ASL Interpreter Training

Any new workshops for ASL interpreters will be announced here on this page. Information below is the sample of our most recent workshop series.

The Art and Science of Interpreting Medical Encounters

Presented by – Dr. Wyatte Hall and Marlene Elliott, CI/CT

Description:
Using the framework of Interpreting as Interaction developed by Cecilia Wadensjö, this collaborative course explores in-depth the types of interactions that occur in medical settings, the interaction challenges that naturally occur, the linguistic and technical challenges for interpreters, the functions of the conversations that take place in medical spaces, and the tools that interpreters can employ to navigate these interactions effectively for all. We will focus a special lens on how issues of culture, power, and oppression can emerge in medical settings where the hearing and Deaf participants have divergent conceptualizations of how these interactions should take place. This course will be conducted in ASL and is structured to allow for in-depth practice at applying interactionist frameworks to real-world interpreting encounters.

After this session:

1. Interpreters will be able to reframe the interpreting process as a set of interactions with live persons present and apply this framework to their own experiences.
2. Interpreters will be able to identify specific functions of talk and practice using those functions as guides to interpretation.
3. Interpreters will be able to produce various interpretations from the same source talk/sign, gearing interpretations to recipients.
4. Interpreters will identify where issues of power and oppression can emerge when the expectations of hearing people, including interpreters, diverge from Deaf needs and expectations.
5. Interpreters will develop tools for ongoing development in medical interpreting to expand their knowledge base in various medical settings.