The Interprechaun!

A Practical Approach to Subtitling – a workshop with Dr Jorge Díaz-Cintas

2011-08-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

ITIA CPD Event 17 September 2011

A Practical Approach to Subtitling – a workshop with Dr Jorge Díaz-Cintas

Part 1: 11 am -12.30 pm and 12.45 pm to 2.15 pm
General Introduction to Audiovisual Translation and Subtitling

This session will start by offering an overview of the different types of translation that take
place in the audiovisual world, including accessibility to the media (i.e. subtitling for the
deaf and the hard-of-hearing and audio description for the blind and the partially sighted),
and will centre later on subtitling.

A definition of this professional practice will be offered as well as a survey of the different
types of subtitles in existence. The semiotics of subtitling, that is, the interaction between
text and images will be discussed and participants will learn about some of the issues that
constraint this particular form of translation.

We will then take a look at the different conventions applied in what is considered standard
practice in interlingual subtitling, and examples of strategies such as segmentation,
condensation and reformulation will be offered.

Towards the end of the session, there will be time for discussion regarding the changes
taking place in the professional world and the new audiovisual translation practices that are
cropping up in the market.

Part 2: 3.15 pm to 5.15 pm
The technical dimension of subtitling

This session centres on the technical dimension of subtitling, paying special attention to the
space and time constraints that define it. The different tasks pertaining to subtitling will be
illustrated, including spotting or cueing (i.e. deciding the in and out times of the different
subtitles) according to the limitations imposed by the medium. Concepts like safe area and
proportional lettering will also be covered.

During this session, a professional subtitling program will be demonstrated so that
participants can learn how the technical and technological dimensions of subtitling
impinge on the actual written result. An insight into the working environment will also be
presented and some time will be left at the end for questions.

A list of useful websites and other sources of information will be given to all the
participants.

Date/venue: Saturday, 17 September 2011, 11 am to 5.15 pm.
At the Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Cost: €35 ITIA members (and members of other FIT associations); €45 nonmembers; €15 students/concession.

For further details please contact Annette at: cpd.itia@gmail.com

IRISH TRANSLATORS’ AND INTERPRETERS’ ASSOCIATION

CUMANN AISTRITHEOIRÍ AGUS TEANGAIRÍ NA HÉIREANN

Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association (ITIA), 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland

T: +353 87 6738386; F: +353 1 8726282;

E: itiasecretary@gmail.com ; www.translatorsassociation.ie

Translations, Perversions, Appropriations & Inventions

2011-08-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

Translations, Perversions, Appropriations & Inventions

a reading by Trevor Joyce

Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

7.30 pm – admission free – all welcome

To mark International Translation Day 2011, the Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association, in
conjunction with the Irish Writers’ Centre, is proud to welcome Trevor Joyce, who will read from his
translations from Middle Irish, Chinese, and from the Hungarian, Turkic and Finno-Ugric languages, as
well as his own original work.

Born in Dublin, in 1947, Trevor Joyce was brought up between Mary Street, in the city centre,
and the Galway Gaeltacht. Aged 19, he co-founded New Writers' Press in Dublin with Michael Smith.
Joyce was also a founding editor of NWP's influential journal, The Lace Curtain. By the mid-’70s he had
largely withdrawn from the Press to develop his own poetry down less familiar and frequented routes.
In Dublin and Oxford, in the early ’80s, he conducted seminars and lectured on classical Chinese
poetry, and visited the People's Republic of China as a poet at the invitation of the Chinese government in
1983. Having read Philosophy and English at UCD, he moved to Cork where he read Mathematical
Sciences in UCC. He worked for twelve years as a Business Systems Analyst with Apple Computer at their
European manufacturing facility in Cork, but since January 2000 has been a full-time writer.
Joyce has published eleven volumes of poetry, including The Poems of Sweeny Peregrine (1976), his
working of the middle-Irish Buile Suibhne, and stone floods (1995), which was nominated for the Irish Times
Literature Prize for Poetry. All these books have come through small presses, where openness to invention
compensates for lack of publicity, wide distribution or commercial promotion.

His most recent publications are with the first dream of fire they hunt the cold: A Body of Work 1966–
2000 (NWP & Shearsman Books, 2001; 2nd edition 2003), a large collection from Toronto publisher The
Gig: What's in Store (2007), and a volume of translations, Courts of Air and Earth (Shearsman Books, 2008),

which was shortlisted for the Corneliu M Popescu Award for European Poetry in Translation 2009.
Founder and director of the SoundEye Poetry Festival in Cork since 1997, he held residencies
with Cork County Council (2001) and NUIG, (2001/2).

Joyce was a Fulbright Scholar for the year 2002–2003, and was Judith E. Wilson Visiting Fellow
in Poetry to the University of Cambridge for 2009-10. He is a member of Aosdána, and has lived in Cork
since 1984.

IRISH TRANSLATORS’ AND INTERPRETERS’ ASSOCIATION

CUMANN AISTRITHEOIRÍ AGUS TEANGAIRÍ NA HÉIREANN

Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association (ITIA), 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland

T: +353 87 6738386; F: +353 1 8726282;

E: itiasecretary@gmail.com ; www.translatorsassociation.ie

International Translation Day, September 29th 2011

Translators and Interpreters: Experts for International Communication in Specialised Fields Conference

2011-08-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERPRETING THE FUTURE

Translators and Interpreters: Experts for International Communication in

Specialised Fields

International Conference

hosted by the

Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und

Übersetzer e.V. (BDÜ)

Berlin, 28 – 30 September 2012

Encouraged by the success of the first conference, “Interpreting the Future”, which took place in
Berlin in September 2009 with around 1,600 people from over 40 countries attending, Germany’s
Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ) is planning a further three‐day
international conference for September 2012 on the subject of
Translators and Interpreters: Experts for International Communication in Specialised Fields.
Presentations, workshops, seminars, a trade exhibition, networking sessions and a job exchange
will be organised with the aim of bringing clients, authorities, university teachers, suppliers of
software tools, students and professional translators and interpreters closer together.
Interpreting and translating are expert activities, now more than ever before. The increasing
differentiation of disciplines and sectors of industry, and their corresponding terminologies, is also
requiring translators and interpreters to delve deeper and deeper into the subject of the texts they
are to translate or the matters they are to interpret. Pressure on prices and delivery schedules, and
rising quality standards, are also driving forces behind specialization: Translators who are experts in
the field or industry they address, and are familiar with its terminology, jargon and customs, can
deliver high quality translations at reasonable speed and are more likely to be regarded as equal
partners by their clients.

From 28 to 30 September 2012, the BDÜ will be hosting an international conference at the Henry
Ford Building of the Freie Universität Berlin to cast the spotlight on translating and interpreting as
expert professions and examine the challenges to be overcome in different specialisations.
Presentations and discussions will be simultaneously interpreted into German, English and French.
At seminars and workshops, language professionals will be able to study various specialisations,
bring their knowledge up to date or find out more about a specialisation they may be considering.
At the accompanying trade exhibition, the participants will be able to acquaint themselves with the
latest reference works, information management tools, translation memory systems and services for
translators and interpreters. In networking sessions and at the job exchange, interested language
professionals will be able to introduce themselves to prestigious companies and institutions and
make direct contact with potential clients and colleagues specialised in the same or complementary
fields.

Experts from the translating and interpreting professions and from the disciplines and industries
listed below are invited to submit proposals for presentations, seminars or workshops on the
following topics by 31 October 2011. Interpreters and translators as experts – interdisciplinary cross‐cutting topics
e.g. advantages and disadvantages of positioning as specialist/generalist, terminology work,
intercultural competencies knowledge management, new tools and technologies,
standardisation and quality standards, project management, self‐marketing as an expert.

 Translating technical documentation
 Translating in the IT sector, software localisation
 Translating and interpreting in the medical field
 Translating and interpreting in the legal field
 Translating and interpreting in the fields of business and finance
 Translating and interpreting in science and research
 Translating and interpreting in politics
 Translating and interpreting in the cultural and media sector
 Translating and interpreting in the fields of advertising, marketing and PR
 Public Service interpreting
 Translating patents
 Literary translation / Translation of non‐fictional and reference works
Prospective contributors are requested to submit an abstract of up to 2,000 characters at the
www.interpreting‐the‐future.com website by 31 October 2011. The languages for presentations are
German, English and French. The following event formats are planned:
 Presentations (max. 30 minutes, audience numbers as a rule unlimited); the individual
presentation blocks are followed by discussions between the speaker and audience.
 Panel discussions (90 minutes, audience numbers as a rule unlimited)
 Seminars (90 or 180 minutes, up to 250 participants)
 Workshops (90 or 180 minutes, up to 25 participants)

When submitting your abstract, please also indicate the knowledge level of the participants you
primarily wish to address: basics/beginners, advanced, or all participants. The accepted presentations
will be published in a book of the conference proceedings which will be available at the time of the
conference.

We will notify you as to whether your proposal has been accepted by 31 January 2012. The
detailed programme of the conference will be announced on 15 February 2012. The complete
presentations must be submitted by 01 July 2012 for inclusion in the published proceedings.

Further information can be found in the internet at www.interpreting‐the‐future.com. You can also
email us at konferenz2012@bdue.de.
Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer e.V. (BDÜ)
Berlin, 15.05.2011

Tradilinguas - Legal Translation Conference, 7-8 October 2011, Lisbon

2011-08-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

LEGAL TRANSLATION CONFERENCE

Organized by TRADULÍNGUAS and other legal translation professionals, the Conference will feature two full days of practical learning sessions -- translation and terminology workshops (in Portuguese, English, Spanish, more languages if possible) -- for the professional translator and interpreter of legal materials.

Keynote Speakers

		Ingemar Strandvik Quality Manager Directorate A EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR TRANSLATION On behalf of the Cabinet of President José Manuel Barroso

		Pedro Andrade e Guerra LEGAL SERVICE EUROPEAN COMMISSION On behalf of the Cabinet of President José Manuel Barroso

We are proud to announce that the TRADULÍNGUAS International Legal Translation Conference has been accredited by the following organizations as part of their Continuing Education Programs:

		Are you ATA Certified? Earn up to 10 CEPs for attending this Conference.

		Attendees to the TRADULÍNGUAS International Legal Translation Conference who are certified by the American Translators Association (ATA) are eligible to earn up to ten (10) Continuing Education points (CEP’s), the maximum allowed for any individual event.

Are you a member of ITI?
Claim up to 2 CPD days for attending this Conference.

Members of the ITI – Institute of Translation & Interpreting (UK)can claim 1 ITI CPD day for each day of the Conference attended.
Contact education@iti.org.uk for further information, and copies of the CPD Record booklet.

Is this Conference for you?

		Yes, we believe it is! Specially, if you are an experienced translator and interpreter working with legal-related subjects. There will be plenty for you to see, learn, and discuss.

		Young translators will gain valuable information about their profession and in many specialized fields of knowledge in this highly-requested segment of the language industry.

		Market your services by displaying your résumés, brochures, and business cards while meeting with owners and managers of participating companies.

		Find qualified legal translators and interpreters, post job listings, peruse the résumés on display, and meet potential employees or freelancers in person.

Job Marketplace and Network Opportunities

		Freelance and in-house translators and interpreters will be able to market their services by displaying their résumés, brochures, and business cards while meeting with owners and managers of participating language services companies. Companies, hoping to find qualified translators and interpreters, can post job listings, display their corporate brochures, peruse the résumés on display, and meet potential employees or freelancers in person.

		Take advantage of this opportunity to market your services to colleagues and potential employers attending the Conference. Display your résumés, brochures, and business cards, or post job openings available in your company... and bring enough for everyone!

Sponsorship Opportunities

The TRADULÍNGUAS International Legal Translation Conference will be a unique opportunity to promote your company to a select audience of specialized translators and interpreters and other operators within the legal language services community! Several options available!

DIT Sign Language Society - Music to their ears as DIT students sign up

2011-03-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

MARESE McDONAGH

Irish Times

Music is not just for listening to, say the students who reworked Snow Patrol’s ‘Open Hands’ in sign language

MUSIC ISN’T JUST for people who can hear, according to student Thomas Geoghegan, star of the first music video in Irish sign language. The video is already proving to be a hit on YouTube with both the hearing and deaf communities.

Snow Patrol’s Hands Open sounds like the perfect choice for the novel experiment and Geoghegan, chairman of the Sign Language Society at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), said the title was significant when it came to choosing a number.

“It’s also a very upbeat and catchy song, and we thought it would be cool to perform it in Irish sign language,” explains Geoghegan, who is not himself deaf and has no relatives with hearing difficulties.

He points out that sign language here is considerably different from sign language in the US or the UK. “They are literally different languages – it is a cultural thing,” he says.

The video, which attracted 1,150 hits in its first two weeks on YouTube, was a joint project between the DIT’s sign language and guitar societies. However, other clubs are now queuing up to get involved in making signing mainstream, according to Anita Conway, head of societies at the college.

This week the college is hosting an Inclusion and Integration Week to promote awareness about disability.The programme includes a water polo match between DIT students and the Irish Deaf Sports Association, a poker night at which all the hands have to be performed in sign language and a live performance of Hands Open with Geoghegan doing the signing on stage.

A native of Belmullet, Co Mayo, the 23-year-old is doing a master’s in renewable energy at DIT. He became fascinated with sign language partly because of its importance as a communication tool, but also because of the influence of a friend who founded the Sign Language Society three years ago.

“I just became interested in deaf culture,” he says. “We now have 80 members in the society. Some of them have parents or relatives who are deaf and feel bad because they never really learned how to sign properly, and some just thought it was a cool thing to learn.”

He says there are about three deaf students at the institution. It has been estimated that there are 5,000 deaf people in the country and 30,000 with hearing difficulties, but many in the deaf community believe the figure is much higher.

The music video is just one of the society’s innovative ways of bringing sign language to a wider audience. It has also put a number of tutorials on its YouTube channel where people can learn, for example, how to tell the time or play a poker hand in sign language.

The Hands Open video features Michael Monaghan and John Jereza from DIT Guitar Society, while Geoghegan takes centre stage doing the signs.

The process took about four days as he had to learn the appropriate signs from Bernie Walshe, a sign language teacher, and then the performance had to be filmed from a number of angles.

Feedback from the Irish Deaf Society and the Irish Deaf Youth Association has been very encouraging.

Geoghegan feels strongly that music can play an important role in the lives of people who cannot hear. “They can feel the vibrations; they experience the emotion; they can watch the performer’s expressions and they can lip read,” he explains.

“This is the first of its kind in Ireland, and we’ve had a great reaction so far. So we’re planning more videos to music and to dance, and we have been asked to team up with the other societies in DIT.”

Members from a variety of societies at DIT are now keen to make sign language an integral part of what they do, according to Conway.

“This is partly because Thomas has been so dynamic and he has made people fascinated by signing,” says Conway.

“We now have two classes every week at DIT. About 50 per cent of people are doing it because they have a relative or a friend who is deaf, while the others see it as a new skill, one that is really interesting,and something that may result in deaf people feeling less isolated.”

See youtube.com/DITSign LanguageSoc

Ireland urged to provide sign language interpreters so deaf people can serve on juries

2011-03-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/deaf-woman-wins-jury-battle-2259065.html

NEW laws should be introduced to allow sign language interpreters to help deaf jurors during confidential deliberations, it was urged last night.

DeafHear, formerly the National Association of Deaf People (NADF), has called for reform of Ireland's jury laws following a landmark legal action which said there could be no blanket ban on deaf people serving on juries.

Yesterday, deaf mother-of-two Joan Clarke, from Loughrea, Co Galway, won part of her High Court action challenging a long-standing ban on deaf people serving on juries.

Ms Clarke, whose husband is also deaf, has been deaf since birth.

High Court Judge Mr Justice Daniel O'Keeffe ruled that the county registrar in Galway had no power to "excuse" Ms Clarke from jury service as there is no mechanism to excuse people like Ms Clarke who are ineligible to serve on a jury.

