News from the World of Sign Language, Interpreting and Translation

Dear all,

I hope this email finds you well. As the review editor of SLTI, I am now also responsible for our News section “News from the World of Sign Language, Interpreting and Translation”, at the back of the journal, which we introduced with the September issue. Some of you are already quite industriously sending me information about new services, courses, conferences, recently submitted dissertations etc. in the field of sign language interpreting and translation, sign linguistics, Deaf studies and Deaf culture and Translation and Interpreting Studies. Thank you! It’s much appreciated. Keep it coming…

I will be rounding up the news section for the coming March issue soon, and there is still space for some interesting items, so if you have come across anything recently, particularly if you know of any recently submitted MA or PhD dissertations linked to sign language interpreting/translation, or would like me to include any information on projects etc. that you are involved with, let me know as soon as possible, preferably by the end of the week. Each news item will only be a short paragraph long. Feel free to pass the message on to anybody who might have some interesting news.

I look forward to hearing from you and wish you all a very happy Christmas/New Year break,

Svenja



Svenja Wurm
PhD Student / SLTI Review Editor
Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh, EH14 4AS
Scotland

t: +44 131 4514229
e.: sbw1@hw.ac.uk

Introduction to Irish Sign Language

This class will begin on Tuesday 6th January 2009 from 7 – 8.30 pm in Room 4050A, Trinity College, Dublin.

The class will run for ten weeks and the cost is €180.

If you are interested in learning Irish Sign Language please send a cheque, Postal Order or Bank Draft made payable to TCD No. 1 account and post it to


The Secretary
Centre for Deaf Studies
40 Lwr. Drumcondra Rd
Drumcondra
Dublin 9

WASLI Calendar of Events 2009

WASLI Calendar of Events

2009

SUPPORTING DEAF PEOPLE ONLINE CONFERENCE

28-31 Jan 2009

“Deaf Education, Ethics and Professionalism in Interpreting”

Contact: Judith Mole

www.online-conference.net

www.directlearn.co.uk

CANADA, Vancouver

6-8 May 2009

Critical Link Conference 2009

“Meeting the global shift head on: Professional Interpreting as the critical link”

www.criticallink.org/2009conference

US, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1-6 Aug 2009

RID Biennial Conference

www.rid.org

SWEDEN, Stockholm

4 -8 Aug 2009

7^th Deaf History International Conference

www.sdhs.se/dhi2009

TAIWAN, Taipei

The 21^st Summer Deaflympics 2009

5-15 Sept 2009

http://www.2009deaflympics.org/

ESTONIA, Tallinn

‘efsli’ Conference 2009

“Sound mind in sound hands”

18-20 Sept 2009

www.evkty.ee/eng_efsli2009/index.html

UKRAINE, Kiev

23-25 Sept 2009

5^th International Deaf Clownery Festival

Email: chepchina@bigmir.net

SWEDEN, Orebro

14-16 Oct 2009

PARTICIPATION FOR ALL

Opportunities & Supporting Technology

www.partforall.se

UGANDA, Kampala

22-27 Oct 2009

World Federation of the DeafBlind (WFDB) 9^th Helen Keller World Conference

“Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities – Changing the lives of persons with deafblindness”

www.wfdb.org

AUSTRALIA, Brisbane

27-30 October 2009

4^th World Congress on Mental Health and Deafness

“A life to be lived”

www.mhd2009.org

Please let us know what events are happening in your country that will be of interest to sign language interpreters. Send details to the WASLI Secretary at secretary@wasli.org

Adjournment Debate, Dail Eireann, Thursday 27 November 2008

Deputy Joe Costello: This matter aims to ensure the important Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College does not lose the minimal education grant it has at present. We are concerned that yet another institution dealing with a vulnerable minority is targeted by cuts in education. The Centre for Deaf Studies is based in Trinity College and funded by the HEA. It is concerned that its funding for 2009 will be cut. It already operates on a shoestring budget of €440,000 and it cannot afford any cutbacks. It had to locate most of its activities in Drumcondra because it must pay rent in Trinity College and most of its staff now works in Drumcondra. This is a difficult situation.

For more on this go to http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20081127.xml&Node=H17-2#H17-2

Irish sign language action settled

Irish Times Wed, Nov 26, 2008

A HIGH Court action brought on behalf of a deaf brother and sister aimed at securing adequate tuition through Irish sign language (ISL) has been settled.

Proceedings against the Minister for Education, the State and the Attorney General were aimed at securing a court order directing that the children - a boy aged 14 and an eight-year-old girl - be provided with adequate education, therapies and support services, in accordance with their constitutional rights.

The family sought to increase the number of ISL tuition hours provided for the children from two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly. It was claimed this was necessary as the children required appropriate bilingual education in line with best international practice.

The case was due to open yesterday. However, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill was told it had been settled and, after hearing details, the judge said he had no hesitation in approving the settlement. Tony O'Connor SC, with John Hanlon BL, for the children, said the family was happy with the settlement.

Mr O'Connor said the terms of settlement provided that the Minister now recognises ISL as a language in the education of the two children. The Minister has also agreed to support the continuing professional development of teachers at the children's schools in relation to ISL.

The Minister is also to encourage the children's schools to implement individual education plans within three months in order to address the children's needs.

The Minister also agreed to pay the applicants' costs.

In the case of the boy, the Minister further agreed to support his application to the HSE for counselling in regard to his social and personal adjustment.

The children's mother said she had sought an increase in ISL tuition hours due to her concern that their lack of access to ISL was affecting their educational development.

She claimed requests for increases in tuition were not responded to and that the children's education was affected due to their teachers not being adequately trained.

© 2008 The Irish Times

ISL Conversation Exchange!

Want to practise your Irish Sign Language skills?

Have you been learning ISL and never had the chance to use it, or meet other ISL users outside class?

Cabra Library (in conjunction with the Irish Sign Language Academy) are now hosting an ISL Conversation Exchange for ISL users.

All levels (beginners to advanced) are included.

The Exchange takes place in Cabra Library, Wednesdays 6-7pm starting November 19th.

Come along and have a casual chat in ISL with Deaf and hearing ISL users!

For more information, text / call: 087 6375224

Centre for Deaf Studies - Open Day

Trinity College Dublin

OPEN DAY

10th December 2008

Come and visit the Centre for Deaf Studies stand

Find out about our courses relating to Irish Sign Language!

