, offered under the auspices of UNESCO. The fact that there were more presentations on interpretation than on translation suited most of the participants just fine. Forty presenters from 19 different countries provided an overview of events in the world of legal translation and interpretation, both oral and visual. 4 Sub-themes included recognition of the professional status of interpreters who do court work, and training and preparation. This article begins with a description of the main challenges reported by legal interpreters, then describes the solutions they propose. It concludes with a brief description of working conditions in some of the countries that were represented at the conference. This is a downloadable PDF file.
See Interpreting for culturally diverse settings - journals.
Boothroyd, A. (1988). The perception of speech by children with hearing loss. In A. Weisel (Ed.), Issues unresolved: New perspectives on language and deaf education, pp. 103-116.
Connor, C. M., Hieber, S., Arts, H. A., & Zwolan, T. A. (2000). Speech, vocabulary, and the education of children using cochlear implants: Oral or total communication? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 43, pp. 1185-1204.
HOH-LD News focuses on hard-of-hearing, late-deafened, and oral-deaf people. Send e-mail to: . You can also access the archives at hearinglossweb.com.
Newman, W. (2006, July/August). Portfolio development: Preparing for NAD-RID certification without a post-secondary degree. Views, 23, 7. 18-19. Are you an interpreter with less than two years of post-secondary education? Do you have abilities, knowledge, and skills acquired outside a traditional classroom? Have you been working as an interpreter for five or more years? Did you know that you can earn up to 30 college credits for live-long learning? The portfolio is an organized collection of documents and artifacts of your experiential learning or life-long learning.
Bar-Tzur, D. Interpreting for religious/spiritual topics
Gerver, D. (1974). The effects of noise on the performance of simultaneous interpretation: An experiment. Acta Psychologica, 38, 159-167.
McIlvaine Parsons, H. (1978). Human factors approach to simultaneous interpreting. In D. Gerver and H. W. Sinaiko, eds. Language interpretation and communication (pp. 315-321). New York: Plenum.
Cumsky Weiss, A. (2003, April). Childbirth: A case for team interpreting. VIEWS, 20, 4. Excerpt: This paper is a recounting, with the parents' permission, of the effectiveness of utilizing a team interpreting approach during childbirth.
McIlvaine Parsons, H. (1978). Human factors approach to simultaneous interpretation. In D. Gerver & H. W> Sinaiko (Eds.), Language interpretation anbdcommunication (pp. 315-321). New York: Plenum.
Tinsley, K. A. (2003, March). Teaming in the public schools. Views, 20, 3. Discusses why teaming is important and the impact of teaming on the school district, the interpreter, the student, teachers and the classroom.
Vidal, M. (1997, June). New study on fatigue confirms need for working in teams. Views, 14, 6. pp. 1, 43-45. Excerpt: "The increase in the number of meaning errors combined with the interpreters' lack of awareness of this drastic decrease in quality shed some light on the validity of interpreters' judgment of their own output quality [...] This lack of judgment appears to be the result of cognitive overload: a situation in which the interpreter tries to economize on processing capacity and allocate resources only to those parts of the interpreting process that will ensure continuous ouput (irrespective of the quality provided)."
Cerney, B. (2005, February). What's in a name?. Views, 22, 2. pp. 14, 28. A defense of why RID continues to certify transliterators as well as interpreters.
Fleury, F., & Cuha, M. (2001). Behind every word, there are more words that evoke the worst. This is a PDF file, written by spoken language interpreters. Excerpt: [W]e will focus on certain words that are used and which foster a fluidity in language and its comprehension, occasionally to the detriment of exactitude in representing what is taking place. This places a greater emphasis on the meaning than on the representations. Working a posteriori has allowed us to give a new dimension to a so-called mechanical translation.
Marmor, G., & Petitto, L. (1979). Simultaneous communication in the classroom: How well is English grammar represented? Sign Language Studies, 23, pp. 99-136.
Schick, B. (2003). The development of American Sign Language and manually coded English systems. In Marschark, M. & Spencer, P. E. (Eds.), (pp. 275-288). New York, Oxfor University Press.
Stack, K. (In press). Language accessibility in a transliterated education: English signing sytems. In Winston, E. A. (Ed.), Interpreted education: Questions we should be asking. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press.
Wilbur, R. B. (2003). Modality and the structure of language: Signed languages versus signed systems. In Marschark, M. & Spencer, P. E. (Eds.), (pp 275-288). New York, Oxfor University Press.
Winston, E. (1989). Transliteration: What's the message? Found in, C. Lucas. Ed. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
(2003, October). Comments by RID to the Federal Communications Commission. Views, 20, 9. This letter delineates why video relay opperators must be highly skilled.
Darden, V. (2004, August/September). Update from the RID Video Interpreting Committee. Views, 21, 8. pp. 6-7. What is video interpreting? The current committe. Our work thus far.
Downs, S. (2005, July/August). Project ADEPT: Accessible distance education for Postsecondary teaching. Views, 22, 7. pp. 18-19. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, we firmly believe that students' on-line experience must be as accessible as if the student were sitting on campus in a classroom. With the recent advent of two on-line masters degree programs which have attracted many students who are deaf and hard of hearing (Rehabiliation Counseling and Teaching Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing), we faced the challenge of obtaining full accessibility for these courses.
Gracia-García, R. A. TELEPHONE INTERPRETING: A REVIEW OF PROS AND CONS.
Humphreys, L. (2006, July/August). Interpreters" Learn the rules! VRS companies: Play nice! Views, 23, 7. 10-11. Background investigations; employment applications, agreements, and contracts; learn the rules and play nice.
Lightfoot, M. H. (2006, June). Video remote interpreting. Views, 23, 6. 1, 7, 30. The good thing about VRI is that there are no federal regulations to mandate its use. The challenging thing about it, however, is that there are no professional guidelines for this type of interpreting either.
Moose, C. (2005, February). Continuing education: Earning CEUs while attending job-related trainings. Views, 22, 2. pp. 1, 13. Excerpt: The Professional Development Committee of the RID found a dramatic increase in the number of job-related trainings being awarded CEUs during the 2004 audit. These are not counted if they are an essential function of the member's job. Upon completion of the review, the PDC recommended to CMP sponsors the following criteria be applied to VI training for VRS/VRI.
Swaney, I. (Spring 1997) Thoughts on live vs. telephone and video interpretation.
Terrio, S. (2006, June). Video remote interpreting. Views, 23, 6. 24-25. What is video phone interpreting?, the level of intimacy, skills boosting.