DeafHear last night said that the presence of sign language interpreters in a jury room would not offend the "13th person" rule which bans anyone apart from 12 jurors being present during deliberations.

Suspects

"An interpreter is present to assist the deaf person not to represent any side," said DeafHear's CEO Niall Keane, who has interpreted on behalf of deaf suspects in criminal trials and has signed for deaf people in family law and rape cases.

"The juror, even if they are deaf, is still in the lead. The interpreter is there to assist the deaf juror and acts as an impartial officer of the court."

Because Mr Justice O'Keeffe decided to quash the decision to exclude Ms Clarke from the jury on a technical point of law, the judge did not go on to deal with the substantive Constitutional or European Convention on Human Rights issues connected with the case.

But the judge said that in his opinion sign language interpreters could not be allowed into a jury room as it would breach the absolute confidentiality of juror deliberations.

The Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), which represented Ms Clarke, who did not attend court yesterday, welcomed the ruling.

FLAC solicitor Michael Farrell said the decision made an important dent in the ban on deaf persons serving on juries which had been in force until now. Such a ban was offensive and hurtful to deaf people and had no place in a modern, inclusive society, he said.

- Dearbhail McDonald

Legal Editor

ITIA CPD Talk and Workshop – Community and Court Interpreting

2011-02-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

ITIA CPD Talk and Workshop – Community and Court Interpreting

Saturday 12 February 2011

11 am to 12.30 pm: Community interpreting research & scholarship: A nexus for change
with Jemina Napier

12.30 to 1.30 pm Lunchbreak

1.30 to 3.30 pm: Interpreting into the Ether: working through video link for aspiring court interpreters with Yvonne Fowler

Venue:
Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1

Cost:
ITIA members (and FIT association members): € 40
Non-members: €50
Students (with valid ID card) and concession: €20

For further details and to book a place, please contact Annette at: cpd.itia@gmail.com

1. Community interpreting research & scholarship: A nexus for change

with Jemina Napier (11 am – 12.30 pm)

Within the broader discipline of translation and interpreting studies, community interpreting research and scholarship provides opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, which can have a profound impact on pedagogy and practice in interpreting, but also on other related professions. Interpreting practice does not function in a vacuum, it is intrinsically tied to language, culture and context. Likewise interpreting pedagogy and scholarship cannot function in a vacuum – it needs to be informed by practice and research from a variety of disciplines. Research too depends on integration with pedagogy and practice in order to translate into implementation and inform a research agenda. This presentation will give an overview of how community interpreting research and scholarship (for spoken and signed languages) can provide a nexus for change, by providing examples of existing interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects that have pushed the boundaries linguistically and ethically. Who conducts research? How do they conduct research? Why do they conduct research? Where do they conduct research; and what are the implications for future research agendas? This presentation will appeal to a broad audience of spoken and signed language interpreters.
There will be an opportunity for questions and answers at the end of the session.

2. Interpreting into the Ether: working through video link for aspiring court interpreters

with Yvonne Fowler (1.30 -3.30 pm)

Using video conferencing technology to process bail applications directly from prison is now an everyday occurrence: and for defendants in the UK it is mandatory. Another initiative, the Virtual Court Pilot Project, will almost certainly mean that, in the very near future, most defendants will be “offered the opportunity” to “attend” a court hearing immediately after charge and be sentenced whilst still at the Police Station. References to interpreters are completely absent from the promotional literature. One government document states that “a Virtual Court Hearing is just like any other first hearing that takes place at a magistrates’ court” and “the timeliness of the process and the resource savings offered by the technology improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system in working together to put on effective first hearings – without any loss of quality”. So is it really true to say that video conferenced court hearings are just like any other or that there is no loss of quality? Those promoting the use of video conferencing technology in court have failed to take account of the fact that a large number of defendants coming before the courts have ways of communicating which differ from the norm, for example, sign language users and non-English speakers. Few, if any, researchers have looked at the differences between face-to-face interpreted court hearings and video conferenced ones. I use a combination of audio recordings, ethnographic observation and interviews to show that this technology alters interpreted communication in ways which are not immediately apparent, even to the interpreter. There are also differences in procedure and other factors requiring adjustment by the interpreter and the court if non-English speaking defendants are not to be disadvantaged. In the very near future, more and more court hearings (perhaps including trials) will be heard through video link. Interpreters must be equipped to cope with the demand that the technology places upon them. What is at stake is nothing less than justice for limited-English speaking defendants.
This workshop is designed for aspiring and practising court interpreters. It will use anonymised transcripts of real court cases to demonstrate the differences between interpreted face-to-face and remote hearings and will attempt to raise the awareness of participants of such issues as the role of the interpreter in the video link court, the need for assertiveness in setting out the parameters of the interpreter’s professional duty, the power relationships in the courtroom and how these affect the interpreter, and, last but not least, the interpreting techniques that are appropriate for dealing with the new technology.

Speakers:
JEMINA NAPIER is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University in Sydney, where she is Head of Translation & Interpreting. Jemina has over 20 years experience of signed language interpreting in British Sign Language, Australian Sign Language and International Sign, working in community and conference settings; and 15 years experience as an interpreter educator. Her major research interest is in the field of signed language interpreting, but her wider interests include effective translation and interpreting pedagogy, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis. She has published books, book chapters and articles discussing aspects of signed language interpreting and interpreting pedagogy.

YVONNE FOWLER has trained over 250 court interpreters for the Diploma In Public Service Interpreting Law Option over a period of fifteen years. She has also trained Police Officers, social workers, medical students, Magistrates and Probation Officers to work through interpreters. The subject of her PhD research is the impact of Prison Video Link upon interpreter-mediated communication in court. The results will be used to devise new training programmes and protocols for court staff and interpreters.

WASLI Newsletter - 2011 Conference Issue

2011-01-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING THE PROFESSION OF SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS WORLDWIDE.

Dear Colleague

This is to let you know that the first WASLI newsletter for 2011 has now been uploaded to the WASLI website. This is a special WASLI 2011 Conference issue (2011-01).

To view please click on the link: http://www.wasli.org/files/downloads/137_wasli%20newsletter%2011-01%20conference%20special.pdf

To view the final WASLI edition for 2010 Issue 4 (2010-04), please click on this link:
(http://www.wasli.org/files/downloads/136_wasli%20newsletter%202010-04(sm).pdf)

Best wishes
George Major
WASLI Newsletter Editor
newsletter@wasli.org

Limited-language defendants pose challenge for courts- The Philadelphia Inquirer

2011-01-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/12/1812525/limited-language-defendants-pose.html

NORRISTOWN, PA. With a flick of his wrist, the interpreter at the front of the courtroom mimed the bang of a judge's gavel, his other hand pointing to the ceiling.
The crude gestures were meant to convey that the case against Juan Jose Gonzalez Luna would be heard in a higher-level court.
Gonzalez's face, however, remained vacant.

Did the 42-year-old - who is deaf, mute and illiterate, including no known knowledge of sign language - understand what had just happened?
As Gonzales has next to no language skills, his case has baffled Montgomery County courts since his arrest on drug trafficking charges late last year. While courts have come a long way in providing access to interpreters in a host of exotic languages, no one is sure how to translate for a man who knows no language at all.
"It's taken a really hard time to communicate even the most basic things," said Ed Rideout, his public defender. "To try to describe legal procedure to someone like that is virtually impossible."
Accommodating those with limited access to language is a rare problem in U.S. courts, but one that judges have met with limited success.
Many have avoided the problem, declaring such defendants incompetent to stand trial. Others have relied on a complex and imperfect method of interpretation, one still viewed with skepticism by many in the legal profession.
And while most courts say they do their best, a good effort is not good enough, said Michele LaVigne, a lawyer and scholar at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
It is not, after all, that defendants like Gonzalez are incompetent to stand trial, but that the U.S. court system largely remains ill-suited for trying them.
"The law is a language-based system," she said. "Drop someone in who can't access that immediately, and we still don't know what to do with them."
It may seem hard to believe that in an age of federally supported special education, people emerge into adulthood lacking a fundamental grasp of any language.
But 30 percent of deaf children leave secondary school functionally illiterate. Up to 15 percent of them can be categorized as having minimal to no language competency, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Gonzalez's limited grasp began at infancy in the southern reaches of the Mexican state of Michoacan. Although uncertain of much of his client's history, Rideout thinks Gonzalez lost his hearing after a severe fever as a baby - a story re-enacted through pantomime.
With no formal education and little exposure to other deaf people, Gonzalez grew up virtually without language. He has picked up a few signs over the years.
But this inability to communicate is exactly what made him a valued member of a King of Prussia-based drug trafficking ring, prosecutors say.
Detectives arrested Gonzalez Oct. 8 after a purported cross-country smuggling drive, from Las Vegas to the Philadelphia suburbs, and seized more than 2 pounds of cocaine from his car.
"He makes the perfect drug mule," First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele said. "He can't consent to a search. He can't answer any questions about the operation."
Gonzalez has shown some limited ability to communicate.
Arriving at a recent preliminary hearing, he motioned toward detectives gathered around him. He pinched at his neck as if adjusting an invisible necktie. He bent his other arm mid-torso and clenched its fist, mimicking a heavy briefcase.
"He can't talk to the judge," one detective joked. "But of course he knows how to ask for his lawyer."
That assumption - that because such a defendant can convey basic messages, he is faking his inability to understand in the courtroom - is common, said Brandon M. Tuck, a Houston lawyer and author of a University of Pennsylvania Law Review article on dealing with witnesses with limited language.
In many recent cases, declaring incompetency for trial has become a standard reaction, Tuck said. Many judges order confinement to institutional language programs, hoping the defendant can be taught American Sign Language and eventually stand trial.
To work, though, the approach depends on a suspect's aptitude and willingness to pick up a new form of communicating late in life, LaVigne said. And the only incentive for many is the threat of possible prison time.
"ASL is a tough, tough language," LaVigne said. "There are some people who are just unreachable through this method."
After watching one of his own cases linger in New Jersey courts for nearly two decades, Passaic County Prosecutor Joseph Del Russo questions whether it works.
A judge first found one of his defendants - a Paterson man accused of raping two children - incompetent for trial in 1992. He ordered him to undertake ASL training at a state hospital.
Every six months since, the case has been called back for review. Each time, the result is the same. The defendant appears no closer to communicating.
"What other choice do we have?" Del Russo said. "We can't let these people commit crimes without recourse."
An alternative to forced sign language education has emerged over the last two decades. Known as relay interpreting, the process attempts to reach limited-language defendants through two interpreters working in the courtroom - one who translates from spoken English to ASL, and another who uses makeshift gestures and pantomime to communicate with the defendant.
An interpreter who was born deaf is essential in the second position, experts say, because that person is more attuned to thinking in strictly visual terms.
This second interpreter may spend hours prior to a hearing or trial working out an idiom unique to each defendant.
Consider the following example borrowed from Tuck's 2010 law review article:
A prosecutor asks a limited-language witness, "Did you take the train home last night?"
The ASL interpreter signs an approximate translation to the relay.
The relay interpreter then communicates the basic notions in a nonlingual fashion. He might hold out one arm to symbolize the horizon; on his other arm a clenched fist represents the sun. To convey the concept of night, he might move his fist below his outstretched arm.
As for the train, the interpreter could pantomime a scene the defendant would recognize in relation to train travel such as paying for a ticket at a turnstile.
But while relay interpreting has met with some success in reaching limited-language defendants, the process is both time consuming and costly.
What's more, this makeshift way of communicating can be inexact by legal standards. One can easily imagine pantomime for a lawyer or a train ride, but pantomiming a plea bargain is far more difficult.
Facing few other options, the Montgomery County courts have chosen relay interpreting to deal with Gonzalez. Their efforts have met with limited success.
At his preliminary hearing Monday, District Judge James P. Gallagher was satisfied that Gonzalez had at least a basic notion of why he had been arrested.
Though the man likely missed the finer points of the proceeding, Gallagher ordered the case held for trial.
But that three-minute hearing required hours of preparation, said Rideout, the public defender.
Interpreters used props, maps and photos of cocaine and vehicles to explain to Gonzalez the charges he faces. At times it looked as if they were getting nowhere.
"I had to tamp down our interpreters," a harried Rideout said moments before entering the courtroom. "They're ready to say this isn't working. I say, let's just get through this hearing."

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/12/1812525/limited-language-defendants-pose.html#ixzz1BUeCkIwI

A Day in the Life of a Sign Language Interpreter

2010-12-17T05:44:00.001-08:00

Mental Health - Publications by Shine

2010-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Recently came across a great publication called 'Taking Control of your Mental Health'. It's a very comprehensive book that outlines the processes involved in diagnosis, medication and several other aspects of mental health services and care - great background for any of us who may be involved in mental health interpreting.

It's produced by SHINE who are involved in mental health awareness and they have several other publication online too.

Cormac

Interpreter Trainers' Network (ITN)

2010-09-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

ASLIA National (Australia) has set up a new association for interpreter educators and trainers - the Interpreter Trainers' Network (ITN).

Visit the website of the ITN at http://itn.aslia.com.au to see the resources and information available to teachers of interpreters.

For more information contact Karen Bontempo at itn@aslia.com.au

ISL Interpreter Position in Omagh Area

2010-09-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

http://ec.europa.eu/eures/eures-searchengine/servlet/ShowJvServlet?lg=EN&serviceUri=http://www.jobcentreonline.com:8080/EURESWS_/services/ServiceProvider&uniqueJvId=NI934572

Description:
Job Title:	Irish Sign Language Interpreter
JOB DUTIES : Working within an educational environment the successful candidate will help support clients through their learning with the help of Irish Sign Language. OTHER INFO : None. SALARY INFO : £20.00 per hour, paid weekly. EQUALITY STATEMENT : None.
Required languages:	Fluent English / Irish.
Geographical Information
Country:	United Kingdom	Region:	NORTHERN IRELAND
Salary / Contract
Minimum salary:	20.00
Salary currency:	Pound (Sterling)
Salary period:	Hourly
Hours per week:	18
Contract type:	TEMPORARY + PART-TIME
Extras
Accommodation provided:	No
Requirements
Education skills required:	Previous experience working in a learning / support role is required. Use of ISL (Irish Sign Language) at a professional level is essential. Fluent English / Irish.
Experience required:	Up to 1 year
Minimum age:	16
Employer
Name:	MPA Recruitment - Omaghhttp://ec.europa.eu/eures/eures-searchengine/servlet/ShowJvServlet?lg=EN&serviceUri=http://www.jobcentreonline.com:8080/EURESWS_/services/ServiceProvider&uniqueJvId=NI934572

Presentation and Workshop for ISL Interpreters, Limerick, 2nd Oct 2010

2010-08-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

Puzzled?

What IS that signer doing

(and HOW am I supposed to interpret it)?

Presentation and Workshop

(For only ISL interpreters)

By Lorraine Leeson

Saturday, 2^nd October 2010

At Deaf Community Centre, 96A O Connell Street, Limerick City

At 3pm-5pm

Interpreters worldwide often express fear of voice-over and this sometimes has its basis in how they will be judged by other interpreters-or the audience. Some of this anxiety seems be based not in a lack of knowledge of English as a TL, but rather the relationship between the SL and the TL, and perhaps a lack of clarity regarding how information is structured. We know Daniel Gile’s Effort Model (Listening & Attention, Memory, Production, and Coordination) helps identify where interpreter processing goes awry. But-maybe what we also need to look again at what the signer is saying…this presentation and discussion introduces some recent findings from cognitive linguistics that are invaluable in helping interpreters figure out why certain types of text seem ‘harder’ to figure out than others, how the signer partitions out their body to represent different aspects of events, and how more than one perspective on an event can be encoded at one time. We will look at some examples and consider how an interpreter might produce a Target Language given these new ways of considering ISL Source Language messages, and also consider what this brings to SLIs working into ISL as a Target Language.

Tea & coffee will be provided

Let us know if you are coming by email: info@dcclimerick.eu or text 086 7348641

On Speaking Terms: HSE guide to use of interpreters

2010-08-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Came across this document online:

On Speaking Terms - A user manual containing guidelines for staff on accessing and using interpreters

It's actually pretty good, and an effective way to ensure Deaf citizens get access to interpretation services in public hospitals. It forms part of the HSE's Emergency Multilingual Aid.