SLIM - Sign Language Interpreters Munster

Forwarded by KERRY DEAF RESOURCE CENTRE 10.11.08

INTERPRETERS WORKSHOP

We would like to extend our thanks to the sign language interpreters who attended a workshop in our service at the weekend. The workshop was open to those working in the Munster area and was facilitated by Willie White. We had interpreters from Kerry, Cork, Limerick and Tullamore in attendance. The day was a great success. Further workshops will be held in the near future. The next workshop will be held in the Cork Deaf Association on the 29th of November and will be facilitated by Veronica White.


OUR CONTACT DETAILS
Donations/fundraising: www.mycharity.ie/charity/kerrydeaf
Website: www.kerrydeaf.com
Bebo page: http://www.bebo.com/Kerrydeaf
E-mail: kdrc@eircom.net

Kerry Deaf Resource Centre
4 Gas Tce, Tralee, Co. Kerry. IRELAND

Tel: 066 712 0399/ Fax: 066 712 0386/
Mobile: 087 633 4687

Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies

Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies

Edited by Mona Baker, Gabriela Saldanha

Price: $405.00

ISBN: 978-0-415-36930-5

• Binding: Hardback
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 28th October 2008
• Pages: 704
• Illustrations: 11 drawings and 2 tables

About the Book

Praise for the previous edition of the Encyclopedia of Translation Studies.

'Translation has long deserved this sort of treatment. Appropriate for any college or university library supporting a program in linguistics, this is vital in those institutions that train students to become translators.' - Rettig on Reference

'Congratulations should be given to Mona Baker for undertaking such a mammoth task and ... successfully pulling it off. It will certainly be an essential reference book and starting point for anyone interested in translation studies.' - ITI Bulletin

'This excellent volume is to be commended for bringing together some of [its] most recent research. It provides a series of extremely useful short histories, quite unlike anything that can be found elsewhere. University teachers will find it invaluable for preparing seminars and it will be widely used by students.' - The Times Higher Education Supplement

' ... a pioneering work of reference ...' - Perspectives on Translation

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies has been the standard reference in the field since it first appeared in 1998. The second, extensively revised and extended edition brings this unique resource up to date and offers a thorough, critical and authoritative account of one of the fastest growing disciplines in the humanities.

The Encyclopedia is divided into two parts and alphabetically ordered for ease of reference.

Part I (General) covers the conceptual framework and core concerns of the discipline. Categories of entries include:

• central issues in translation theory (e.g. equivalence, translatability, unit of translation)
• key concepts (e.g. culture, norms, ethics, ideology, shifts, quality)
• approaches to translation and interpreting (e.g. sociological, linguistic, functionalist)
• types of translation (e.g. literary, audiovisual, scientific and technical)
• types of interpreting (e.g. signed language, dialogue, court).

New additions in this section include entries on globalisation, mobility, localization, gender and sexuality, censorship, comics, advertising and retranslation, among many others.

Part II (History and Traditions) covers the history of translation in major linguistic and cultural communities. It is arranged alphabetically by linguistic region. There are entries on a wide range of languages which include Russian, French, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese and Finnish, and regions including Brazil, Canada and India. Many of the entries in this section are based on hitherto unpublished research. This section includes one new entry: Southeast Asian tradition.

Drawing on the expertise of over ninety contributors from thirty countries and an international panel of consultant editors, this volume offers a comprehensive overview of translation studies as an academic discipline and anticipates new directions in the field. The contributors examine various forms of translation and interpreting as they are practised by professionals today, in addition to research topics, theoretical issues and the history of translation in various parts of the world.

With key terms defined and discussed in context, a full index, extensive cross-references, diagrams and a full bibliography the Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies is an invaluable reference work for all students and teachers of translation, interpreting, and literary and social theory.

Mona Baker is Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. She is co-founder and editorial director of St Jerome Publishing, a small press specializing in translation studies and cross-cultural communication. Apart from numerous papers in scholarly journals and collected volumes, she is author of In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation (Routledge 1992), Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account (2006) and Founding Editor of The Translator: Studies in Intercultural Communication (1995– ), a refereed international journal published by St Jerome since 1995. She is also co-Vice President of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS).

Gabriela Saldanha is Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. She is founding editor (with Marion Winters) and current member of the editorial board of New Voices in Translation Studies, a refereed online journal of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies, and co-editor (with Federico Zanettin) of Translation Studies Abstracts and Bibliography of Translation Studies.

TRANSLATION STUDIES/LANGUAGE LEARNING

About the Author(s)

Mona Baker is Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Manchester, UK. She is co-founder and editorial director of St. Jerome Publishing, a small press specializing in translation studies and cross-cultural communication. Apart from numerous papers in scholarly journals and collected volumes, she is author of In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation (Routledge 1992), Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account (2006) and Founding Editor of The Translator: Studies in Intercultural Communication (1995- ), a refereed international journal published by St. Jerome since 1995. She is also co-Vice President of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS).

Gabriela Saldanha is Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. She is founding editor (with Marion Winters) and current member of the editorial board of New Voices in Translation Studies, a refereed online journal of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies, and co-editor (with Federico Zanettin) of Translation Studies Abstracts and Bibliography of Translation Studies.

CDS Funding Under Threat - ACT NOW!!!

I will add an ISL translation of this information soon.

Forwarding this email from Lorraine Leeson, Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin:

In August 2008, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) announced that they would end core funding to all higher educational bodies and establish instead, a Strategic Innovative Vulnerable Subjects (SIVS) fund. The Centre for Deaf Studies (CDS) completed an application for funding in September, but as yet have had no response from the HEA. Effectively, our ring fenced core funding ended at the end of the College's financial year (30 August) and we currently have money to keep us going until December 2008.

The bottom line is that we need to ensure that the HEA realises just what depends on continued core funding:

(1) We have just received verbal notification that we have been successful in securing a tender to run a postgraduate programme in ISL. Without core funding, will not be able to prepare for or implement this.

(2) SIF II (Strategic Innovation Funding, Cycle II)- these funds are currently frozen - but when re-activated, money coming in through SIF is matched against CDS core funds. Any reduction in core funding will mean a reduction in SIF funds. This will limit severely our plan to roll out a 4 year blended learning degree in partnership with the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, NUI Cork, the Tipperary Institute and the Limerick Institute of Technology.

(3) SIGNALL Project- we are half way through this EU funded project and core staff are working on this project. A reduction in funding will impact on our ability to pay occasional lecturers, meaning core staff will be called on to cover teaching normally covered by part-time and occasional lecturers, with the result that they will a not be able to contribute to these EU projects as we have been contracted to do due to time constraints.

(4) D-Signs - this EU project which is just about to start will be affected in the same way as the SIGNALL project.

Beyond CDS, the implications are significant - the most striking being that without ongoing funding, the training of ISL/English interpreters will cease, having a devastating impact on the Deaf community for many years.

I have attached a leaflet that briefly summarises the key issues. We really need your assistance on this issue in terms of bringing the issue to the attention of the HEA via our political representatives and via the main stakeholders who will be affected by any reduction in CDS activities. I am more than happy to talk through the key issues further with you.

I am contactable at 087 66 700 28.

Sincerely,


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

Translation & Interpreting - NEW ON-LINE FREE JOURNAL

NEW ON-LINE FREE JOURNAL

Translation & Interpreting is a NEW refereed international journal that seeks to create a cross-fertilization between research, training and professional practice. It aims to publish high quality, research-based, original articles, that highlight the applications of research results to the improvement of T&I training and practice. It welcomes contributions not only from well-known senior scholars, but also from new, young scholars in the field.

It is a free on-line journal, hosted by the University of Western Sydney’s Interpreting and Translation Research Node, with the objective to be universally accessible to researchers, educators, students and practitioners of interpreting and translation, as well as to others interested in the discipline.

Translation & Interpreting will be published twice yearly.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The editors are calling for papers for its inaugural issue. Deadline: 15th December 2008

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY WASLI

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY WASLI

On 2 Nov 2008 WASLI is 3 Years Old




Why not give a Birthday present for WASLI?


Donate 3 hours pay
treasurer@wasli. org

Buy 3 WASLI Conference 2007 Proceedings for you and 2 friends
http://www.wasli. org/Shop. htm

Get 3 colleagues to become WASLI members
membership@wasli. org

Sponsor 3 people to become WASLI members
membership@wasli. org


Send in 3 articles of news from your country
secretary@wasli. org


If you would like to make a donation to WASLI contact:
treasurer@wasli. org





HAPPY BIRTHDAY WASLI

From all your friends and colleagues




Zane HEMA
WASLI Secretary
secretary@wasli.org
www.wasli.org

The Use of Non-Accredited Interpreters

Kerry Deaf Resource Centre email update, 28 Oct 2008

THE USE OF NON-ACCREDITED INTERPRETERS

Our service has been campaigning for a long time to ensure Deaf people are provided with appropriately qualified interpreters.

In the Corkman newspaper on the 16th of October, they ran an article on a court case where all the charges were dismissed due to the mishandling of interpreting access.

The paper reported that "the difficulties arose regarding a statement made by witness Marie O’Sullivan on the night of the incident, and the qualifications of an interpreter used at the court hearing. Tom O’Sullivan, defending solicitor for Laura Kelly, called for the case to be dismissed onthe basis that there had been a statement taken from a witness without an interpreter on the night of the incident..... In addition, he said, an interpreter used in court at a previous sitting, on September 3, had not been properly qualified.

Following that sitting, Mr O’Sullivan had sent Gardai information contending that the interpreter used for key witness Marie O’Sullivan in court was not properly qualified. “She [Laura Kelly] is entitled to fairness,” said Tom O’Sullivan. “I believe that the issue that has arisen is due to the interpreter, as she was not properly trained"

This is certainly a wake up call for Gardai, Courts and other agencies.There have been a number of incidents in Cork where a non-accredited person has been booked via Access Translations. The HSE and Court Services use Access Translations for sign language interpreters- however none of the agencies ensure the person booked is appropriately accredited to do the work.

We will continue to campaign to ensure only accredited interpreters are booked for all interpreting assignments.



MINISTERIAL ORDER ON INTERPRETER USE IN GARDA INTERVIEWS

To prevent cases collapsing as the one above, we need to be aware of the rights that Deaf people have in Ireland and ensure these rights are respected.

In the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 (Treatment of Persons in Custody in Garda Siochana Stations) Regulations, 1987.(8) (a) Where an arrested person is deaf or there is doubt about his hearing ability, he shall not be questioned in relation to an offence in the absence of an interpreter, if one is reasonably available, without his written consent (and, where he is under the age of seventeen years, the written consent of an appropriate adult) or in the circumstances specified in paragraph (7) (a) (iii).

For more information on this regulation, check out the following

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1987/en/si/0119.html

Bitter anger as charges in Kanturk assault case dismissed

ALL charges have been dismissed in a case where an alleged violent incident between young women in Kanturk led to one of the teen being hospitalised with her face a mass of injuries.

At Kanturk District Court, charges of assault against sisters Laura Kelly, 42 St Theresa's Place, Kanturk, and Mary Kelly, Coolagella, Kanturk, relating to an incident at O'Brien St in Kanturk on April 15, 2007, were dismissed 'on merit' by Judge Michael Pattwell.

At the start of the eighth listing of the case at Kanturk, lawyers for the defendants pointed out a number of difficulties with the prosecution case, and Judge Pattwell subsequently dismissed all the charges.

The difficulties arose regarding a statement made by witness Marie O'Sullivan — who can't hear or speak — on the night of the incident, and the qualifications of an interpreter for Ms O'Sullivan used at a previous court hearing.

Gardai had appealed for the case of alleged assault of Nadd woman Nadine Picton (18) to be adjourned.

On the night in question, Nadine Picton ended up receiving hospital treatment for a number of facial injuries incurred in an incident earlier that evening in Kanturk. Ms Picton claimed she had been assaulted by the Kelly sisters — a claim denied by Mary and Laura Kelly.

The case, first mentioned in court on December 2007, had been adjourned for a succession of reasons, until October 1 last.

In court on October 1, a statement was made by Garda Padraig Reddington appealing for yet another an adjournment on the basis that a key witness had, in their opinion, become hostile.

"There is an application by the state to adjourn this matter. There is a hostile witness and other matters arose," said Garda Reddington.

However, Tom O'Sullivan, defending solicitor for Laura Kelly, called for the case to be dismissed on the basis that there had been a statement taken from a witness without an interpreter on the night of the incident. In addition, he said, an interpreter used in court at a previous sitting, on September 3, had not been properly qualified.

Following that sitting, Mr O'Sullivan had sent Gardai information contending that the interpreter used for key witness Marie O'Sullivan in court was not properly qualified.

"She [Laura Kelly] is entitled to fairness," said Tom O'Sullivan. "I believe that the issue that has arisen is due to the interpreter, as she was not properly trained.