Regards

Cormac

Lost In Translation

2010-07-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.corkindependent.com/local-news/local-news/call-for-regulation-of-sign-language-interpreters/

Cork Independent, 22 July 2010

A cork sign language interpreter has called for the complete regulation of the profession as he said the voices of deaf people in Cork are not being properly heard. Inaccurate legal, medical and educational sign language interpretations means that the testimony of deaf people could literally be getting lost in translation. Cormac Leonard is an accredited interpreter, who interprets for the Cork Deaf Association.

"There are around 6,000 people in Ireland who have Irish Sign Language as their main language. Deaf people are now being encouraged to take part in society more, such as college courses and employment."

However, he said that profiteering unqualified interpreters were working in Cork. "Despite the presence of qualified and accredited interpreters, individuals with no training or qualifications are practicing as signers or interpreters and, in many cases bringing the profession into disrepute," he said.

Dismissed

In 2008, charges were dismissed in a case where a young deaf woman in Kanturk was allegedly the victim of a violent attack. Judge Michael Pattwell dismissed the case against two sisters after it emerged that a statement had been taken from a deaf witness for defence without an interpreter on the night of the incident.

The judge also stated that an interpreter used at a previous court sitting had not been properly trained or qualified. "This is an example of how services are not aware of the need to use qualified and accredited interpreters.

"It is not sufficient to just be someone with good sign language - issues around translation, cultural difference, interactional management, and above all a solid grounding in ethics and professionalism including confidentiality, are essential," he said. "Deaf people are reluctant to criticise these cowboy interpreters and in many cases the bodies providing the service refuse to use a professional interpreter. Ethics are always an issue as quite often, unqualified interpreters tell deaf people what to do and give advice and what to say. This is so wrong."

According to Mr Leonard, legal and medical bodies that do not know sign language cannot accurately assess the quality of the service. "And so a vicious circle ensues, and marginalisation of vulnerable people is embedded into the system," he said.

At present, the only recognised qualification in Ireland for interpreters is the four-year degree in the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin. "Interpreters at present have no professional body, the Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters having closed in 2007 for a variety of reasons," said Cormac. But discussions are underway to establish a new group and lay down standards for interpreting in courts, hospitals and for public bodies.

Cormac is one of three interpreters who are working for change through the websitewww.corkinterpreter.com. He added that UCC and CIT, however, had strict policies when hiring interpreters for their deaf students. "It is vital that interpreters don't just translate word for word, but understand the context and cultural meaning of the message.

"This is a problem as deaf people never want to kick up a fuss, so they will never complain," he added.

At risk: Unqualified Counselors in Cork

2010-07-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.corkindependent.com/local-news/local-news/at-risk/

The lack of regulation in the counselling profession is allowing unqualified people to run counselling services in Cork, according to the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP). With a total of 530 IACP members operating in the southern region, the IACP has called for regulation to prevent vulnerable clients being put at risk.

Geraldine Burke, Chairperson of the IACP Southern Regional Committee, told the Cork Independent that she was aware of unqualified operators running counselling services in Cork.

"There are people working as counsellors who have not trained or are not accredited with anybody. There is more to the job than just being a good listener. "Counsellors and psychotherapists deal with a range of sensitive issues. A person may be feeling vulnerable when they attend a counsellor or psychotherapist," said Ms Burke, who runs an IACP accredited counselling service in the city.

"It requires a high level of qualification to deal appropriately with sensitive and complex issues, such as anxiety, abuse, addiction, or relationship difficulties," she said. She explained that it takes five to six years to gain accreditation as an IACP registered counsellor or psychotherapist.

"Yet, anyone could do a year or three-week course, buy business cards and hang a sign outside the door, without any qualifications." She said that clients should be wary of counsellors who ask inappropriate questions during sessions.

"People need to ask if their counsellor is accredited too and ask for certificates to prove qualifications. And clients should not be asked about anything which has no relevance to the issues they are dealing with. At all times, boundaries must never be crossed.

"A number of my clients have even discussed their bad experiences with counsellors who we know are not qualified or accredited." However, she said the nature of the service was preventing people from speaking up about dodgy services.

"Vulnerable clients don't want to complain as their sessions are personal and private. This is why we need a regulation of the profession," she said. According to the IACP, anxiety and depression are most frequently occurring reason for people visiting counsellors or psychotherapists.

Naoise Kelly, National Director of IACP, said this week that the Association's accredited members must also fulfil further requirements. "Members of the public may not be aware of the levels of qualification required to be an IACP accredited counsellor or psychotherapist." He said that members also had to complete ongoing professional development to maintain their accreditation.

Deaf woman in jury disqualification challenge

2010-07-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

A deaf woman who took a legal challenge after she was disqualified from serving on a jury has won part of her case in the High Court.

The court ruled that a County Registrar was not entitled to exclude Joan Clarke, from Loughrea, Galway, from jury service.

However, the judgment does not clear the way for deaf people to serve on a jury.

Mr Justice O'Keefe said the presence of a sign language interpreter in a jury room would breach confidentiality, which is an integral part of trial by jury.

Lawyers for the Free Legal Advice Centres who took the case on Ms Clarke's behalf said they will return to court next week to pursue other aspects of the case.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0714/clarkej.html

Learning ISL?

2010-06-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Irish Sign Language Academy is organising an evening of fun for ALL Irish Sign Language learners

Come along and practise your ISL skills with other learners and learn a little bit more about the Irish Deaf Society/Deaf community

Tea and Coffee will be available from 6pm at the Dublin Deaf Association, 40 Lower Drumcondra Rd, Dublin 9

This event is open to ALL students from any class/organisation (at any level/skill level)

For more information, contact Susan@irishdeafsociety.ie

PLEASE FORWARD TO ANY ISL LEARNERS!

Susan Whelan

Deaf Adult Literacy Service/

Irish Sign Language Academy

Irish Deaf Society

30 Blessington Street, Dublin 7

email: susan@irishdeafsociety.ie

Fax: 003531 8601960 / Tel: 003531 8301485

TEXT ONLY: 0852841884 - please state your name

NEW - http://www.youtube.com/IrishDeafNews

ITIA - Continual Professional Development training

2010-06-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

Dear ITIA Member

Just a quick reminder that there are still places left on our two CPD events taking place next week:

Style Matters with Ros Schwartz and Chris Durban (Saturday, 19 June, 10 am to 5.30 pm) and
Literary Translation with Ros Schwartz (Sunday, 20 June, 10 am to 1pm)

Chris and Ros are very much in demand for conference speaking and workshops both in Europe and the USA, so it is a real coup to have them here in Dublin. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear two of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the business.

If you would like to attend, simply send an email to cpd.itia@gmail.com. You can also check our website at: http://translatorsassociation.ie/content/view/33/57/ . This event is open to members and non-members.

With kind regards

Annette

--
Dr. Annette Schiller

Chairperson
CPD sub-committee
Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association
19 Parnell Square
Dublin 1, Ireland

E: cpd.itia@gmail.com
W: www.translatorsassociation.ie

Irish Times - Hundreds of court, Garda interpreters have no qualification

2010-06-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

CARL O'BRIEN, Chief Reporter

Irish Times

HUNDREDS OF interpreters working in the courts and for the Garda have no formal qualification to interpret or translate, despite growing concern over poor standards and the potential for miscarriages of justice.

Most of the major interpreting firms used by the State do not test the competency of individuals who claim to be either qualified or experienced interpreters, it has emerged.

In addition, new research based on hundreds of cases at District Court level points to serious lapses in interpreting standards, with defendants left in the dark over key details such as their rights or the facts of a case.

Unlike most other European countries, there are no written regulations or laws governing interpreting in Ireland.

The Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association says it has raised concerns over poor standards of interpreting with both gardaí and the Court Services on a consistent basis over the past decade.

“We find it hard to understand how the State can spend millions of euro per year on interpreting without any auditing of contracts or quality control,” said Mary Phelan, the association’s spokeswoman.

“Members of our association, for example, tell us that they have come across court interpreters who do not know the meaning of basic words such as ‘guilty’ or ‘judge’. ”

Kate Waterhouse, a PhD candidate at the school of social work and social policy in Trinity College Dublin, is finalising research on access to justice among people with limited or no English.

As part of her research she spent eight months at district courts in Dublin and outside the capital examining how interpreters worked in hundreds of individual court cases.

She found that interpreting services themselves were highly variable and, in the majority of cases, deficient in some way.

“I was shocked at the way interpreting was taking place in many cases,” says Ms Waterhouse. “It was clear in some cases that nothing was being interpreted.”

The Courts Service, which has spent just under €10 million on interpreting services over the past three years, says there are no problems in the vast majority of cases.

“Where an issue of a lack of clarity or understanding arises, the dynamic of the court setting makes this apparent. On these rare occasions the interpreter is replaced,” a spokesman said.

The Courts Service says it appointed Lionbridge Ireland Ltd as the single provider of services following an international tender. This contract involved a series of levels of proficiency for interpreters ranging from “competency” in English to having a specific qualification in interpreting.

However, there have been numerous recent cases where the quality of interpreting has been raised in court. These include:

In December 2009 a judge in Drogheda told a Polish defendant who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving that she could appeal the case after it emerged that her interpreter had not explained what she was pleading guilty to.
In a case in Galway in May 2008, a judge told an interpreter from Lionbridge that she would not certify her payment as she felt she was not translating everything that was being said for the accused man.
In October 2007, two Polish interpreters were asked to leave the District Court in Cork when a judge said they were not competent to translate as they could not explain the word “ambiguity” accurately.

In a statement, Lionbridge said it was proud of the high levels of quality it provided. It said it had a “stringent recruitment and qualification process” and regularly received positive feedback from its clients.

Several freelance interpreters used by the firm say they have never been tested for proficiency in interpreting. However, the company’s says it has an extensive quality assurance programme.

The Garda Representative Association has also raised concerns over standards and the lack of vetting of interpreters.

STREET PERFORMANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - 12/13 June, Fitzgerald Park, CORK

2010-05-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Barcelona: Catalan crisis for Deaf and Interpreters

2010-05-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

The crisis leaves many deaf without interpreters

Link to original article in El Periodico

FIDEL MASREAL
BARCELONA

Going to the doctor, filing your tax returns, applying for the dole or meeting your solicitor are some of the basic tasks for which, from now on, many deaf people will have to do without an interpreter. The Federation of the Deaf of Catalonia, Fesoca, along with other organisations throughout the state have been waiting since earlier this year for the Ministry of Health and Social Policy to renew the grant which, in the case of Catalonia, provides contracts for 10 of the 21 interpreters in the Association.

This situation has led to Fesoca having to terminate the interpreters’ contracts on the 30th April in the absence of funds to pay their wages. One of those affected is Albert Gonzalez, who is doubly let down: "It’s not only the fact we are now unemployed and what that entails, but a really human task, facilitating communication and access between people is no longer being provided."

Gonzalez explains that interpreters are planning to hold protests to highlight their situation. "Deaf people are disappointed because they don’t understand how a sign language law can be passed and yet basic services such as in health or the workplace are being cut," says the president of Fesoca, Encarna Muñoz. "Zapatero’s government is not fulfilling its commitment to prioritise social services", she concluded.

THE INTENTION / Sources at the Ministry of Health argue that the Government is willing to continue offering the grant but cannot do so until there is a legal change in contracting whereby Fesoca and similar organisations are approved by the Department of Finance’s Regional Tax Office. As a result of the cut from 21 to 11 interpreters, over 330 requests per month by deaf users will not be met and cities like Badalona, Terrassa and Sabadell will no longer have an interpreting service.

Among the services most demanded by users are job interviews, visits to the regional employment office and company meetings relating to redundancy. According to Fesoca there are 161,000 people in Catalonia with a hearing loss and 22,000 requests are made annually for interpreting services. 50 interpreters would be required to meet this need.

How to enable access to Worlds’ Literature?

2010-04-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sign Library

The project aims to facilitate access to literature for deaf people by translating World Literature into Sign Language. In the course of the project our partners in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia translate a set of literary works and texts into the respective national Sign Language.

An expert jury consisting of deaf peer-group-members and European literary & linguistic experts choose the texts. Sign language poets and interpreters from the peer group of deaf people prepare these texts for Signing and translate them into Sign Language. Their signing performance of the literary texts is filmed.

These videos – the Sign Language Books - are available on the barrier-free Online Sign-Library

www.signlibrary.eu,

where users can “read” the Sign Language Books as videos online or download them for free. Moreover the website will offer an open-space community and the possibility for visitors to update own “releases”.

FILM OF DEAF MAN'S ARCTIC JOURNEY

2010-04-14T09:15:00.001-07:00

James Duthie was a profoundly Deaf Scotsman who crossed continents on two wheels back in 1951. He cycled alone from Cairnbulg near Fraserburgh, Scotland, via France, to the Arctic Circle covering 3,000 miles in three
months. His epic trip cost him just £12. When he returned to the UK Jim penned an account of his travels, which was eventually published as a slim volume called ‘I Cycled Into the Arctic Circle ‘.

He became a figure of intrigue and notoriety to the close-knit communities in and around his hometown who knew him fondly as ‘Dummy Jim’. He has since achieved a rare cult status amongst cycling enthusiasts and the Deaf community. His story is being brought to life in a feature film project directed by Edinburgh-based artist & filmmaker Matt Hulse. A new interactive web site - supported by Scotland ’s Alt-W scheme and featuring Deaf actor Samuel Dore - offers an opportunity to explore Duthie’s world in advance of the film’s making.

Visit the web site: www.dummyjim.com

Association of Sign Language Interpreters: CALL FOR PAPERS

2010-04-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

The next conference of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters UK (ASLI) will be taking place on 16th and 17th October 2010 in Nottingham, England.

The conference theme is ‘Developing the interpreter; developing the profession' and, in honour of the launch of ASLI's CPD system, will provide an opportunity to attend both workshops and presentations, sharing knowledge, experience and generating new reflections on interpreting.

This call for papers invites proposals for papers from all stakeholders: Deaf and hearing interpreters, consumers, sign language and interpreter trainers and interpreter researchers for the UK and further afield.

Thematic areas include:

Mentoring and the personal and professional development of interpreters.
Consumer perspectives on interpreting development.
Developing the profession.
Engaging with the Deaf community.
Quality in the profession and interpreting services.

For the full list of thematic areas and contact information go to the following weblink: http://www.asli.org.uk/call-for-papers-p306.aspx

CPD Event by ITIA: Translating Business Film Material

2010-04-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Translating Business Film Material
Dr Jean-Pierre Mailhac
Saturday, 24 April 2010, 9 am to 5.30 pm,
IWC, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
As they strive to keep up with both globalisation and rapid technological change (from video tape to CD, DVD, Internet use and now iPhones), companies constantly increase their use of film to advertise, communicate information or train staff. As a result, professional translators are frequently faced with the task of translating business film material. Yet the vast majority have never received any training for this highly specialised kind of work.
Aim of the workshop
The aim of the workshop is to outline the problems involved in translating business films and the strategies required to solve them. The following will be addressed, using authentic examples:
- Aspects which are directly linked to the audiovisual dimension (e.g. synchronisation, intonation, pronunciation of names, regional or national accents, titles, subtitles);
- Problems which take on a new dimension due to the audiovisual context (e.g. cultural references, currencies, puns);
- How to meet the requirements of the users (client, viewers, film director, recording artist, sound engineer, video editor, graphic designer, website designer) and fully play the part of linguistic and cultural expert within the project (anticipate problems, advise on how to optimise quality).
After a systematic presentation of problems and solutions, there will be an opportunity for practical group work and discussion.

Date, time: 24 April 2010, 9 am to 5.30 pm

Venue: Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1

Cost: €70 ITIA members (and members of other FIT associations); €90 non-members; €25 ITIA student/concession members; €40 for student non-members.