Inspector Colin Collins agreed that an issue arose regarding the interpreter and he added that the witness herself, Marie O'Sullivan, might be unsuitable to give evidence.

For the full article go here - be warned, the photos used in this article may be distressing.

DODGEMS - Interpreted Play

VENUE: O’REILLY THEATRE

BELVEDERE COLLEGE

GREAT DENMARK STREET

DUBLIN 1

Dodgems is a seductive theatrical collage of fantasy and reality. The light and dark of the fairground plays upon the motley crew of characters which inhabit this dreamlike realm. If you’re David Blane, you’re insane, if you’ve a club and spade, you’ve got a trade, if you can dodge and feint you can paint and if you are feeling tired you’ll be after an uncle Ned to Bo-Peep in.

DATES: RUNS UNTIL SUN 12 OCTOBER

TIMES: TUES – SAT 7.30

MATINEES SATS 2.30

SUNS 3.00

TICKETS:

TUESDAY – THURSDAY: €28/€26

FRIDAY – SUNDAY: €33

SAT MATINEES: €22

All performances are Sign Lanugage interpreted.

Contains material of an adult nature.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:
“… the set is exquisite. A real bumper track morphs from pastoral scene to pole dancing club to nunnery and is a brilliant testament to CoisCéim’s characteristic and ingenious skills with staging.” -Stephen Mulkearn, Metro

“Director/Choreographer David Bolger & Charlie O’Neill hit on a marvellous concept, blending the exotic but unconventional ways of outsider circus folk, whose difference we revel in and even enthusiastically accept, with the experiences of our new outsiders … terrific staging and performances” -Seona Mac Réamoinn, Irish Times

“the marrying of several folk dance traditions raised the roof” -Seona Mac Réamoinn, Irish Times

“… the act of colliding versus the act of avoiding – and it underpins much of what O’Neill and choreographer/director David Bolger set out in Dodgems…. serges into a finale of show-piece dancing, a joyous and seemless integration of folk dancing styles” -Michael Seaver, Irish Theatre Magazine

DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER DAVID BOLGER
WRITER CHARLIE O’NEILL
ORIGINAL MUSIC ELLEN CRANITCH
SET DESIGN PAUL O’MAHONY
LIGHTING DESIGN JOHN COMISKEY
COSTUME DESIGN KATHY STRACHEN
SOUND DESIGN ALEXIS NEALON

CAST INCLUDES: PIOTR BAUMANN JASON E. BERNARD SIMONE CHOPLAIN LEE CLAYDENAMANDA COOGAN UNITA GAY GALILUYO GIER HYTTEN MÓNICA MUÑOZ MARÍN VANESSA MANUNGA EMMA O’KANE DIANE O’KEEFFE MARK O’REGAN DAVID TOOLE
LITTLE GIRL: SHAUNA HARRIS KARLA ONG ELIZABETH OZYUIANUINA MUSICIANS: DAVID CARMODY ELLEN CRANITCH SIMONE MENDONCA

A tribute to Kathleen O'Brien - too young to die

Reposted from the KDRC's website www.kerrydeaf.com. Many thanks for this harrowing and shocking story.

This week's update is dedicated to our client and friend Kathleen O'Brien who passed away last week at the tender age of 39. She passed away peacefully after a brave battle with advanced cervical cancer.

Kathleen was Deaf and a sign language user. She had a learning disability, night-blindness, was a member of the traveller community and lived alone for many years. A couple of years ago she was attacked in her home in the middle of the night and had to live in a homeless hostel for many months. She had difficulties with literacy skills and retaining information.

However, this did not stop her from being a very well liked person. She was a regular visitor to our Centre- sometimes coming in for a chat and a cup of tea up to four times a day. She always had a smile, a wink, a nod and thumbs up for everyone she met.

Kathleen required the support of accredited sign language interpreters and Deaf advocacy services. Given her range of disabilities and challenges, you would imagine, it would have been easy for our service to get support for Kathleen? With the introduction of Equality and Disability legislation, supports would be provided with little or no trouble?

The reality was shocking!!! Kathleen attended many appointments with public services and Government bodies without any access being provided to her. When she scribbled down she wanted an interpreter, this request was ignored on many occasions.

When our service became aware of this, we began to lobby on her behalf and came up against obstacle after obstacle particularly within the Health Service Executive. It was difficult to get through to the relevant people within the HSE to arrange, sanction or book an interpreter. We were sent from pillar to post, time and time again.

As it became apparent that Kathleen was becoming unwell, Veronica White from the National Chaplaincy for Deaf People (NCDP), Deaf Advocates and freelance interpreters began to work with Kathleen. On many occasions, these people worked with Kathleen without pay.

The Medical Centre that Kathleen attended started to insist on interpreting access. When these requests were made to the HSE, it was a huge challenge to get sanctioning. We received one e-mail from the HSE asking if it was absolutely necessary for Kathleen to have interpreting access, given she had been attending many appointments on her own for many years.

Government Departments and Public Services are obligated to provide reasonable accommodation to persons with a disability. According to our Barrister, it is clear that the HSE are failing to meet their obligation under The Equal Status Acts and The Disability Acts.

As Kathleen's condition started to deteriorate, she was admitted on a number of times to hospitals in Kerry and Cork. Again, it was a huge struggle to ensure accredited interpreting and advocacy was provided for her. Our service sent e-mails, interpreting leaflets, made phone calls, and typed up a business card stating Kathleen required the services of an interpreter. Staff from our Centre, the NCDP, Cork Deaf Association and freelance interpreters began to lobby on Kathleen's behalf. Requests were ignored many times.

As the process was time consuming and very tiring, we were forced to contact the Ombudsman's Office, The Equality Authority and The Minister for Health. Independent mediation was brought in and thankfully all the necessary supports were put in place immediately.

Unfortunately for Kathleen, this support was too late. It was provided to her in her last few weeks on earth. Why wasn't this support put in place years ago?

If professionals were able to communicate effectively with Kathleen, they would have been more able to assess, diagnosed and treat her earlier. Communication is a central aspect of our daily lives. Our ability to communicate with others dictates our access to vital resources such as healthcare. According to Bagley (1998), communication underlies everything else and is the most important issue for most disabled people.

Is the difficulty of access just a Kerry based issue? Unfortunately not!! Hands On, a TV programme for the Deaf ran two programmes recently on the problems that Deaf people are facing throughout Ireland with the HSE. It's time to stop talking and time to start acting. Kathleen like many other Deaf people are not being afforded equal rights. We need equality of access for all Deaf people before anymore of them die.

In addition to communication support- why was Kathleen not given a smear test? Pre-cancerous changes that occur to cells in the cervix can be detected by means a smear test. This is the 2nd Deaf woman to die of advanced cervical cancer in Kerry in the last three years.

The Government needs to implement a national screening programme for ALL women. Deaf women are not being tested and have died as a result. How many more women need to die!!

In the end, our fight for Kathleen was worth it. Kathleen died with dignity surrounded by family and friends. We would like to thank all those who supported us in our fight for Kathleen.

We would particularly like to Veronica White, Suzanne Carey, Susan O Callaghan, Ray Greene, Willie White, Dearbhla Lenihan (Independent Mediator), the staff of the Clounalour Medical Centre, Arlington Lodge, Dr. Sheahan and all those who cared for Kathleen, Mairead Carey and to the staff of our service. We could not have provided Kathleen with the love, care and compassion she deserved without your hard work and commitment.

We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to Kathleen's family. They accepted us into their lives at a very hard and sad time. It was an honour and a privilege to work with them all. It was clear to see that Kathleen was deeply loved by all of those from the travelling community. Many of her family and friends had learnt a very unique signing system that Kathleen devised and taught them. It showed that she was a very intelligent and loyal person who had great ability to communicate with people.

It's just a shame that many of the professionals who dealt with Kathleen didn't communicate with her in her chosen language- sign language.

Kathleen was a great lady - a true inspiration and a hero. She struggled throughout her life and never lost her smile. Even in her last days, she had a smile, a wink, a nod and thumbs up for people.

We will work hard to ensure her struggle changes the lives of many people for the better. May she rest in peace xxx

MEAN^DEEP BUT DEPEND CONTEXT

Lorraine Leeson and Susan Foley-Cave (2004): 'MEAN^DEEP BUT DEPEND^SITUATION'*: Some Reflections on the Challenges of Interpreting Semantics and Pragmatics in an Irish context.

This paper challenges two related notions:(1) that interpreters are not actively involved in creating the discourse that they ‘mediate’ and (2) they are impartial with respect to both the message and the participants in an interpreted event. While much has been said regarding the myth of neutrality vis-à-vis interpreters in medical settings (Metzger 1999) and in police interviews (Wadjensjo 1998), we wish to look at the particular challenges that face interpreters in the postgraduate education environment, specifically, in a classroom dedicated to introducing topics in semantics and pragmatics.

We suggest that the challenges of discussing the semantics of one language in translation demands decision making on several levels on the part of the interpreter. We outline some of these and consider the consequences of such decisions. We also discuss the role of consultation with students and staff regarding appropriateness of message transfer and contrast the practice of active preparation, consulting and decision making both on and off task with the notion of the interpreter as mediator and impartial bystander.

Finally we suggest that while the decisions made by the interpreters in the semantics/ pragmatics classroom are influenced by a metalinguistic framework, similar decisions are made in other interpreted domains. We suggest that old, highly embedded models of interpreter as conduit continue to influence understanding of the interpreters’ role and that this needs to be challenged in order for us to come to appreciate more fully the nature of co-constructed interpreted discourse in action.

Review of Interpreting Service for Deaf People in the Northern Health and Social Services Board

This report is a product of the Northern Board’s Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Strategy ‘New Directions: New Opportunities’. The report reviews the current arrangements for people who are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH) and who need to obtain interpreting support when accessing health and/or social care services. The report recommends how these arrangements can be improved.
Read the full report here: http://www.nhssb.n-i.nhs.uk/publications/social_services/Review_of_the_Interpreting_service_SMT_10.06.04.pdf

Exploring the research and policy gaps: A review of literature on women and disability

This report commissioned by the National Disability Authority has some interesting points about Deaf people and medical interpreting - most from outside Ireland though.

Here's Chapter 7 that deals with Communication Barriers.

National Council on INterpreting in Health Care (NCIHC)

Found a really good site on medical interpreting - mostly US-focused and about spoken language interpreting, but some great stuff nonetheless.

"The NCIHC is a multidisciplinary organization based in the United States whose mission is to promote culturally competent professional health care interpreting as a means to support equal access to health care for individuals with limited English proficiency."

Had a bad day interpreting? Awwwww. Bless. Check THIS out, whingers. :-P

"The U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan employ hundreds of interpreters to assist with its communications with the local populations. "

An armed Iraqi interpreter on patrol with U.S. troops on the streets of Baghdad, Iraq (April 2005).

I'm guessing no one has any problems with this guy when he needs to clarify something.

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Interpreter+(spoken+language)

ITIA Paper - Interpreting, Translation and Public Bodies in Ireland: The Need for Policy and Training

Mary Phelan, "Interpreting, Translation and Public Bodies in Ireland: The Need for Policy and Training"

This is an excellent article that neatly sums up the situation in Ireland with regards to spoken language interpretation - routes to working, profile of the typical interpreter, legal rights etc.

It was released on February 2007 and is held on ITIA's website.

Highly recommended.

Interpreter Humour (No, it's not an oxymoron)

A Mafia Godfather finds out that his bookkeeper has screwed him for ten million bucks. This bookkeeper happens to be deaf, so the Godfather brings along his attorney, who knows sign language.

The Godfather asks the bookkeeper: "Where is the 10 million bucks you embezzled from me?" The attorney, using sign language, asks the bookkeeper where the 10 million dollars is hidden.

The bookkeeper signs back: "I don't know what you are talking about." The attorney tells the Godfather: "He says he doesn't know what you're talking about."

That's when the Godfather pulls out a 9 mm pistol, puts it to the bookkeeper's temple, cocks it and says: "Ask him again!" The attorney signs to the underling: "He'll kill you for sure if you don't tell him!"

The bookkeeper signs back: "OK! You win! The money is in a brown briefcase, buried behind the shed in my cousin Enzo's backyard in Queens!"

The Godfather asks the attorney: "Well, what'd he say?"

The attorney replies: "He says you don't have the guts to pull the trigger!"

Researcher would like to talk to interpreters who have worked with asylum seekers

Dear ITIA interpreters,

I am a final year student of Interpreting at the University of Mainz (FASK Germersheim) in Germany. I am currently in Dublin, researching for my final dissertation on Community Interpreting in Ireland. I am going to concentrate on interpreting for asylum seekers.

I am writing to you because I am looking for interpreters working in this field (in any language) who would like to share their experiences with me. It would be of immense interest and help for me to talk to some of you about community interpreting in Ireland in general, and especially about the area of asylum seekers.