Includes refreshments and lunch

NB: This workshop is aimed at practising translators and students of translation.
Closing date for bookings: Friday, 16 April 2010

WASLI: Update on Paying Sponsoring Individual Membership Fees via PayPal

2010-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

You do not need a PayPal account to pay your Membership Fees if you go through WASLI’s website.

To pay your Sponsoring Individual Membership Fee:

Go to http://www.wasli.org/Membership_Sponsoring.htm
Select your Country.
Select Individual Sponsoring Member. You will be automatically transferred into PayPal in order to pay your fees.

Thank you,

Robin Demko
WASLI Membership Secretary

The Darkest Corner - No Escape: Interpreted Play, Peacock Theatre

2010-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

A series of presentations that shine a light into ‘the darkest corner of the history of the State’.

In May of last year the high court judge Sean Ryan finally revealed the 2,600-page report of Ireland’s Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (commonly known as the Ryan Report). This report followed a nine year investigation into allegations of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse in Catholic Church-run institutions.

In responding to the report, Taoiseach Brian Cowen claimed it shone a powerful light into ‘the darkest corner of the history of the State’. Under the title, The Darkest Corner, we present a series of powerful work which both remembers the findings and reflects on the systemic abuse revealed within state-funded and regulated institutions.

The Darkest Corner series begins with No Escape a piece of documentary theatre based on the findings of the Ryan Report.

No Escape is compiled and edited by celebrated writer and journalist Mary Raftery and directed by Róisín McBrinn. Mary’s 1999 film States of Fear and follow up book Suffer the Little Children exposed the widespread abuse of children in institution run by the Church.

No Escape marks a major departure for us. It is the first time we have commissioned a piece of documentary theatre to investigate current or recent events in Irish society.

Please note: there will be a wheelchair accessible performance of No Escape on Tuesday 20 April at 8pm in the Liberty Hall Centre. Phone bookings only for this performance on 01 87 87 222.

The Darkest Corner continues with a reading of Richard Johnson’s courtroom drama The Evidence I Shall Give, which premiered at the Abbey in 1961 and concludes with Gerard Mannix Flynn’s play, James X, a Farcry productions presentation.

No Escape
Wednesday 14 – Saturday 24 April
Preview Tuesday 13 April
8pm, Saturday matinee 2.30pm
Tickets: €15 – €25

Wheelchair accessible performance: Tuesday 20 April at 8pm, Liberty Hall Centre NB change of venue for this performance

Sign language interpreted performance: Thursday, 22 April. For more information about our assisted performances, click here.

4th Biennial Deaf Studies Today! Conference, Utah, April 8-10 2010

2010-02-17T03:09:00.000-08:00

4th Biennial Deaf Studies Today! Conference

“Engaging Theory and Action”

Utah Valley University

April 8, 9 and 10, 2010

The Deaf Studies Today! Conference is a professional, academic conference that brings together the brightest minds and latest thinking within the interdisciplinary field of Deaf Studies. The theme for this year’s conference is “Engaging Theory and Action”, encouraging the furtherance of Deaf theory and its application in a variety of disciplines.

Deaf Studies Today! is now established as the primary site for the exchange of information and thinking for anyone interested in Deaf Studies. The conference has also become an important cultural “place” where Deaf people gather to create, renew and maintain relationships. Similarly, the conference has gained a reputation for Deaf art in many forms including, paint, poetry, storytelling, plays, films, and more. We will expand this reputation this year with the integration of Deaf Film Festival into the program.

This conference is unique in that it makes a concerted effort to combine the conference activities with a variety of concurrent events such as the expo, entertainment, kids-only
storytelling sessions, etc. Participants in these events included members of the local Deaf community, students of ASL, Deaf Studies, Interpreting, etc. as well as parents of deaf children, educators, and other interested parties. Admission for parents of deaf children and for UVU students is free.

We are very excited to have three excellent keynote speakers lined up for 2010: Dr. Genie Gertz, Mr. John Bosco Conoma, and Dr. Dirksen Bauman.

In addition to the three keynote addresses, the conference will feature the presentation of approximately thirty academic papers. All of the papers and keynote addresses will be bound into conference proceedings and the keynotes will be made available on DVD to be sold separately from the conference proceedings. The conference also includes workshops on a variety of topics, a panel discussion, a literary event, a tribute, and a closing performance.

Counselling with deaf people who have language and learning challenges

2010-01-29T15:40:00.001-08:00

Workshop with Neil Glickman

Tuesday 11th May 2010

East Midlands Conference Centre, University of Nottingham.

Neil has presented well-received workshops in the US and Oslo. He will work intensively with a group of people through activities that cover: Preparations for treatment including assessment of cognitive skills within a developmental framework, and their motivation to engage; Adaptations of cognitive behavioural therapy for this client group, including visual, experiential and narrative approaches; Strength-based interventions with people who function poorly and behave badly; Developing coping and conflict resolution skills.

To register for a place at this workshop please contact:

Susan Hooper
Division of Rehabilitation & Ageing, B Floor,
Medical School,
Queens Medical Centre,
Nottingham. NG7 2UH
susan.hooper@nottingham.ac.uk
0115 8230426

Sense & Sensibility, Responding to deaf people with intellectual disability Conference

2010-01-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

Monday 10th May 2010

East Midlands Conference Centre, University of Nottingham.

Neil Glickman, the international expert on working with deafness and intellectual disability, is making a rare visit to the UK this summer. He will deliver a keynote address at our one-day conference: Responding to deaf people with language and learning challenges. This unique conference examines the issues that services for deaf people who have intellectual (learning) disabilities should consider and affords a rare opportunity for people involved in this field to network. Sign language interpreters will be present.

Conference Speakers:
Sally Austen - National Deaf Mental Health Service, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust.
Sue O’Rourke - Clinical Director, St George’s Healthcare Group.
Sara Rhys-Jones - Learning Disability Service, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, Cardiff.
Jennifer Clegg - Associate Professor & Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist, University of Nottingham.
Kevin Baker - Learning Disability Service, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust & National Deaf Mental Health Service, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust.

To register for a place at the conference please contact:

Susan Hooper
Division of Rehabilitation & Ageing,
B Floor, Medical School,
Queens Medical Centre,
Nottingham. NG7 2UH
susan.hooper@nottingham.ac.uk
0115 8230426

SIGNALLING change: Innovation in Delivering Deaf Studies in Europe

2010-01-29T15:36:00.001-08:00

Centre for Deaf Studies,

School of Linguistics, Speech and Communication Sciences,

University of Dublin, Trinity College

Public Lecture Series 2009/10

SIGNALLING change:

Innovation in Delivering Deaf Studies in Europe

Dr. Lorraine Leeson (CDS)

and

Mr. Haaris Sheikh

(Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited)

Thursday, February 4^th, 2010.

7.30 pm to 9.30 pm

Maxwell Hall, Hamilton Buildings, Trinity College.

ISL / English Interpretation will be provided.

Abstract

This presentation discusses the outcomes of a European Commission funded project, which brought together industry, academics and practitioners in an innovative project to create an international forum of learning through a Bachelor Degree in Deaf Studies. SIGNALL II builds on the successes of SIGNALL I (a Leonardo da Vinci project) from 2007-10. SIGNALL II is promoted by Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited, partnered with the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Irish Deaf Society (Ireland), Finnish Association of the Deaf (Finland), University of Sussex (UK), the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship, Lodz, (Poland) and Grant Advisor, Brno (Czech Republic). The theoretical content for the ‘Perspectives on Deafness’ (POD) course was created by the Centre for Deaf Studies (CDS) at Trinity College Dublin (under SIF II) and forms part of the Bachelor in Deaf Studies. CDS has actively engaged in the development of digital learning assets to support traditional delivery of programmes.

POD was traditionally delivered within the Irish context. Now, via SIGNALL II, a European perspective is added, allowing for the exploration of shared - and differing - experiences of Deafhood (Ladd 2003) across Europe as well as notions of d/Deafness as a medical, social, cultural, and historical construct. Particular focus is given to the Czech, Finnish, Polish and British perspectives. Human rights issues are also explored in this wide reaching course. In this session we outline the background to the development of this course, describing the rationale, content, creation of multi-modal digital assets in nine languages - 4 spoken and 5 signed languages, the nature of international involvement and the challenges to creating a repository of digital courseware that will be accessible and relevant to Deaf and hearing students and employers across the European Union, and beyond. We will demonstrate some sample content presented on a Moodle platform customised by the Department of Informatics at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB).

Biographies

Dr. Lorraine Leeson is the Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin. She has 20 years experience working with Deaf communities in a range of capacities at national and European levels. She was one of the first professionally trained ISL/English Interpreters in Ireland and holds a PhD in theoretical linguistics. Lorraine has practised interpreting locally and internationally, with her work taking her from local tertiary educational environments and legal contexts to the national theatre of Ireland, the European Institutions and the United Nations. A highlight has been working for the European Union of the Deaf. Lorraine’s research interests relate to the morphosyntax of signed languages, the sociolinguistics of ISL, and interpreting studies, with over 70 peer reviewed publications and presentations to date. In recent years, a key area of focus has been on the teaching, learning and assessment of signed languages and sign language interpreters, with particular attention to blended learning environments. This has led to a large-scale government funded project (SIF II – Deaf Studies in Ireland) to develop accessible blended learning content for a Bachelor in Deaf Studies at Trinity College, as well as European Union funded project work on a range of Deaf studies and sign language elearning projects (D-Signs, SIGNALL II, SIGNALL 3, and DeafVoc).

Mr. Haaris Sheikh is Chief Executive of Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an Associate Member of the Institute of Management Consultants and Advisers (IMCA). He serves as a Board Member of the Deaf Community Centre Limerick and of the Citizens Information Centre Limerick. He has directed and chaired 7 European Commission projects in over 15 countries to date. Currently, he is Chairman of the SIGNALL II Project (2007-2019) and SIGNALL 3 project (2009-2011). Haaris is a specialist in human resource management, business strategy, and policy. He has delivered lectures on a wide range of HR-related themes. He has been working extensively with Deaf studies projects for the past few years and has been involved in multimedia/digitisation of teaching materials for the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin. He has authored/co-authored numerous reports and journal articles, and has presented papers internationally on a range of topics. He has also directed 6 international DVD documentaries.

Directions to reach the Maxwell Hall

The Maxwell Hall is in the Hamilton Buildings, back of Trinity College
Entrance can be gained through four gates: Front Gate, Nassau Street, Lincoln Place and Pearse Street.

Religious Signs Workshop

2010-01-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

RELIGIOUS SIGNS WORKSHOP

20 Mar 2010
Dublin Deaf Club

Cost: €75 (includes lunch and Liturgical Signs DVD)

Contact: Frankie Berry frankie@ncdp.ie

HAPPY CHRISTMAS IN ISL!!!

2009-12-16T05:55:00.001-08:00

HANDS ON LOOKING FOR CODA STORIES

2009-12-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

We would like to do a positive story on Children of Deaf Adults (CODA) experiences of growing up.

CODA's have a unique experience of growing up in both the hearing and Deaf world

We want to hear the good, the bad, the ugly and downright hilarious stories.

Must be available to film between the 10th and 11th of Dec.

If you would like more information or would like to contribute to my research contact me:

e-mail to tracey@mindthegapfilms.com

Text: 0861736131

John Savva blog

2009-11-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

Have to say this brings up a very interesting set of points...

I've heard the name John Savva before but didn't realise he had a blog - there's not a lot of information there but the videos he has uploaded are pretty striking.

Personally, i feel it's an interesting take on things - especially this: by rigidly sticking to our 'professionalism' in enquiring who the client is before accepting a job, are we using our power status to disenfranchise? Can we assume that, just cause *I* don't want to work with that client, that presumably *someone* else will? Could we accept a situation where Deaf clients pick or at least have first preference for their favourite interpreters, but interpreters should not be allowed (as John is saying) to pick and choose in the same way?

Also intriguing: are we utilising our power in sticking rigidly to our Health and Safety guidelines on one/two interpreters for assignment? Are we communicating to the Deaf community clearly enough the need for two interpreters, breaks etc. with the result that we seem over-professionalised and power-hungry?

Hmm. John's blog is at http://activistbsl.blogspot.com/ - take a look and have a think.

Deaf News "Interpreters lack signs"

2009-11-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

DEAF FACTOR - HANDS ON - AUDITIONS SOON!

2009-11-18T04:55:00.000-08:00

Got talent?

Hands On is looking for the most talented Deaf person in Ireland!

Are you great at juggling, art, football, magic, sing in ISL, fast signing?

Show us your talent and you could win €500 Prize Bonds from An Post!

Hands On will film contestants around the country, finishing with a GRAND FINAL in Dublin with a guest Celebrity judge!

To enter contact us by text 0861736131,

by email deaffactor@gmail.com or

on Facebook

AUDITIONS

2 your Deaf Club in next 2 weeks!

Deaf Blawg - Legal Issues and Deaf People

2009-11-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

Found a very good website called Deaf Blawg on the Deaf Lawyers website, which has lots of info re: Deaf people's access to courts, with an international dimension.

http://www.deaflawyers.org.uk/

Some shameless self-publicity

2009-11-06T09:02:00.001-08:00

Yes, I did interpret like this. and i was bloody good.

WASLI Newsletters

2009-11-03T02:37:00.000-08:00

WASLI is committed to the development of the sign language interpreting profession worldwide

Dear friends and colleagues

More news from the world of Sign Language Interpreting

Please see below

WASLI Newsletter 2009-07

NEW ZEALAND

: SLIANZ CONFERENCE REPORT

SIGN LANGUAGE COURSE IN KYRGYZSTAN

WFD NEWSLETTERS

UPCOMING EVENTS: CONFERENCE IN DUBAI, ASIA-PACIFIC INTERPRETERS MEETING

Link: http://www.wasli.org/PDFs/News/WASLI_newsletter_2009-07.pdf

WASLI Newsletter 2009-08

WASLI MEMBERSHIP

MALAWI

GRADUATES SEVEN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS

MALAYSIA

INTERPRETER EDUCATION SEMINAR REPORT

LAY JUDGES IN

JAPAN

Link: http://www.wasli.org/PDFs/News/WASLI_newsletter_2009-08.pdf

WASLI Newsletter 2009-09

SIGN LANGUAGE RECOGNISED IN

MACEDONIA

RID CONFERENCE REPORT

WASLI OPEN HOUSE AT RID

NORTH AMERICA REGIONAL MEETING

EUROPEAN LEGAL INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS ASSOCIATION

Link: http://www.wasli.org/PDFs/News/WASLI_newsletter_2009-09.pdf

WASLI Newsletter 2009-10

WASLI EDUCATION AND TRAINING TASK GROUP UPDATE

WASLI EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING 2009

CAMPAIGN EVENT AT FINNISH PARLIAMENT HOUSE

ONLINE NEWS WEBSITE

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Link: http://www.wasli.org/PDFs/News/WASLI_newsletter_2009-09.pdf

Any queries to George Major: newsletter@wasli.org

Best wishes

Zane HEMA

WASLI Secretary

secretary@wasli.org

“Where do we go from here?” Hearing parents’ induction into the world of d/Deafness

2009-11-02T02:34:00.001-08:00

Centre for Deaf Studies,

School of Linguistics, Speech and Communication Sciences,

University of Dublin, Trinity College

Public Lecture Series 2009/10

“Where do we go from here?”

Hearing parents’ induction into the world of d/Deafness

By

Etaoine Howlett,

Equality Studies Centre

University College Dublin

Thursday, November 26^th, 2009.

7.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Maxwell Hall, Hamilton Buildings, Trinity College.

ISL / English Interpretation will be provided.

Abstract by Etaoine Howlett

This presentation is based on my PhD research which explored the experiences of 14 hearing parents of deaf children in initially encountering and subsequently engaging with the deafness field in Ireland – a domain which, at the outset, lay outside their existing knowledge-base given their status as hearing members of society. A significant feature of their experiences lay in the contextual reality within which they operated – an environment where oralism pervaded both at the level of discourse and service provision. This powerfully impacted on the ‘career’ of these hearing parents, particularly in the early years following the identification of their child’s deafness.