I will be looking at the issue from all perspectives: service providers, asylum seekers, and most importantly, interpreters. I would like to find out about your experiences regarding awareness about the importance of using professional interpreters as opposed to family members, service providers' attitude towards interpreters and the use of interpreting, problems arising during the interpreting situation, your experiences regarding different authorities (immigration, health care, legal, garda, etc.), and also more general questions, for example the lack of undergraduate courses in interpreting in Ireland, and so on.

Finding out what the interpreters themselves think about the situation of community interpreting in Ireland one of the core aspects of my dissertation and I would appreciate your help very much. I can meet you whenever and wherever suits you best for a short interview. It would not take up much of your time but it would be of immense help for me.

Please contact me per e-mail ( DoertheW@hotmail.com ) or by phone (086-8924285 ) if you are interested in sharing your experiences with me.

Thank you very much for your time.

Kind regards,

Doerthe Woltermann

Time to change attitudes

Hearing children often have to take on huge tasks to help parents and siblings, reports Sheila Wayman

WHEN AMANDA Dunne was a young child, she would often pray at bedtime that she would be deaf when she woke up in the morning.

"Up to about the age of 12, I really wanted to be deaf like everyone else," she says. Her parents, Brenda and Eugene, are deaf, as is her only sibling, Darren.

From the day she was born, Dunne was learning to communicate with her immediate family through Irish Sign Language (ISL).

Having hearing grandparents helped her to pick up spoken English, although she was referred to a speech therapist when she started school: "They noticed I was not pronouncing things the right way." But she says that not all hearing children of deaf parents would have that problem.

Growing up in Rialto, Dublin, she does not believe she had a radically different childhood from her friends.

"The only thing I would have noticed was that my parents had a lot more difficulties with everyday things.

"Not through any fault of their own, but because of the attitude of the wider community."

She found it hurtful that people would presume her parents were stupid.

"It can be upsetting for a kid if people are disrespectful to your parents and if you see your parents being treated as different. It still happens today," says Dunne (26) who has just qualified as a professional ISL interpreter after a two-year course at Trinity College.

As the only hearing member of the family, she was inevitably called on as a child to interpret using ISL for her parents, sometimes in far from appropriate circumstances.

It was not that her parents wanted her to do it, but often there was no choice.

At school in Loreto Crumlin, she turned this to her advantage at parent-teacher meetings.

"When the teacher said 'Amanda is not being very good', I'd say: 'She says I'm great.' They copped on to that soon enough."

As an adult, it can still be difficult. At the end of last year, her father had a heart attack at home, and was admitted to hospital for a week.

"I was pulled in to interpret for him," she says, and the medical staff did not seem to consider for a moment that it might not be appropriate to use his daughter, who was going through her own emotions.

"I was all over the place. I never thought to ask for an interpreter," she says.

But she finds it "really infuriating" that hospitals will provide interpreters of foreign languages, but are very reluctant to pay for ISL interpreters. If a deaf person asks for an interpreter, she says, the attitude is "they are Irish, can't they write it down?"

Willy White, a hearing son of two deaf parents, says he and his five siblings had to communicate on their parents' behalf when growing up in Tralee, Co Kerry, more than 30 years ago. At that time there were no ISL interpreters around.

"As a child you took on responsibility at a very early age. It was a burden you are socially and linguistically not equipped to carry," says White, who is an ISL interpreter.

He set up the Kerry Deaf Resource Centre in 1999 when, despite the legislative improvements for the deaf community through the Equal Status Act and Disability Act, there was very little happening on the ground.

"I wanted to change that," he says.

White believes there is still a lack of awareness of the obligation to provide support for deaf people.

He was talking to a neurosurgeon recently who thought it was "brilliant" that the seven-year-old child of a deaf patient was able to come in and interpret through ISL.

"You can't have a seven-year-old child interpreting at a neurosurgical appointment," says White. "And this is an intelligent guy. There is a naivety out there in many ways."

Tue, Sep 02, 2008. © 2008 The Irish Times

Only 25% of firms take on disabled graduates

JUST ONE-in-four businesses employs a graduate with a disability, a new survey has found. This is despite the number of third-level students with a disability having tripled in the last 12 years, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (Ahead) revealed yesterday.

Half of the 300 employers surveyed by TNS/MRBI had interviewed a candidate with a disability. However, almost three-quarters of employers believed a job candidate should tell an employer if they had a disability.

Three-quarters of employers had not had any disability training, and 45 per cent did not understand that reasonable accommodation can include the use of a sign-language interpreter.

"Employers fear some sort of reprisal if they 'get it wrong' when recruiting or employing a graduate with disabilities," said Ann Heelan, executive director of Ahead. "They are worried about legislation, their own knowledge of disabilities and how to manage them, and productivity levels," she added.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 © 2008 The Irish Times

2003 Special Olympics: Deaf people’s group criticises facilities at Games

Thursday, June 26, 2003 :

A DEAF people’s group has harshly criticised the organisers of the Special Olympics for not doing enough to cater for their needs in the opening ceremony.

The Irish Deaf Society said the provision of a designated box area with a sign language interpreter for the duration of the ceremony was only agreed at short notice and was really a half-measure.

The society’s administrator, Cormac Leonard, said he was hoping mistakes made by the organising committee would be corrected in time for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.

Special Olympics spokesperson, Julian Davis, said they had all major speeches signed on the screen behind the stage. Signing of the music and any other words spoken was available within two of the corporate boxes if needed. A fax and mobile number was given out for anyone who wanted to have sign interpretation throughout the entire three-hour event. Mr Davis said six people availed of the service.

The Irish Deaf Society had accepted the arrangement as a good solution but complained that it segregated them from the rest of the 75,000 spectators.

Mr Davis said they had tried to cater for everybody but it was not possible to have a perfect solution for every situation.

Mr Davis said he had originally thought that they could have 100% signing on the stage and that this would be satisfactory but that proved not to be the case.

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2003/06/26/story915562675.asp

Lisa Dunne - ISL Interpreter in Irish Independent

Two worlds collide: A wider knowledge of sign language would make life a whole lot easier for the thousands of profoundly deaf people in this country

By Sue Leonard, Irish Independent, Monday September 01 2008

(Click above link for all the article)

...Lisa Dunne, 24, doesn't remember when she realised that her family was 'different'. An only child of deaf parents, known as a CODA, Lisa was always mixing with her extended family, many of whom are also deaf.

"My dad has two deaf brothers," says Lisa. "One has two children, one is deaf and one hearing, and the other brother has seven children, two hearing and five deaf. We are all very close."
Lisa used sign language to communicate with her parents. She learned it from them naturally, but was it tough, having to do all the talking for her parents?

"Being between the two worlds, these worlds that did not 'get' each other, could be hard," she says. "You are a kind of mediator. It was difficult sometimes, but it wasn't traumatic. I just went with it.

"It's not a strain at the time, but it can be inappropriate," she says. "I would have known bank and insurance details, and my parent's medical details. It is better, if possible, that parents do not always rely on a child to interpret. But often they don't have a choice."

After a year at college studying International Event Management, Lisa realised that the career was not for her. So she studied ISL at Trinity College Dublin, gaining an accreditation to work for a government agency as a freelance sign-language interpreter.

Rewarding
"I love my job," she says. "It takes me everywhere in the country. I might be at a business meeting, at a conference, or in a college signing to a deaf student from the front of the lecture hall," she says.

"It can be rewarding, but some deaf people go through hard times. And because we have to be neutral, there is not a lot we can do at the time. That can be frustrating."
What was it like, though, being brought up in a quiet home?

"Well we still had rows," she says. "We'd become really animated. The best thing, though, was when my friends stayed over. If we came in late we could make as much noise as we liked. My house was really popular!" she laughs.

- Sue Leonard

Interpreting for the IDS Thailand Trek

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, here's an article from the Fingal Independent about the Irish Deaf Society Thailand trek on which I was one of the interpreters. (Oh, also, i didn't tell them i was a 'deaf interpreter'!)

There are also lots of other accounts of the Trek in the most recent Irish Deaf News.

More Resources for Interpreters

Found two new internet resources to do with interpreting.

Interpreter Training Resources: The only dedicated site for students of conference interpreting is a good site, primarily geared towards spoken language conference interpreting but also maybe of interest if interpreter training is your bag.

ProZ.com: The Translation Workplace is again a site more geared towards translators of spoken language and requires a lot of entry of your own info before you can get started but if you're looking to achieve a higher worldwide profile for yourself or your agency - give it a try.

The translation workplace

Arranging for Sign Language Interpretation Abroad: A Disability Service Provider Perspective

Disability services offices across the [USA] are asking themselves whether or not to provide accommodations for Deaf students who hope to travel abroad through educational exchange programs. After the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ruled that Arizona State University did not have to provide interpreter services for a Deaf student who wanted to attend University College in Cork, Ireland, in January 2002, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported, “Advocates for students with disabilities say the decision… could cause some colleges to begin denying many students accommodations when they want to study overseas.”*. However, the Arizona case remains one ruling among several regarding overseas accommodations, leaving the educational community with lingering questions.

Read the rest of this article here or here.

Irish Times - Deaf woman contests jury exclusion

Deaf woman contests jury exclusion


A DEAF mother of two has brought a landmark legal action against the Courts Service and the State challenging her exclusion from jury service on grounds of her deafness.

Joan Clarke says she should not be deemed ineligible for jury service merely because she is deaf, and that any such exclusion is discriminatory and in breach of various provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003.

She wants to perform “this important civic duty” on the same basis as everyone else and was frustrated at not being allowed to when she was summoned for jury service before Galway Circuit Court in April 2006 but was subsequently excused from serving, apparently on grounds of her deafness, Ms Clarke said.

She is entitled to be facilitated to serve on a jury by means of a sign language interpreter, she contends. Gerard Hogan SC, for Ms Clarke, argued the fact she is deaf should not mean she is automatically excluded from jury service and there was no justification for such a blanket exclusion.

The real issue, under the Juries Act 1976, is whether she is “incapable” of serving and that issue should be decided judicially in open court and not decided administratively, he said.
Ms Clarke, identified as a homemaker, of Hassling, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co Galway, and her husband were in court yesterday for the opening of her action before Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe.

The proceedings were signed for Ms Clarke and other deaf persons in court by two sign language interpreters.

The case has been brought against the Galway County Registrar, the Courts Service, Ireland and the Attorney General, with the Human Rights Commission as a notice party.

Ms Clarke is represented by the Free Legal Advice Centres. In opposing the action, the State denies the claims of unconstitutionality or breaches of the ECHR Act 2003. It says that, under the Juries Act, Ms Clarke is ineligible for jury service due to the “permanent infirmity of deafness” and denies that Ms Clarke is entitled to have appropriate arrangements made to accommodate her deafness and enable her serve as a juror.

Among other arguments, the State contends the presence of a sign language interpreter in a jury room would breach the “absolute confidentiality” of jury discussions.

In an affidavit on behalf of Ms Clarke, Evelyn Conroy, chairwoman of the Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters, said all practising interpreters must be members of that body, which has a code of practice and of ethics.



Judgment reserved in deaf woman's challenge to State's bar on jury duty

THE HIGH Court has reserved judgment on a landmark legal challenge by a deaf mother of two to her being excused from jury service apparently on grounds of her deafness.

Joan Clarke says she should not be deemed ineligible for jury service merely because she is deaf and that any such exclusion is discriminatory and in breach of various provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Act 2003.

The real issue, under the Juries Act 1976, is whether she is “incapable” of serving and that issue should be decided judicially in open court and not decided administratively, she said.

Ms Clarke says she wants to perform “this important civic duty” on the same basis as everyone else and was frustrated at not being allowed to when summoned for jury service before Galway Circuit Court in April 2006, but was subsequently, against her wishes, excused from serving apparently on grounds of her deafness. She is entitled to be facilitated to serve on a jury by means of a sign language interpreter, she claims.

Ms Clarke, a homemaker, Ashlawn, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co Galway, has been deaf since birth. Her husband is also deaf and they have two hearing children.

Represented by the Free Legal Advice Centres, she brought her action against the Galway County Registrar, the Courts Service and the State with the Human Rights Commission as a notice party.

The three-day hearing concluded this week before Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe who reserved his decision.

The proceedings were signed for Ms Clarke and other deaf persons in court by two sign language interpreters.

The State has denied the claims of unconstitutionality or breaches of the ECHR Act 2003. It argued that, under the Juries Act, Ms Clarke is ineligible for jury service due to the “permanent infirmity of deafness” and denies that Ms Clarke is entitled to have appropriate arrangements made to accommodate her deafness and enable her serve as a juror.