Parental isolation, together with their own primarily ‘hearing’ habitus (at least initially) served to increase their reliance on professional advice, thereby diminishing parents’ capacity to engage in communicative and linguistic practices which ran contrary to the dominant discourse. However, as parental expertise in relation to deafness increased, parents were facilitated to construct alternative perspectives on deafness.

Profile:

Etaoine Howlett is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Equality Studies Centre, University College Dublin on an EU 7^th Framework Programme project entitled Religious Education in a Multicultural Society. Previously, she co-authored (with Dr. Abbey Hyde) the first major qualitative study on the sexuality of Irish teenagers (Understanding Teenage Sexuality in Ireland, CPA, 2004). She recently completed her PhD which explored the experiences of hearing parents of deaf children in Ireland. This is an area of particular interest to her as she has a deaf sibling.

Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research Conference (TISLR 10)

2009-10-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR PAPERS

Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research Conference (TISLR 10)
Conference theme: Research Methodologies in Sign Language Linguistics
Purdue University, September 30 - October 2, 2010

Conference Home Page: http://www.purdue.edu/TISLR10

TISLR 10 invites papers addressing any aspect of research that is both theoretical and addresses sign languages. The theme of this conference "Research Methodologies in Sign Language Linguistics" highlights the fact that there are many different theoretical approaches that contribute to our understanding of this typological class of languages. Generative and cognitive approaches, quantitative and qualitative approaches all assist in proposing new generalizations about sign languages and, importantly, in independently validating previous proposals made in the field. Each approach provides a fresh perspective which can help our field move forward as a cumulative discipline.

TISLR 10 will include keynote presentations, organized sessions, and poster sessions on such topics as:
- cognitive linguistics of sign languages
- corpus linguistics of sign languages
- the emergence of sign languages in a historical context
- field work on sign languages
- language acquisition in L1 environments
- language variation in sign languages
- neurolinguistics/psycholinguistics of sign languages
- phonology, phonetics, prosody of sign languages
- morphology of sign languages
- sign language and artistic endeavors
- sign language and literature
- sign recognition, synthesis, and understanding of sign languages
- statistical language models of sign languages
- syntax, semantics, pragmatics of sign languages
- theoretical innovation in L2 acquisition of sign languages

Keynote speakers:
Marlon Kuntze (Boston University)
Ceil Lucas (Gallaudet University)
Carol Padden (University of California, San Diego)
Josep Quer (ICREA & Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Submission of Papers: Prospective authors are invited to submit a 500 word abstract (+ 1 page of examples figures and references if necessary) to our website by November 15, 2009 to the TISLR 10 Scientific Committee. Notification will occur by January 15, 2010. All abstracts will be handled and reviewed electronically at < http://linguistlist.org/confcustom/TISLR10>. Abstracts should include a clear statement of the theoretical issue to be addressed, the research methodology to be presented, and a concise summary of the findings/conclusion.

NOTE: To facilitate interpreter planning, please indicate AFTER THE TITLE of your paper which language you will present in if your abstract is accepted: ASL; English; other sign language.

Special Sessions: Proposals for Special Sessions will also be considered on a themes of particular relevance. The deadline for these is October 15, 2009. Please see guidelines for this on the conference website http://www.purdue.edu/TISLR10 .

Venue and Language Information: Purdue University is located in Indiana, approximately 1.5 hrs. from Indianapolis and 2.5 hrs from Chicago airports. This conference will provide interpreters translating between English and ASL, as well as interpreters translating between English and International Signs. Authors wishing interpretation to or from other sign languages are kindly encouraged to bring their interpreters and requested to contact the interpreter coordinator to make further arrangements. Authors are encouraged take advantage of our new 'direct communication' policy, which promotes the use of a signed language in making presentations. A group of advisors will be available to assist presenters who would like help in preparing their talk in a sign language. Please consult the website for further information.

Important Deadlines
Submission of Special Sessions: October 15, 2009
Regular Papers November 15, 2009
Notification of Acceptance (by email) January 15, 2009
Author's Registration Deadline May 15, 2010

Ronnie B. Wilbur, Ph.D.

Professor and Director, Linguistics

College of Liberal Arts

Purdue University

500 Oval Drive

West Lafayette, IN 47907-2038

wilbur@purdue.edu

ph: 765-494-3822

fax:765-494-0771

Supporting Deaf People online conference 2010

2009-10-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

The seventh Supporting Deaf People online conference will take place between the 3rd and 6th of February 2010. For the forthcoming conference, we invite submissions for presentations under the following themes. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

> - Deaf perspectives on interpreting and communication
> - Communication mismatch
> - Interpreting in specialist settings
> - Interpreting in emotionally stressful situations
> - Interpreters, fallout and vicarious trauma
> - Effective interpreting, politeness, face and culture
> - Open topic (papers in this theme will be selected on their merits and interest to the field).

We particularly welcome submissions from d/Deaf people and working interpreters.

For more info see: http://www.online-conference.net/sdp2010/open.htm

Please send your submission in the form of a proposed title, an abstract/outline of your ideas (approx. 200 words) and a short biography to judithm@directlearn.co.uk

Many thanks,

Judith Mole
Direct Learn Services Ltd.

ProZ upcoming Dublin interpreter event

2009-10-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Alchemy are proud to sponsor the upcoming ProZ.com Powwow in Dublin.

We would like to invite you to attend the Powwow on Friday October 23rd in Dublin city centre.

The Powwow takes place in Temple Bar, at the Jurys Inn Hotel on Parnell St, Dublin 1. It will commence at 17.00.

This will give ProZ.com users the opportunity to meet fellow freelance Translators in Dublin and Ireland, to network and to share professional experiences.

As sponsors, Alchemy will also provide a short preview of their latest technologies designed specifically for the Freelance translator.

This will be followed by refreshments, and possibly a meal for those interested in attending.

To register for the Dublin Powwow, please go to:

http://www.proz.com/powwow/2803

We hope you can attend, welcome your feedback, and look forward to meeting you there,

All the best,

Alchemy Software

Remarks by President McAleese at the Sign Language Interpreting Service Accreditation Awards, 1st October 2009

2009-10-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

Remarks by President McAleese at the Sign Language Interpreting Service Accreditation Awards, 1st October 2009

Dia dhíbh a chairde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith i bhur measc anseo ar an ócáid speisialta seo. Míle bhuíochas díbh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte a thug sibh dom.

My thanks in particular to Anne Coogan, Chairperson of the Sign Language Interpreting Service for inviting me here on this very special occasion to acknowledge the accreditation of Irish Sign Language interpreters on behalf of SLIS. This is my first function as patron of SLIS and I am delighted to be here.

While everyone is familiar with the great efforts made over the years with regard to the promotion and protection of the Irish language and more recently Ulster Scots, ISL is the other lesser-known native language of this island. ISL is a uniquely visual and spatial language with its own distinct grammar. Not only is it a language of the hands but also of the face and of the body. It is the indigenous language of the deaf community in Ireland and it is testimony to the great resilience and community effort by generations of deaf people in Ireland that, despite attempts in the past to suppress ISL and replace it with "Signed English", this beautiful, indigenous language has been maintained with pride.

For hearing people, hearing is a foundation sense which, together with vision, is our primary means of interpreting and interacting with the world around us. Sound plays a very important part in connecting people in the hearing world. It is the most popular medium for hearing people to exchange information and the basis of communication, education, and entertainment. For most hearing people, the idea of life without sound is almost incomprehensible. For deaf people, the hearing world and hearing society is all around, tantalisingly close but at another level a universe away. Growing up with a profoundly deaf brother, a stand-out memory is of him tugging at my sleeve at noisy family gatherings, to say "remember me - I'm here too," as he struggled to be included in a hearing world that made so little concession to those who could not hear.

Access to so many everyday things, so much that colours and enriches life, is made smoother and easier where communication flows easily. It rarely flows easily for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Instead even the most mundane things may present an obstacle course that is draining and very trying. Simple communication is not always so simple even with those closest to them - with hearing parents, or siblings, next door neighbours and friends, work colleagues, local shops and pubs - for most people not only have no knowledge of ISL but are completely unskilled in effective communication with deaf people. Sometimes through a lack of knowledge, they can unwittingly cause offence by assuming that all deaf people can lip read or not taking the time and effort to ensure that deaf people are included in conversation.

There was a time too when it was wrongly and outrageously assumed, even by professionals in the field, that those who were deaf lacked intellectual ability. It condemned many in past generations to frustrating levels of inadequate education and under-achievement and it is to the great credit of so many deaf men and women that they transcended those additional obstacles and insisted on their right to the realisation of their fullest potential as individuals and as a community. SLIS and other organisations are important champions working to ensure a much better representation of the deaf community throughout our society.

It is autumn again and many people will be taking evening classes for fun or to advance their education and personal development. For most it is a straightforward matter but just stop for one moment and consider just how difficult such a simple thing can be for the deaf community if, as is most likely the case, no provision is made for sign language interpretation. The computer course they would like to do, the art appreciation course, the flower arranging course are all problematic because of communications and funding problems. It is just one example. Every deaf child, man or woman tells of the daily problems they face in accessing things like health services, social and legal services or education. They will also tell you how utterly different it all is when they have access to effective sign language interpretation. Sign language interpreting services of the highest quality are the key to building bridges between the hearing and the deaf, between the deaf and the world that is their world but which so often seems to exclude them unthinkingly.

The accreditation process that we are celebrating today provides the quality assurance that interpreters working on behalf of SLIS are of the highest professional standard and the customers who book them can have full confidence in their skills. Our deaf community needs and deserves access to the services and facilities that allow it and its members to stand on an equal footing and to pursue their fullest potential. I thank the Board of SLIS and particularly Anne Coogan and John Bosco Conama for recognising the importance of the accreditation process and for so generously giving of their time and professionalism to ensure its success.

The interpreters who receive accreditation today are an important resource to deaf people and to our society generally. Their skill and fluency ensure that the great diversity within the deaf community will be given its best voice and that the dignity and right to equality of each deaf person will be more than mere words.

This standard of interpretation is no easy task but it is a true vocation. I warmly thank those who have made it their vocation to help people from the hearing world and the deaf community to communicate effectively, to help deaf people access their rights and entitlements to public and social services and to assist them to navigate their way to a more fulfilled and less stressful life. ISL is a beautiful language. It is the language of our deaf brothers and sisters but it is not theirs alone for it is an essential pathway from the hearing to the deaf and from the deaf to the hearing. Without it, we only get to know and comprehend each other imperfectly. With it and with good interpretation facilities we have a chance to understand each other well and through that understanding to remove the obstacles which make life so unnecessarily complex for our deaf citizens. My warmest congratulations to our newly accredited interpreters and I wish the Board of SLIS and the interpreters who work on behalf of SLIS the very best of success. I look forward to the services that you provide flourishing in the years ahead as we build a better, more inclusive Ireland where our deaf community has lives that are not half-lived, where opportunity can be seized rather than wasted and where the full colour and quality of life is accessible to all, regardless of disability. Keep up this great work, comhgharideas agus go raibh míle maith agaibh.

Interpreting in Tribunals training conference, 26-28 Nov 2009

2009-10-14T03:30:00.000-07:00

Interpreting in Tribunals

Kings House Conference Centre, Sidney Street, Manchester, M1 7HB

Thurs 26th 10.30am – 4.30pm
Fri 27th 9.30am – 4.30pm
Sat 28th 9.30am – 3.30pm
November 2009

A three-day training course for Registered, Qualified BSL/English Interpreters (and those about to qualify), Language Service Professionals and appropriately experienced relay/Deaf interpreters.

Trainers and facilitators include: Steve Powell, Frank Essery, Martin Ring, Mike Unsworth

Following on from the four-day course on Interpreting in Mental Health Settings held in June 2008, this training course will equip qualified BSL/English Interpreters (and those about to qualify), Language Service Professionals and experienced relay/Deaf interpreters with the skills necessary to work in Tribunals. The course will cover working within the English legal framework but should also have relevance to those working in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The primary focus of the training will be the Mental Health Tribunal. There will also be sessions on the specific issues related to interpreting in Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Tribunals, Employment Tribunals, Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals (SENDIST) and Asylum and Immigration Tribunals (AIT).

Day One, led by Steve Powell and Frank Essery, will look at what a Mental Health Tribunal does and how it operates covering; Whose involved and their respective roles; The statutory legal questions explaining the reasons for detention; Burden of Proof; Type of Sections; How evidence is taken and what that evidence is; Risks; How decisions are made; What are the options open to patients; The use of community treatment orders; Different types of mental Illness and treatments. For day One only we will be joined by a cohort of deaf Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) trainees and it will be a unique opportunity to explore how the two roles of Interpreter and Advocate interplay with each other.

Day Two, led by Martin Ring and Mike Unsworth, will start by looking at the dynamics of the Mental Health Tribunal from an Interpreter perspective covering; seating plans, who is who, possible contributors, who represents who, who is the interpreter interpreting for, who owns the interpreters for that day i.e. tribunal booked or booked directly for solicitor, deaf staff, etc. The second part of the day will focus on the challenges for the Interpreter such as jargon busting and will include an interactive demonstration. Throughout the day the dilemmas and tensions, the linguistic issues and the involvement of the Interpreter will be addressed.

Day Three, led by Mike Unsworth supported by external contributors, will focus on the specific issues related to interpreting in Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Tribunals, Employment Tribunals, Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals (SENDIST) and Asylum and Immigration Tribunals (AIT).

Full details of the course content and structure will be provided to delegates prior to the course commencement.

Tribunal Training Booking Form

To book your place or for further details contact:

Jonathan Isaac

BSMHD

PO Box 10587, Colchester, CO1 9JE

Tel: 07880 715427

Fax: 07876 835857

Email: j.isaac@bsmhd.org.uk

Website: www.bsmhd.org.uk

Thanks to Evelyn Nolan-Conroy for this information

Natalie Imbruglia's TORN: featuring...

2009-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I know many people have seen this already (I have been sent it so often im kinda sick of it) but maybe you havent seen the version where Natalie herself takes part... Feelings about this clip by interpreters are always mixed. As for myself, i think it's actually quite clever, but given that this clip isn't subbed it seems pretty inaccessible for Deaf people. Which is ironic. And kinda stupid.

Cormac

PRESIDENT MC ALEESE AT INTERPRETER ACCREDITATION AWARDS

2009-10-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

From SLIS Website www.slis.ie:

President Mary McAleese, Patron of the Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS), attended the SLIS Accreditation Award Ceremony, today, Thursday 1st October, at the Citizens Information Board, Dublin. She was welcomed by Tony McQuinn, CEO, Citizens Information Board, Anne Coogan, Chairperson, SLIS and Cora Pollard, Manager, SLIS.

Speaking at her first function as patron of SLIS the President said:

“The interpreters who receive accreditation here today are an important resource to Deaf people and to our society generally. Their skill and fluency ensure that the great diversity within the Deaf community will be given its best voice and that the dignity and right to equality of each Deaf person will be more than mere words.” Speaking from personal experience she added: “growing up with a profoundly deaf brother, a stand-out memory is of him tugging at my sleeve at noisy family gatherings, to say “remember me - I’m here too” as he struggled to be included in a hearing world that made little concession to those who could not hear.”

Tony McQuinn, CEO, Citizens Information Board thanked the President on behalf of SLIS for presenting the certificates and also thanked Anne Coogan and her colleagues for their commitment and added: “the Citizens Information Board assisted in the establishment of SLIS and provides core funding and support to the organisation to enable it to develop quality interpreting services for the Deaf Community. The Board’s new strategic plan entitled Pathways to Service - Putting Citizens at the Centre identifies “quality of services” as a key priority and this accreditation process will help SLIS as one of our delivery partners to play its part in assuring that quality of service.”

The Sign Language Interpreting Service was set up in 2007 to develop and deliver a high quality interpreting service between Irish Sign Language (ISL) and spoken English, for those who require these services namely:

The Deaf Community
Public Sector Services/Bodies
Voluntary Sector Services/Bodies
Private Services/Companies
Members of the Public
SLIS delivers a nationwide service through the provision of qualified interpreters. Interpreters registered with SLIS are self-employed and have successfully completed an accreditation process, facilitated by SLIS, as a quality assurance measure, to maintain high standards of interpreting. SLIS has in place an on-line booking service and signed website (www.slis.ie) which is accessible and user friendly.

Interpreters broadly divide into those who provide generic interpreting and those who work in the specialised domains of medical and legal interpreting. There is no regulation of interpreters in Ireland at present and in the absence of a National Accrediting Body, SLIS has facilitated a quality assurance accreditation process. Following this process, which took place in June, 13 interpreters were successfully accredited and have now been placed on the SLIS register of interpreters bringing the total number of SLIS accredited interpreters to 40.

The delivery of an interpreting service that provides high quality assured interpreters is a clear endorsement by SLIS of the right of the Deaf Community to fully accessible and high quality interpretation services. SLIS is committed to supporting initiatives for the development of a National Accrediting Body to achieve greater regulation of the sign language interpreting sector.

Suzanne Carey receiving her accreditation from President McAleese

From KDRC website (www.kerrydeaf.com):

President Mary McAleese, Patron of the Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS), attended the SLIS Accreditation Award Ceremony on the 1st of October. She was welcomed by Tony McQuinn, CEO, Citizens Information Board, Anne Coogan, Chairperson, SLIS and Cora Pollard, Manager, SLIS.

The President presented Suzanne Carey, a sign language interpreter from Kerry with her R1 Accreditation. Willie White- Manager of our service had the honour of presenting the President with a bouquet of flowers.

Speaking at her first function as patron of SLIS the President said: "The interpreters who receive accreditation here today are an important resource to Deaf people and to our society generally. Their skill and fluency ensure that the great diversity within the Deaf community will be given its best voice and that the dignity and right to equality of each Deaf person will be
more than mere words." Speaking from personal experience she added: "growing up with a profoundly Deaf brother, a stand-out memory is of him tugging at my sleeve at noisy family gatherings, to say "remember me - I'm here too" as he struggled to be included in a hearing world that made little concession to those who could not hear."

To read more about the event, go to http://www.slis.ie/?p=51

Deafblind Ireland - Upcoming Training

2009-09-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2009 – 9.45am – 3.30pm – DUBLIN

“A matter of Communication – exploring a range of communication issues experienced by Deafblind children and adults”

Venue:

The Dublin Deaf Club
St Vincents Centre
40 Lower Drumcondra Road
Dublin
(free parking)

Deafblind Ireland is delighted to offer this important training opportunity
to professionals and carers working in this field.

The training day is free with lunch operational at a charge of €10.00.

Who Should Attend

Special needs Teachers and support assistant
Families and carers
Disability Organisations
Representatives of user organisations
SLTs
Psychologists

Speakers and subject areas

Kathleen Deasy PhD Overview of Communication with congenitally Deafblind people
Mary Foster B.Phil.Ed. MSI Functional sensory assessments
Phil Howell Video analysis of programmes with
Communication
Steve Rose Communication and language development
Chris Fuggle Communicative Behaviour

To Reserve your place:

Email: info@deafblindireland.org

Write: The Secretary
Deafblind Ireland
40 Foynes Court
Longford,
Co. Longford

Telephone: 043 47636
Text: 086 1777200

Volunteers for Interpreting Services

2009-09-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Dublin AIDS Alliance has been in contact with four people from the deaf community who are very interested in becoming peer sexual health trainers. They have all expressed an interest in completing our FETAC Level 5 Training for Trainers Programme on Sexual Health and Drug Awareness, with a view to developing and delivering this type of training and workshops within the deaf community.

The training programme runs for one day a week over eight weeks (next course commencing on 8th October), and due to funding restrictions we are unable to fund interpreters for this period as costs are quite high.

As such we are seeking ISL/English interpreters who may wish to volunteer their services for the duration of the programme.

We would very much appreciate if you could forward this email to all interpreters, who can then contact me if interested in volunteering.

Kind regards,

Susan Donlon
Co-ordinator
Prevention Education & Training (PET)
Dublin AIDS Alliance
53 Parnell Square West
Dublin 1

Tel: 01 8733799
Fax: 01 8733174

Email: susan.donlon@dublinaidsalliance.ie

Research Study - Interpreter Personality DEADLINE: 30 Sept 2009

2009-09-11T03:37:00.000-07:00

We are seeking participants for an international research study of personality in signed language interpreters.

Is there a link between personality and performance as a signed language interpreter? This
international research study will investigate the relationship between a range of personality
traits and occupational data collected from signed language interpreters. Both deaf and
hearing signed language interpreters are encouraged to participate. The survey is only
available online, and in English, but is open to anyone from any country willing and able to
complete it in this format.

Your responses to the survey questions are anonymous.

You cannot be identified by your participation in the study.

Complete the survey online at
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=aM8VGCVSQ4foJwygvY4THw_3d_3d
before 30 September 2009.

Thank you for your support!

This research study is a collaboration between Macquarie University, Australia, and Eastern
Kentucky University, USA. For more details, contact Chief Investigators, Karen Bontempo on
karen.bontempo@students.mq.edu.au or Laurence Hayes on laurence.hayes@eku.edu
_________

Dear Interpreter

We are inviting people to participate in an international online survey about signed language interpreter personality. The study is open to deaf and hearing signed language interpreters. The purpose of the research study is to investigate the general disposition of signed language interpreters by analyzing their responses to specific questions drawn from existing reliable and valid psychometric tools used to measure personality. These findings will then be evaluated in relation to various occupational performance data. The study will compare findings across several countries.

The study is being conducted by Karen Bontempo and Jemina Napier at the Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. The project is supported by a Macquarie University Linguistics Graduate Research Scheme Grant.

The Australian based research team can be contacted on telephone: +61 298 508 756; text: +61 414 801 717; fax: +61 298 509 199; email: karen.bontempo@students.mq.edu.au or jemina.napier@ling.mq.edu.au.

The study is being conducted in collaboration with Laurence Hayes and Vicki Brashear at the Department of ASL and Interpreter Education; and Jerry Palmer at the Department of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, USA. The US based research team can be contacted on telephone: +1 859 622 4966; or fax: +1 859 622 5919; or email: laurence.hayes@eku.edu.

The online questionnaire needs to be completed before 30 September 2009.

All information gathered in the course of this research is de-identified by the anonymous online completion of the questionnaire. Individual responses therefore are confidential. Participation in the study is of course voluntary, and participants can withdraw from the survey even if they complete all questions simply by not taking the final step of “submitting” their survey responses by clicking on "done" on the last page of the survey.

The URL for the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=aM8VGCVSQ4foJwygvY4THw_3d_3d

We would be very grateful of your participation in the study, and please feel free to forward this information to your colleagues.

Thank you in anticipation.

Regards,
Karen & Jemina
Karen Bontempo & Jemina NapierDepartment of LinguisticsMacquarie UniversityEmail: karen.bontempo@students.mq.edu.au

WASLI News

2009-09-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

WASLI is committed to the development of the sign language interpreting profession worldwide

Dear Colleagues

It has been some time since you have had news from WASLI so this email is to give you news of the things that have been happening as well as some of the highlights of the work of the WASLI Executive Board. Enjoy catching up ...

WASLI AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA

WASLI at SLIANZ 2009 - NEW ZEALAND
The report on the SLIANZ conference is available in the SLIANZ newsletter (Aug 2009). Among the many highlights of the conference was the SLIANZ Inaugural Skills Auction which raised NZD$3585.00 to support a project that aided a Deaf/hearing team from Fiji to go to the Solomon Islands. To read more about the conference you can find this report at http://slianz.org.nz/index.php?page=newsletters SLIANZ is also on FACEBOOK www.slianz.org.uk

WASLI at ASLIA 2009 - AUSTRALIA
George Major (WASLI Regional Representative for Australasia & Oceania) attended the ASLIA 2009 Conference in Melbourne, Australia. She reports that "the ASLIA conference was very big this year - 250 delegates. I made lots of good contacts, and I gave a WASLI presentation. My presentation was part of a 'global perspectives' panel, and included reports from the sponsored delegates (from Fiji, Cambodia, Uganda, and Thailand). I also got to represent WASLI and welcome the sponsored interpreters at a special welcome event for them. I think they learnt a lot from attending ASLIA and likewise the Aussie interpreters learnt a lot from them, and ASLIA will continue the "Creating Opportunities" fund for next year. In my presentation I reported that SLIANZ raised $3,500 for a project in the Solomon Islands. So they went ahead and held a skills auction and raised $7,000! It is becoming clear to me that interpreters in our region are very generous when it comes to WASLI projects where the money stays in our region or is coordinated by our region. ASLIA and SLIANZ had a meeting at the conference about how to work together more on fundraising for interpreters in developing countries, so things are progressing well." G Major http://aslia.com.au/

WASLI 2010 Executive Board Meeting
The WASLI Executive Board plan to hold their 2010 meeting in Australia to coincide with ASLIA 2010. More to follow . . .

WASLI NORTH AMERICA

WASLI at RID 2009 - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
WASLI Executive Board members Deb Russell (Regional Representative for North America) and Daniel Burch (WASLI Treasurer) as well as José Luis BRIEVA (Regional Representative for Latino America) attended the RID 2009 Conference in Philadelphia. WASLI held a reception during the conference which was successful and the we received news of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the President of RID and NAD (National Association of the Deaf). This document has been uploaded (with permission) to the WASLI website, go to www.wasli.org and click on JOINT AGREEMENTS. RID is now on FACEBOOK and TWITTER. www.rid.org More to follow . . .

WASLI EUROPE

WASLI at efsli 2009 - TALLINN, ESTONIA
www.efsli.org Marco Nardi (Regional Representative Europe) will be attending the efsli 2009 conference next week. The theme of the conference this year is "Sound Mind Sound Hands" http://www.evkty.ee/eng_efsli2009/index.html and the conference will bring over 170 participants from 28 countries. Marco will report on this in an upcoming newsletter. Other news is that there is a new Interpreter Association in Poland - APSLI. The President is Aleksandra Kalata-Zawlocki. Also AFILS - the French Association of Sign Language Interpreters http://www.afils.fr/ will celebrate 30 years in Oct 2009. The European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) ran 2 successful training schools bringing sign language interpreters together from around Europe. The spring school was held in Malta and the summer school in Croatia. The 2010 training school programme is in the planning. More to follow . . .

WASLI ASIA Training Seminar in Malaysia
Deb Russell is not long back from being involved in an Interpreter Training Seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The seminar brought sign language interpreters together from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Macau, Philippines and Ireland. "The seminar was focused on language analysis and we looked at the national sign language used in Malaysia, BIM. I worked with three amazing Deaf language models who were fantastic. When it came to practice, several of the countries had Deaf people from their own country so could adapt the role plays to that, and generally all of the people were able to analyze the BIM, despite linguistic differences." D Russell

More news from the region is that there is a new Interpreter Association in Pakistan - PASLI and the first President is Ms Fazla Shamim. In Japan, the NRASLI (National Research Association of Sign Language Interpreters http://www.zentsuken.net/en/index.html has begun to do some research. With a subsidy from the national government, they want "to clarify the situation of Deaf people in their workplace. For example, whether there are any providing system of sign language interpreters when Deaf people are employed, or need to attend meetings or lectures at their workplace and also who pays for the interpreter. Also if Deaf people want an interpreter to have a serious conversation with their boss or colleague or president, to whom do they see to request the interpreter and who pays?".

I Tadashi Emiko Ichikawa (Regional Representative Asia) reports that she attended the Annual NRASLI conference over the summer. Last year at this event, she was successful in raising funds to support the work of WASLI. More to follow . . .

WASLI LATINO AMERICA

WASLI at the 1st Conference for Latin American Sign Language Interpreters - BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

WASLI Vice President, Juan Druetta, WASLI Executive Board Member, Marco Nardi and Regional Representative José Luis Brieva represented WASLI at this inaugural event. The report from this event is still being prepared for the WASLI Executive Board but one highlight of this event was the formation of a new forum FLSLI - Forum of Latin Sign Language Interpreters. "On the 10th of July 2009 in Bogota, Colombia during the 6th Congress of Latin American Deaf people and the 1st Congress of Latin American Sign Language Interpreters it was announced that under the patronage and with help from WASLI (and with the presence of representatives from WFD) the Forum of Latino Sign Language Interpreters was established.
"This is a Forum that will be opened to all interpreters in the "Americas" (and possibly further afield) that self identify themselves as "Latino". Initially, step by step, they will initiate as a virtual group (mailing list/e-group) one open to everyone and one for the representative selected by established associations." - M Nardi

The Vice President has also made a visit to Venezuela and very shortly will be travelling to Paraguay to attend the Seminar "Sign Language and Interpretation Services for the Social Inclusion of Deaf People - 21-22 Sept 2009" in Asuncion. José will be travelling to Bolivia later on the year. We look forward to their reports on developments there. The WASLI 2009 Executive Board Meeting will be taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina 6-7 Nov 2009.

WASLI AFRICA

Interim Regional Representative

The WASLI Executive Board has appointed Jack Owiti africa2@wasli.org of Kenya as the interim Regional Representative for Africa and you can read about him at http://www.wasli.org/WASLIBoard_Rep_Africa.htm "I bring to the WASLI board 10 years experience working as an Interpreter in Kenya, experience setting up a national association for interpreters, developing training curricula for various interpreting settings and adaptation of the code of ethics. I am delighted to share the above with my fellow interpreters in the African continent." J Owiti

Other news is of an Interpreter Association in Lesotho - NASLIL (Contact: K'hacha Emmanuel Ramokoatsi) There is another new Interpreter Association in Mozambique - ASILS (Contact is the Coordinator Nehemiah Giberto). What is also exciting news is the formation of SASLIA - a forum of sign language interpreters from the South Africa countries. At their last meeting representatives attended from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi. The aim of SASLIA is to promote the interest and welfare of Sign Language Interpreters and the recognition of the profession in the member countries.The objectives are to:·
To ensure efficient sign language interpreting service delivery to both deaf and hearing communities.·
To encourage and promote scientific and pedagogical initiatives that improves standards of sign language interpreting.·
To provide support to national assessment of sign language interpreting.·
To be a support network for interpreter trainers, trainees, beneficiaries and providers of interpreting services.·
To encourage the sharing of knowledge and experience among the member countries.·
To liaise with the relevant stakeholders.·
To standardize and regulate sign language interpreting in the member countries.

More to follow . . .

WASLI BALKANS

Sign Language Recognised in Macedonia

On 18 Aug 2009 the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the Law on Sign Language. According to the Commission of Sign Language of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Macedonia 'this is an historic moment for Deaf people in Macedonia because Sign Language is recognised as a language equal to other languages.' A sign language interpreter from Croatia, will be attending the efsli 2009 conference thanks to the efsli SAF - Special Attendance Fund. The SAF also made funds available for a colleague from Bulgaria to attend but in the end she was not able to attend.

WASLI Regional Representative, Selman Hoti (Kosovo) will be travelling to Helsinki shortly at the invitation of WFD to participate and lecture at a training seminar."I will lecture on Sign Language Interpreting and share experience on developing the sign language interpreter training program in Kosovo. Also i will present about WASLI (Overview of WASLI) and i have been asked to have brief discussion on the UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities) - Article 9." (this refers to provision of sign language interpreters). S Hoti More to follow . . .

WASLI TRANSCAUCASIA & OCEANIA

Sign Language Interpreters to be honoured every year - UKRAINE

20 May 2009 will go down forever in history of the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf -- from now on every year on this day we shall honour those people, without whom it is absolutely impossible to imagine a full life of modern deaf man - sign language interpreters. (Decision on approval of 20 May SL Interpreter's Day was taken at the Plenary Session of the IV plenum of the USD this year)

WASLI

WASLI Task Groups
The 2 WASLI Task Groups ('Education and Training' headed by Deb Russell and 'Certification and Assessment' headed by Daniel Burch) have begun their discussions and work. Updates on the work of each task group will be coming shortly and will be reported in an upcoming newsletter. WASLI 2011 - WASLI is still working towards finalising dates for the 2011 conference. As soon as we have further details, we will let you know.