Sign a song:Interpreter conveys music visually

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/08/sign-a-song/

Unlike most members of music groups, Shirley Childress doesn't play an instrument or sing. In fact, when she performs with her ensemble - hometown favorites Sweet Honey in the Rock - she remains cloaked in silence.

Shirley Childress interprets the music of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock through sign language.

Miss Childress delivers her part of the harmony using only her hands, her body, her face - and yet, the impact of her storytelling is no less profound than that of her louder counterparts. To some people, her performances are the sun around which everything else onstage circles.

The performer who possesses this rare skill is a sign-language interpreter who proudly "sings" in the key of A: American Sign Language, accessibility and, not least of all, artistry.

The child of deaf parents, Miss Childress learned sign language early. "My parents used to sing," she says, leaning over a steaming cup of mint tea at Busboys & Poets restaurant in Northwest. "My mom would break out into song in a minute. She sang, but in sign language."

The performer recalls with glee the road trips her family took when she was a child and the ever-graceful gestures her mother would make from her passenger-seat vantage point.

"Beautiful mountains and rivers," Miss Childress says, while her hands carve out a delicate poem in the air, her long-sleeved white blouse sighing. This is the way her mother used to do it - her mother, who once, in church, moved a man to tears with her sign-language rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

In 1980, the younger Miss Childress got the opportunity to touch hearts with her own hands when she received an invitation to join Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all-female black a cappella ensemble that was looking to expand the reach of its spiritual, social-justice-seeking message.

At the time, Miss Childress had years of experience working as a freelance sign-language interpreter and lots of exposure to "signed song" via her parents. But standing up onstage, using her hands to weave a complex mix of words, melodies and meanings into one cohesive silent show? This was a new bag.

Interpreting a music concert isn't a cut-and-dried, word-to-word job. It's more like translating a great piece of literature. There are countless choices to make, and each has a consequence. Word choice, rhythm, facial expression, body language and movement, how much and what type of background is provided on the song and the songwriter - all of these factors contribute to the audience's understanding and enjoyment.

Sweet Honey in the Rock includes (from the left) Shirley Childress, Aisha Kahlil, Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Casel and Ysaye Maria Barnwell. Miss Childress (also below left) is the group's sign-language interpreter. (Sharon Farmer/SFPhotoworks)

Like any expressive art form, the interpretation of music inevitably is highly subjective.

"If you look at a song like 'Stairway to Heaven,' if you give it to four different interpreters, you're going to see four different versions," says Justin Brown, cultural-access program manager at Silver Spring's Sign Language Associates Inc., a company that provides interpretation for more than 200 performing-arts events each year around the District.

To be good, interpreters must have not just sign-language know-how, but also confidence, stage presence, good judgment about what information to relay and the self-restraint to serve as a conduit rather than an attention hog.

"Sometimes you hear a piece of music, and the song or the lyrics might be nothing special," says Tom McGillis, principal sign-language interpreter for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. "But the music just really hits you in some way; it's so incredibly beautiful, so incredibly moving. ... I have to get that hearing-impaired person to in some way experience that, too. If I just say what [the singers] are saying, they might as well just have captioning up onstage."

Nearly 30 years after teaming up with Sweet Honey, Miss Childress is quite adept at leading deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members into a sonic world they otherwise might not be able to enter. She is an artist painting ever-changing landscapes with disappearing ink, and somehow, the overall picture - the sum of her every twisting, slicing, sweeping or stuttering brushstroke - gleams brightly when the song has stilled.

"I get excited about what I do," she says. "It's more than a paycheck."

The relationship between Miss Childress and Sweet Honey - in which the sign-language interpreter is an integrated performer who regularly rehearses with the group - is fairly unusual. Austin City Limits, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and some of the other major music shindigs regularly use interpreters, and other, more local music venues bring them in when requested by a ticket holder. (The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 requires organizations to provide "access" upon request.) In contrast to people like Ms. Childress, however, these sign-language experts typically have just weeks to learn an artist's catalog and style, which can limit their confidence and familiarity with the material.

So why isn't sign-language interpretation a more integral part of the concert world? Because it hasn't been historically; because sometimes artists worry about the cost and possible distraction; because many people question whether deaf and hard-of-hearing people would even want to attend a sound-based event.

Artists like Ms. Childress and Mr. McGillis argue that everyone should have the option to tap into music's power and beauty if they choose - and rather than drawing money and attention away from their respective groups, these performers bring added value.

"It's not intended to ... help your bottom line," says Kevin Dyels, director of talent acquisition at Sign Language Associates.

"It's part of a celebration of life," Ms. Childress says.

Gardai spent €3 million on interpreters last year

Gardai spent €3 million on interpreters last year
Sunday, August 10, 2008 - By Susan Mitchell

The Garda Siochána spent almost €3 million on interpreters last year, as the number of immigrants requiring translators continued to grow.

The Garda deals with over 200 languages and dialects on a regular basis. Between 30 and 40 companies provided interpretation services to the Garda last year, a spokesman said.

The Garda recently issued a tender for the contract, which is the biggest public sector interpreting contract in the state.

‘‘We are in the process of awarding tenders at the moment, which are at the valuation stage, and these contracts are expected to be awarded by the end of the year,” said a spokesman.

However, the Irish Translators and Interpreters Association (ITIA) said it was hugely concerned at the quality of the service being provided to major state bodies.

Mary Phelan, secretary of the ITIA, claimed that the quality of interpretation work being carried out for major public sector bodies was often inadequate.

A number of agencies rejected charges regarding the quality of interpreting services provided to the state. They claimed they provided extensive and ongoing training, and regularly monitored satisfaction levels.

‘‘There are no controls in place to ensure a quality service is being delivered. There is an assumption that anyone who is bilingual can interpret. That is not the case, and specialised vocabulary is often needed, particularly in a courtroom setting,” said Phelan.

The contracts to translate for the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Courts Service and the Garda are the biggest public sector translation contracts in the country.

Together, the three bodies had an annual bill of about €5.75 million in 2007.

The HSE spent €750,000 on interpreting in 2007. It has a list of preferred providers that it issues to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

The Courts Service has a contract with Lionbridge, a multinational company with an office in Dublin. The Courts Service spent more than €2 million on interpreting last year, and expects to spend €2.5 million this year.

Phelan said many translators, some of whom have degrees in translation, were not prepared to work for the low rates in Ireland.

The sector is awaiting the results of a €100,000 study on interpreters for the public service, carried out by consultants Farrell Grant Sparks.

Sunday Business Post, 10^th August 2008