WEBSITE: Check the WASLI website regularly as it is updated regularly www.wasli.org

MEMBERSHIP: WASLI membership is slowly increasing. Thanks to all those who have become members - thank you for your support. We need more so please promote membership as much as you can so that it can assist us doing the work that needs to be done ....

Best wishes Zane HEMA
WASLI Secretary secretary@wasli.org www.wasli.org
SKYPE: zanehema

Great new ISL blog news online!

2009-09-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample!

Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/IrishDeafNews for more!

Cormac

Supporting Deaf People 7 - Call for papers

2009-09-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

From: Judith Mole <judithm@directlearn.co.uk>

Date: 3 September 2009 17:17:32 GMT+01:00

To: judithm@directlearn.co.uk

Subject: Supporting Deaf People 7 - Call for papers

Apologies if you get this message from more than one source!

We are just putting together the seventh Supporting Deaf People online conference. It will take place between the 3rd and 6th of February 2010. For the forthcoming conference, we invite submissions for presentations under the following themes. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Deaf perspectives on interpreting and communication
Communication mismatch
Interpreting in specialist settings
Interpreting in emotionally stressful situations
Interpreters, fallout and vicarious trauma
Effective interpreting, politeness, face and culture
Open topic (papers in this theme will be selected on their merits and interest to the field).

For more info see: http://www.online-conference.net/sdp2010/open.htm

Please send your submission in the form of a proposed title, an abstract/outline of your ideas (approx. 200 words) and a short biography to judithm@directlearn.co.uk

If you just fancy being a delegate, then the early bird discount is available until the 31st of October.

See here: http://www.online-conference.net/sdp2010/booking.htm

Research Officer contract, UCLAN International Centre for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies

2009-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

International Centre for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies
University of Central Lancashire, Preston UK

-- Research Officer (full-time)--
£22,765 - £26,391, Ref. 205B-03-07
Limited term contract for 4 years

Applications are invited for a Research Officer post in the International Centre for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies (iSLanDS). The iSLanDS Centre is a unique hub for the study of sign languages and Deaf communities around the world, and our staff and students come from many different countries, such as Turkey, India, Germany, Israel, and Uganda.

In order to strengthen our research base, we are seeking a multilingual sign language user with strong networks in national and/or international Deaf communities. You should have experience working in a research or Higher Education setting and be skilled at coordinating a team.

If you enjoy learning more about the comparative study of sign languages and working in an international, diverse team with Deaf and hearing people, informal enquiries can be directed at the Centre Director Prof. Ulrike Zeshan tel +44 (0)1772 893104, fax +44 (0)1772 894933, SMS +44 (0)7772487941, or email uzeshan@uclan.ac.uk).

For detailed information and application forms, see this website:
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/work/205B-03-07.php

Deadline for applications: 24 July 2009 at 4pm

Prof. Ulrike Zeshan
Director, International Centre for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Livesey House, LH212
University of Central LancashirePreston PR12HE, UK
uzeshan@uclan.ac.uk
Ph. +44-1772-893104
Fax +44-1772-894933

Two new halftime posts in Centre for Deaf Studies, Dublin

2009-07-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Please find attached details regarding 2 half time posts for CDS, linked to the roll out of our new Bachelor in Deaf Studies programme, which will be launched in September 2009.

Warm wishes,

Lorraine Leeson

Job & Person Specification

Post Specification

Post Title:
Lectureship in Deaf Studies (2 x half time posts)

Post Status:
Fixed term contract – 3 years

Department/Faculty:
Centre for Deaf Studies, School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences

Location:
Adjacent to main campus

Closing Date:
30 July 2009

Salary Range:
Lecturer scale up to point 3 pro-rata (€19,139pa - €21,617pa)

The Centre for Deaf Studies in the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences’ seeks to make two half-time appointments as part of the implementation of the College’s and School’s strategic plans, including the roll-out of a Bachelor in Deaf Studies.

The Centre is seeking to appoint qualified applicants for the following roles:

(1) ISL AND pedagogy/Deaf studies/interpreting studies/applied linguistics.

(2) ISL/English interpreting AND pedagogy/Deaf studies/applied linguistics.

Background to the Posts: These posts are being rolled out to facilitate delivery of the newly established Bachelor in Deaf Studies programme. This four year degree programme sits at the heart of the Deaf Studies Strategic Innovation Funded (Cycle II) (SIF II) project work, funded by the Higher Education Authority. SIF II funding has been secured for a three-year period (2008-2011) to develop a third level Diploma and Degree programme for blended learning delivery nationwide in a project developed by the Centre for Deaf Studies, TCD and the Department of Informatics, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.

Standard duties of the Post: Successful candidates will be appointed as Lecturers in Deaf Studies, with a special remit for teaching either (i) ISL teaching or (ii) ISL/English interpreting AND aspects of the curriculum in the areas of pedagogy, Deaf studies or applied linguistics (depending on the successful candidates’ specialisms). The successful candidates will be expected to conduct research aligned to the goals of the Centre for Deaf Studies and to carry out administrative duties as required.

Person Specification: We are looking for a enthusiastic, self-motivated individuals with excellent communication and administrative skills to join a dynamic growing team of educators, linguists and technologists. The candidates must hold an undergraduate qualification in ISL teaching or ISL/English interpreting, AND have the qualifications/experience to also deliver courses in pedagogy or applied linguistics or Deaf Studies. Preference will be given to candidates who hold a post-graduate qualification in a cognate field (e.g. Applied Linguistics, Intercultural Studies, Anthropology, Education, etc.). Recent graduates of postgraduate programmes with appropriate profiles are encouraged to apply.

Knowledge & Experience : Candidates should have one to three years experience of teaching ISL or ISL/English interpreting at a higher education institute. They should also have experience or demonstrated capacity to teach in a cognate domain (applied linguistics, pedagogy or Deaf studies) to Bachelor level. The ideal candidates will have strong links to the Deaf community, be fluent ISL users and have an established track record of working with/in the Deaf community. Candidates should also ideally have a publication record or show demonstrated capacity for developing a research profile in their area of research and be willing to contribute to the development of the discipline of Deaf studies nationally, and committed to working in a close knit team to meet the objectives of the Centre for Deaf Studies.

The appointment, which will be tenable from 20 September 2009, will be appointed on the Lecturer’s salary scale (pro-rata).

Closing date: no later than 12 noon on: 30 July 2009

For further information or a confidential discussion please contact Dr. Lorraine Leeson (leesonl@tcd.ie).

It is intended to hold interviews and presentations in the second week of August 2009.

Candidates should submit a letter of application together with a full CV and a sample publication and/or a Research Plan to Recruitment Executive, Staff Office, Trinity College, Dublin 2.

Trinity College Dublin is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Centre for Deaf Studies (CDS) is part of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences (SLSCS). Other constituent members of the School are the Centre for Language and Communication Studies (CLCS) and the Department of Clinical Speech and Language Studies (CSLS). The Centre for Deaf Studies was established in 2001 to develop and roll-out undergraduate programmes in Deaf Studies, ISL/English interpreting and ISL teaching. From 2009, a Bachelor in Deaf Studies will be introduced and the Diplomas in ISL/English interpreting and ISL teaching will be phased out. The CDS is the only university based programme offering Deaf Studies on the island of Ireland. CDS has established a very strong international profile and has contributed to several European funded projects, including the award winning SIGNALL project.

CDS academic staff have contributed to a growing body of literature on Deaf studies, interpreting studies, linguistics and applied linguistics and are committed to the development of blended learning opportunities that enhance access to information about Deaf communities via new technologies. An important part of this work is funded by the Strategic Innovation Fund Cycle II (SIF II), whereby CDS works in close partnership with the Department of Informatics at the Institute for Technology, Blanchardstown.

Currently, CDS has four full time academics: Dr. Lorraine Leeson, Mr. John Bosco Conama, Ms. Carmel Grehan and Mr. Patrick A. Matthews. There are additionally three doctoral students associated with CDS, two of whom are SIF II funded (2009-12). Both SIF funded doctoral candidates also contribute to teaching at CDS.

In terms of student numbers, CDS projects an annual student intake of 20 per year onto the Bachelor in Deaf Studies.

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College, the single constituent college of the University of Dublin, was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, and so celebrated its first Quatercentenary in 1992. It is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the older universities of Western Europe. Based on the general pattern of the ancient colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, Trinity has a main campus extending over 40 acres in a unique site in the heart of the city. Trinity College Dublin is the highest-ranking Irish university to feature in the top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education Supplement’s world university rankings published in 2004. The College was ranked 87th in the world.

Most academic activity is concentrated in the main college campus. However, recent developments have allowed expansion of the Health Sciences Faculty in two major off-campus locations – a purpose built facility in the largest teaching hospital in Ireland, at St. James’s Hospital, and another in a newly-completed regional general hospital in the Dublin suburbs at Tallaght.

The vigour of any university must be judged by its commitment to research. In the early twenty first century, this often takes the form of partnership with major international companies or of inter-institutional co-operation within the framework of programmes of the European community, and in both Trinity is in a leading position in Ireland. In 2002/03, TCD was highly successful in securing research income, earning €47.4m (an increase from €39.2m in the previous academic year). In February 2005 TCD announced the commencement of construction of Ireland’s first purpose-built nanoscience research institute, The Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN). This €29m development will house 150 scientists, technicians and graduate students in a state of the art facility is due be completed by the end of 2006.

In other fields, the Library is the heart of research activity, and here Trinity is particularly fortunate.

With a bookstock of over 4 million volumes the College Library is one of the largest in Europe.

It benefited from a major €20m expansion of its open-access book-stacks and reading space

with the opening of the Ussher Library in 2003. Along with the British Library in London and

the university libraries at Oxford and Cambridge, Trinity College Library enjoys the privilege of

receiving all Irish and U.K. copyright material.

The University is controlled by an academic board, chaired by the Provost. Academic matters

are under the control of the University Council, again chaired by the Provost.

There are three faculties and some twenty-four academic schools.

The Selection Process in Trinity
§ The Nominating Committee (Interview Panel) will include members of the Administrative and Academic community together with an External Assessor who is an expert in the area.

§ Applications are acknowledged in writing. All applications will be acknowledged by email. If no email address is provided then a Letter issue within 3 days of the closing date. If you do not have confirmation of receipt within 1 week please get in touch with us immediately.

§ Given the degree of co-ordination and planning to have a Nominating Committee available on the specified date, the College regrets that it may not be in a position to offer alternate selection dates. Where candidates are unavailable, reserves will be drawn from a shortlist.

§ Outcomes of interviews are notified in writing to candidates and are issued no later than 3 working days following the selection day. Feedback is available to unsuccessful candidates upon request through the Recruitment Section only when the appointment process has been completed.

§ Candidates from outside Dublin will be eligible for reimbursement of their travel (rail, taxi, economy airfares) and expenses incurred when attending for selection. The Revenue rules preclude us from reimbursing for Mileage and Travel Insurance. Accommodation can be arranged through our recruitment section. The College will normally cover an overnight stay on a single occupancy basis for candidates traveling within Europe. Should you be attending presentation on day 1 and interview on day two, we are then happy to cover both nights. Those traveling long-haul will be covered for a maximum of 3 nights.

§ In some instances the Nominating Committee may avail of telephone or video conferencing for preliminary candidate interviews.

§ The College’s selection methods may consist of any or all of the following:
§ Interviews
§ Presentations
§ Pyschometric Testing
§ References

§ It is the policy of the College to conduct pre-employment medicals.

§ Senior Administrative appointments have a probationary period of one year.

Equal Opportunities Policy

Trinity College Dublin is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to the employment policies, procedures and practices which do not discriminate on grounds such as gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, race, religious belief, sexual orientation or membership of the travelling community.

Applications to:

Recruitment Executive
Staff Office
Trinity College
Dublin 2

Tel: +353-1-896-

Fax: +353-1-677-2694

Email:

Dr. Lorraine Leeson
Director
Centre for Deaf Studies
School of Linguistic, Speech & Communication Sciences (CLSCS)
Trinity College Dublin
40 Lower Drumcondra Road
Drumcondra
Dublin 9
Ireland

Tel: +353 (0) 1 830 11 66

Good Luck to Candidates!

2009-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

to all candidates for this year's SLIS Accreditation!

BEST OF LUCK!

from all here at The Interprechaun

(i.e. meself.)

Medical Interpreting - great NHS Resource

2009-06-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Suzanne Carey of KDRC for forwarding this great link with info on medical terminolog, and a very easy to use glossary of medical terms.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pages/bodymap.aspx

Context Interpreting - Meeting for Interpreters

2009-04-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Message forwarded from Lorraine Leeson, CDS:

"Dear students, colleagues,

I received an email from Context Interpreting (based in Galway) who are keen to meet students about to graduate from the CDS programme and recent graduates. In this context, a representative from Context will visit CDS on Thursday next (30th April) and present/discuss their agency's work in Room B from 1-2. All current interpreting students and practicing interpreters are welcome to attend.

Some details about the company's work are listed below.

Best wishes,

Lorraine

Lorraine,

my colleague Anna passed your message on to me.

I would be delighted to give a presentation to your students on our company, our approach to interpreting, our training objectives and vision.

While I have good availability over the next 2 weeks, I'd probably prefer to meet before the Bank Holiday, if possible i.e. next week.

Our company was established by active conference interpreters in 1987. From the early 90ies on, we cooperated with a number of Sign Language agencies, over the past 5 years or so mainly with Evelyn Conroy. As I have a background in both conference interpreting and training, I combined these two strands to provide training for community interpreters with a view to having our training programmes accredited and audited by external authorities. As part of this medium term strategy we set up the not-for-profit entity Interpreter Training Ireland which is spear headed by senior interpreters and interested community activists.

In the interim, we are funding most of the training from Context resources and continue to develop, test and fine-tune our syllabus.

Over the last 3 years, we provided over 1000 man hours of training each year to over 300 interpreters.

While we have excellent resources for a large number of spoken languages and a smart bespoke web application to manage these, we have not been able to provide Sign Language interpreters for each incoming request.

The difficulties we met with are mainly in the area of resource restrictions, at times combined with a lack of awareness regarding the environment of the legal sector and its particular constraints.

We have however always looked to the Sign Language sector for cooperation and mutual strategic goals in training and service provision.

Hence, I would very much welcome meeting with you and your students to explore potential synergies.

Please let me know what date and time would suit and which aspects you would like me to focus on.

Thanks and regards,

Ulrike

--

Ulrike Fuehrer
Head of Interpreting

Context
Oranmore
County Galway
Ireland
t: +353 91 790255
m: +353 87 4105779
f: +353 91 790514
e: ulrike@context.ie

www.context.ie

SLIS Accreditation Process - Closing Date Extended

2009-04-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

The closing date for receipt of applications for the SLIS Accreditation Process has been extended to

8^th May 2009

to facilitate two information sessions for prospective applicants

as follows:

Wednesday 29^th April 2009

7.30pm

Dublin Deaf Club, Drumcondra

and

Friday 1^st May 2009

7.00pm

Deaf Community Centre, Limerick

www.slis.ie

SLIANZ Conference, 3 - 5 July, Wellington - Registration now open

2009-04-20T04:39:00.000-07:00

ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND AGM
Victoria University, Wellington
Fri 3rd - Sun 5th July 2009

“Interpreting in Specialist Settings”

Powhiri and panel discussion

We are excited to begin the 2009 conference with a powhiri (a traditional Maori welcome ceremony) and kapu ti (afternoon tea) on Friday.
A panel discussion on Maori Deaf people and sign language interpreters will take place from 4-6 pm. The panel will include representatives of the Maori Deaf community and trilingual (Te Reo Maori / English / NZSL) interpreters.

Keynote Presenters

Dr. Christopher Stone and Robert Adam (UK) – Deaf / hearing interpreter teams
Jeff McWhinney (UK) – Global Issues re. Video relay / remote interpreting

Draft programme

A draft programme and presenters' biographies will be available from our website soon. Topics will include:

interpreting in court settings
role shift and beyond
quality of life and access to interpreters
training updates
signs used in religious settings

Conference dinner / skills auction
On Saturday evening we will also host a conference dinner and Skills Auction. Auction proceeds will be set aside for WASLI (World Association of Sign Language Interpreters).

Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, 9 – 11 a.m.

conference@slianz.org.nz
www.slianz.org.nz

Open Yale courses - subtitled University Lectures FREE online

2009-04-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I found a great resource for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Education.

Yale University in USA has lots of free lecture series online - in all these subjects:

Astronomy
Biomedical Engineering
Classics
Economics
English
History
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Religious Studies

Each course has about 12 - 24 lectures (one hour each) and all of them have Closed Captions. (or if you prefer, text transcripts.)

You can use QuickTime to play each lecture (the files are very big so you need good BroadBand) and click 'CC' to turn on subtitles.

Just go to the homepage:

http://oyc.yale.edu/

Then choose one of the subject on the left.

You will see different courses listed on the page for each subject.

Click on a course.

Then on the next page, click view class sessions >> Then you will see a list of lectures.

Click on any lecture.

Here you can download the entire transcript of the lecture AND the video of the lecture.

At the end of the screen you will see:

Quicktime Options
[low bandwidth] - dialup
[high bandwidth / closed captioned] - cable / T1
average file size 600MB

Click on closed captioned

Then a new window will open and the lecture will play
Click on CC to switch on subtitles.

Great resource for Deaf / HOH people who want to find out more (not just Deaf / HOH, I am thinking of watching an Economics course there myself!)

Bad news: no ISL or ASL there yet! Maybe thats next step .... ?

Cormac

Having a Hearing Companion

2009-04-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

WASLI Task Groups

2009-04-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

Following the WASLI Executive Board meeting last November, it was agreed to set up 2 Task Groups to deal with 2 important priorities.

1. Interpreter Education and Training

The goal of the task group is to develop guidance to assist countries wanting to develop interpreter education and training in their country. The person taking the lead on this Task Group is Dr Deb Russell. If you are interested in joining this Task Group please contact him at northamerica@wasli.org

2. Interpreter Certification and Assessment

The goal of the task group is to develop recommendations to guide countries in the development and implementation of procedures to determin who is qualified to be a Sign Language Interpreter, in order to protect public welfare. The person taking the lead on this Task Group is Dr Daniel Burch.

If you are interested in joining this Task Group please contact him at treasurer@wasli.org

1st Conference of Latin America Sign Language Interpreters - Bogotá, Colombia

2009-04-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

1st Conference of Latin America Sign Language Interpreters

I Encuentro Latinoamericano de Intérpretes de Lengua de Señas

Bogota, Colombia

7-10 July 2009

ANISCOL http://www.aniscol.org/

6th Conference of the Deaf of Latin America

6th Encuentro Latinamericano de Sordos

7-10 July 2009

FENASCOL http://www.fenascol.org.co/

Become a WASLI member and support WASLI in its commitment to develop the profession of sign language interpreting worldwide - for more information http://www.wasli.org/Membership.htm

WASLI is committed to the development of the profession of sign language interpreting worldwide Become a WASLI member and support WASLI in its commitment to develop the profession of sign language interpreting worldwide - for more information http://www.wasli.org/Membership.htm

MALAYSIA INTERPRETER EDUCATION SEMINARS

2009-04-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

MALAYSIA INTERPRETER EDUCATION SEMINARS

22nd Aug – Tue 25th Aug, 2009

Presenter : Dr Debra Russell
Director, Western Canadian Centre of Studies in Deafness

David Peikoff Chair of Deafness Studies
University of Alberta, Canada

Debra Russell (background)
Dr Debra Russell is a Canadian nationally certified interpreter, maintaining an activeinterpreting and consulting practice. Debraparticipates in several interpreting organizations at the provincial, national andinternational levels and has served as the President of AVLIC. As an interpreter educator, she has taught across Canada, and haspresented workshops and papers throughoutthe United States, Europe and Southeast Asia.She holds the David Peikoff Chair of DeafnessStudies at the University of Alberta, and has also played a key role in the development of several interpreter assessment tools

Who should attend?
Malaysian Sign LanguageInterpreters (hearing/Deaf) who:
1. are actively interpreting in varioussettings (corporate, religious,freelancing, educational, etc)
2.feel their deliveries are losing impact
3.have formal, little or no formaleducation/training in interpreting
4.are prepared to “re learn and un-learn”
5.wish to enhance their skills and upgradetheir knowledge
6.are also in the teaching profession
7.are seeking ongoing skill developmentthrough peer mentorship activities

Also open to non-Malaysian Sign Language Interpreters

VENUE : SAITO COLLEGE SDN BHD
No 18, Jalan Tengah, New Town Centre,Section 52,
46200 Petaling Jaya, MALAYSIA

Organisers: RC Deaf Missions Malaysia Sdn Bhd

For Enquiries on Fees, etc, please contact :
agnes@rcdeafmissionsmalaysia.com

mario@rcdeafmissionsmalaysia.com
rcdeafmissionsmalaysia@gmail.com

Agnes +6019 261 9920
Mario +6013 350 5688

This seminar is brought to you by RC Deaf Missions Malaysia in collaboration with SAITO Collegecollaboration

Call for International Sign Interpreters - OUTGAMES Copenhagen, Denmark

2009-04-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

WORLD OUTGAMES 2009

World Outgames is an international event for the body, the mind, and the spirit.

We celebrate the talents and contributions of homosexual, bi-sexual and transgender men and women from every corner of the globe.

World Outgames will be held from 25 July - 2 August 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

http://www.copenhagen2009.org/

We are very happy, that many of you are interested to come to Copenhagen.

The Sign Language Interpreter service will be in 4 groups:

1. Deaf International Signs Interpreters

2. Hearing Feeders

3. Hearing International Signs Interpreters

4. Hearing Danish Sign Language Interpreters

The structure is:

* voluntary work

* you will get free boarding during your stay in Copenhagen - (and mealthese days you are working)

* you will be part of two days of workshop (22nd July - 23rd July)

* you will cover your transportation to Denmark yourself.

* as a volunteer it is demanded that you will work more than 24 hours duringthis week, but it is our (my and Charlotte the organizers) goal that youwill work about 25 hours (inclusive preparations).

For further information contact: Bo Hårdell bo@haardell.dk

4th World Congress on Mental Health and Deafness, ‘A Life to be Lived’

2009-04-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

Join us at the 4th World Congress on Mental Health and Deafness, ‘A Life to be Lived’, 27-30 October 2009 Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia Earlybird Registrations and Call for Papers are now open!

Visit http://www.mhd2009.org/ to register now. Don’t miss out! Refer this link to your friends and contacts who are interested in the issues of Mental Health and Deafness. To contact us for further information, trade displays, or to become a sponsor email:info@mhd2009.org

Quick links: Register http://mhd2009.org/product

Submit an abstract/paper http://mhd2009.org/call_for_papers

Accreditation Process for Interpreters

2009-04-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sign Language Interpreting Service Announces an Accreditation Process for Interpreters wishing to be Registered with the National Agency

SLIS plans to facilitate an accreditation process for interpreters during the week of the 8th of June 2009 in the Deaf Club in Drumcondra. It is to be a once off accreditation process that will serve as a quality assurance measure for SLIS to ensure delivery of a high quality service from those interpreters contracted to work through the national agency.

The accreditation process is open to any applicant with high proficiency in ISL and with interpreting experience. An application form is now available for completion and return by latest 30th April 2009.

The application fee of €450 is payable on submission of completed application form.

The form is available for download at http://www.slis.ie/docs/acc_application.doc

The Wizard Of Falls - Interpreted Drama, Belfast

2009-03-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

Monday 6th April 2009

St Mary's College Falls Road Belfast
(Next to Caffreys Bar or facing the Manchester United bar)

Doors open at 7pm - show starts 7.30pm sharp

Tickets are priced at £5 and can be purchased at the Feile Ticket
office Falls Road (At traffic lights adjacent to the Donegall Road
leading down to the Park Centre (Ados take away also at top of the
road))

Recognise ISL Today! - Templates for Letters to TDs and An Taoiseach

2009-03-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

These are letter templates for sending to the Taoiseach and your local TD, asking them to recognise ISL. They’re also available on the the KDRC and IDS websites.

Find your local TD using this website:
www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=30&disp=const

Anyone else who’s reading, make sure to send one off to your local TD and the Taoiseach today to get ISL recognised!!

LETTER TO YOUR LOCAL TD
______________

Your Address

Date

Dear Deputy (your local TD’s name),

I am writing to ask you, as my local TD, to lobby the Taoiseach to officially recognise Irish Sign Language as the third official language of Ireland and afford it the same status as Irish and English.

Irish Sign Language (ISL) is the first language of approximately 5,000 Irish Deaf people and their families, with an estimated 50,000 friends, relatives and colleagues of Deaf people also using the language on a regular basis.

Irish Sign Language is an indigenous language, naturally developed by Irish Deaf people and has been used in Ireland for hundreds of years. It has it’s own grammar and structure different to Irish and English and is processed, like other languages in the speech centre of the brain.

Using Irish Sign Languages allows Deaf people to communicate and access knowledge, education and information, as many Deaf people have difficulty accessing the other two official languages of this country. I believe that by the Government of this country neglecting to recognise an indigenous language used by a group of its citizens, our basic human rights are being breached.

Over 45 countries internationally have officially recognised their countries sign languages and in this respect Ireland is lagging behind. In fact, ISL has been officially recognised in Northern Ireland along with British Sign Language for four years, it could be argued that this breaches the Good Friday Agreement.

The recognition of ISL is not only a disability issue, as Deaf ISL users consider themselves a cultural and linguistic minority. It is also an equality and language issue. The Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children, Education and Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs, have all claimed that the recognition of ISL does not fall under their remit so we are asking An Taoiseach to please appoint a Minister or designate a department to take specific responsibility for this and liaise with the Deaf community on the best way forward, be this through a Constitutional referendum or an alternative method which sees ISL being afforded similar rights to Irish and English under the Official Languages Act.

Yours sincerely,

Sign:

Print Name:

LETER TO AN TAOISEACH:
__________________

Your address:

Date:

Department of the Taoiseach,

Government Buildings,

Upper Merion St,

Dublin 2.

Dear Taoiseach,

I am writing to ask you to officially recognise Irish Sign Language as the third official language of Ireland and afford it the same status as Irish and English.

The recognition of ISL is not only a disability issue, as Deaf ISL users consider themselves a cultural and linguistic minority. It is also an equality and language issue. The Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children, Education and Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs, have all claimed that the recognition of ISL does not fall under their remit so we are asking An Taoiseach to please appoint a Minister or designate a department to take specific responsibility for this and liaise with the Deaf community on the best way forward, be this through a Constitutional referendum or an alternative legislative method which sees ISL being afforded similar rights to Irish and English under the Official Languages Act.

Yours sincerely,

Signed:

2009 - Deaflympics - Call for International Sign Interpreters

2009-03-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL SIGN INTERPRETERS

2009 Deaflympics

Taipei, Taiwan

5-15 September 2009

The Taipei 2009 Summer Deaflympic Organizing Committee and the International Committee for Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) are seeking qualified International Sign Interpreters to work during the 2009 Summer Deaflympics in Taipei, Taiwan, from 5-15 September 2009.

IS interpreters will be needed to work in a variety of settings – assigned to various sports venues, assigned to specific technical directors, during the opening and closing ceremonies, and during various meetings.

Proficiency in International Signs and spoken English are required.

Experience in working in international settings is preferred.

Airfare, hotel, meals and a fee will be offered.

Interested interpreters, let me know of your availability and your requirements as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Diane Morton, ICSD Staff Interpreter

drdymo@aol.com

Dear Colleagues - WASLI has been asked to circulate the following information.

Best wishes

Zane HEMA

WASLI Secretary

secretary@wasli.org

www.wasli.org

SKYPE: zanehema

Interpreting Access within the Health Service Executive

2009-03-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

INTERPRETING ACCESS WITHIN THE HSE
Kerry Deaf Resource Centre

Our service along with other Deaf services and Hands ON TV have been campaigning for many years for improved access to services particularly to the Health Service Executive (HSE). We wrote to the HSE to ascertain how much money was spent on sign language interpreting access in Kerry. We made this request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The response was ".... a head can refuse to grant the request if the record concerned does not exist......". The letter goes on to say, "The funding details you have requested are not held in that specific nature either locally or centrally. Our financial records of funding are divided into set structures so as to conform to a national standardisation. Funding for Sign Language is contained within our Interpreter expenses total spend and allocation."

Given the introduction of the Equal Status Acts 2000 + 2004, and The Disability Act 2005- it is shocking to hear that there are no specific records for sign language interpreting spend within the HSE. The only information that is available was the overall spend on all interpreting services, which includes spoken language interpreting. Given the large number of languages now in use in Kerry, we anticipated that the spend would be quite high? Not so, in 2008, the HSE Kerry only spent 29,749.69 euro. If you take spoken language interpreting out of this amount, it confirms that the HSE is spending very little on sign language interpreting access.

In Cork, the overall spend is remarkably higher 302, 387 euro. Again, there is no specific information available on sign language spend. This needs to change and we must continue with the campaign for better access. Deaf people's health and their lives are at risk if they are not provided with appropriate access/support.

Taken from Kerry Deaf Resource Centre update, 30/3/09

EFSLI 2009 AGM and conference: SOUND MIND IN SOUND HANDS

2009-03-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

EFSLI 2009 AGM and conference SOUND MIND IN SOUND HANDS

in Tallinn, Estonia

18 – 20 September 2009

PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE

Please visit the website www.evkty.ee/eng_efsli2009/index.html and register!

Only two more weeks to the end of early bird registration!

The conference language is English, but simultaneous interpreting will be provided into

Russian, Estonian, International Sign and Estonian Sign Language.

MORE INFORMATION

EVKTÜ homepage www.evkty.ee/eng_efsli2009/index.html

Please notice: if you have any problems with sending us e-mails – use the new e-mail of the conference:

efsli2009@efsli.org

The old e-mail efsli2009@evkty.ee is also in use.

WELCOME TO TALLINN!

European Union of the Deaf - position available

2009-03-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

European Union of the Deaf recruits a Personal Communication Assistant (PCA) to its Executive Director (Deadline : 3 April 2009)

The European Union of the Deaf (EUD) is a European non-profit making umbrella organisation whose membership comprises National Associations of Deaf people in each of the EU member states. Established in 1985, EUD is the only organisation representing the interests of Deaf Europeans at European level. EUD maintains EU level dialogue with European Union Institutions, in consultation and co-operation with its member National Deaf Associations.

The role of the PCA is one that is both rewarding and challenging. You will be providing an efficient and confidential communication/translation service for a Executive Director using Sign Language. This will involve translating telephone calls, reading and translating written text and note taking during conferences. There will be interpreting duties at various meetings as well as administrative duties at the Brussels office.

This position is offered on a flexible basis and may include some evening and/or weekend work. Your working pattern may change from week to week to meet the needs of the service. There will be a lot of European travelling involved.

The ability to communicate in Sign Language is essential for this position and you should therefore already have your Sign Language interpreting qualification, or have the ability to demonstrate equivalent knowledge. Experience in office administration and good standard of written English is also essential.

Salary: 30.000 - 33.000 Euros per annum (220 days per annum)

Contract: Full time - 1 year self-employed contract (renewable on annual basis)

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Closing date for receipt of applications is 12noon on Friday 3rd April 2009.

If you are looking for a new challenge and wish to know more, or to request a detailed job description, then please contact Mark Wheatley, Executive Director, E-mail:

mark.wheatley@eud.eu

If you want to learn more about EUD, please visit the website – www.eud.eu