Sunday, September 27, 2009

October 2009 WAVLI Ripple

In This Issue:

Editors' Note
Message from the President
Remembering Dave Still

David Still

Musings from a 2009 Douglas Graduate
Blast From The Past
Is That Blood?
RID Conference

Sorenson VRS





Editors' Note
by Wanda Sinclair & Suzie Giroux



Autumn is setting in and we are having those glorious days filled with leaves of brilliant reds, oranges and yellows, geese flying overhead and crisp nights (at least we are out here in Ottawa, where I am - Wanda; and in Vancouver, the tell tale sign of fall - rain - has descended - Suzie). We hope you are all enjoying this time of year too.







This edition of the Ripple is dedicated to Dave Still, our dear friend, colleague, mentor, leader. He is sorely missed by everyone. The versitile bredth of Dave's contriutions to our profession and community is evident everywhere you look. Who has not benefitted from his teaching and insight into language, culture and human nature? Or enjoyed his wry sense of humour and readiness to laugh, his kindness and generosity? Each of us has a "Dave" story and draw a picture of him in our mind. His generous spirit and ability to teach were just the beginnings of a long list of what made Dave so valued in our community. To say he will be profoundly missed is an understatement.

Enjoy this edition of the Ripple and happy Autumn to all of you!





Message from the President
by Susi Bolender, BPA, COI

Here we are rolling into fall. Another season, another set of changes and adjustments to get comfortable with before everything changes again. One of the biggest changes over the summer was the loss of David Still. WAVLI has tried to honour his dedication to the field in several ways and we hope the membership is accepting of our efforts to recognize the incredible gifts Dave shared with us in the small ways in which we can remember such an amazing person.

As I am writing this article, we are very close to making our submission for Title Protection. This is the last leg of the incredible journey and while after our acceptance there will be a lot more work to come, this will have been an incredible milestone in the process. I really want to recognize the efforts and dedication of the Title Protection Ad Hoc Committee--Barb Mykle-Hotzon, Cheryl Palmer, Suzie Giroux and Sara MacFayden--that has continued to review documents, find errors and really go over the whole application several times.

Thank you to all of you have completed the numerous surveys that have come out through the fall. There have been strategic plan surveys fromAVLIC, Interpreter Education Surveys regarding Douglas and VCC programs and how to most effectively improve on areas of Interpreter Education. Your participation is really valued and needed so that we can make positive changes and continue the growth and recognition of our field. I was pleased to hear that there was a full group of registrants for the TOI preparation workshop this fall. It's really great that our chapter was finally able to run one of these workshops after having to cancel many times due to lack of participants.

I've really enjoyed my second term as president, though it was a short one due to the motion to stagger elections for various positions. I'm hopeful that someone else from the membership will be willing and ready to take on my role in the upcoming election at the Spring AGM. Other board members may be continuing for another term, but if you are curious or interested in joining the WAVLI board or serving on the Executive Board, I encourage you to talk to fellow members and find out what you might be interested in doing. Elections are only a few months away!

All the best over the fall and upcoming holiday season!


Reflection on a Presidential Term


Dear Members,

When I started on the board in 2007, one of the first things I wanted to do was get a sense of what the membership wanted from WAVLI. I did a long survey in which some interesting results came back. Some people noted just their general dissatisfaction with WAVLI as a whole, some people had some feedback, some people shared their ideas and visions about what they thought WAVLI should be.


I have had these on my mind the last few years and am proud to say that many of the suggestions and ideas that were shared through the survey have been accomplished, or we are getting there. As a new board starts another term, it is important to be reminded that we are the task force working for the members. Your comments and suggestions have been and are instrumental in guiding us in which direction we need to move. We are so thankful to those that take the time to get their ideas to us so that we can see what we can do to make it happen. Here is a look at some of the initiatives from the membership that we have been working on and continue to do so with the hopes of bringing them into reality:


Title Protection: All the steps for preparing the application for Title Protection are complete. It is just a matter of submitting the application. This has been the President’s main focus this term. Title Protection has been a 10 year goal in the making that is finally being reached.

4- Year Degree Interpreting Program: Currently the Member-at-Large participates on a committee that is discussing the changes of VCC and Douglas and making suggestions on behalf of the membership.

More Professional Development: In the past two and a half years we have had more frequent and a wider variety of professional development opportunities provided to our members. The current Professional Development Committee also strives to offer regular workshop opportunities, as well as supporting and encouraging participants to go ahead with the AVLIC CES-Interpreting Interactive Interviews workshop in 2010. They are also working on a ‘Spring Institute’; a pro-D weekend where members would be able to choose from a variety of workshops. These would be paired with a fundraising event that our newly formed Fundraising Committee is working hard to bring together. The fundraising Committee and Treasurer are also already in the early planning stages for WAVLI’s 20th Anniversary Gala, happening November 2010.


Improving WAVLI's professional image: In the past few years we have recreated the directory, the membership cards and the website. The current Directory Committee, with the help of the past committee are nearing completion on our directory and more significantly a template program of the directory that would make it easier and more efficient for future committees to use. They are also focusing on getting the directory listed on www.wavli.com website and make the information more current, while still leaving it to only names and emails. The Membership Committee is responsible for the printing and distribution of the membership cards and is continually exploring ways to better serve the members. The Public Relations Committee has been working hard making appearances at job fairs and centres distributing WAVLI brochures; as well as making presentations at ASL prep-classes trying to garner interest in our profession. The committee is also penning a Ripple article updating the members on all their work. Look for it soon.

Accessibility for Members: The behind the scenes positions on the board are always hard at work providing a variety of avenues in which the members can obtain information pertaining to the association, can use to contact the board or have their voices heard. The President is working hard recruiting new members to the board. The Vice-President responds to WAVLI email and also directs the email to the appropriate board members, ensuring the members get quick responses to their queries. They are also working at connecting with the membership at a more personal level and keeping in touch with what the members want. The Treasurer and Secretary make sure that all association business is properly documented. The Secretary is also working on an online storage for past and future AGM and executive meetings minutes that will be accessible through the members-only link off of the WAVLI website for the members to view. The Newsletter Committee strives to increase member submissions to the newsletter, as well as working on exciting newsletter additions such at online surveys, education articles, student submissions, poll questions, Island newsletter rep, an event sleuth and a possible committee photographer.

Reaching out to Members outside of the Lower Mainland: The Professional Development Committee with help from other board members conducted a phone survey, contacting every member in the province to solicit ideas and general feedback about what they would like to see happen with WAVLI Professional Development. We are also aiming to set up video conferencing for our business meetings (AGM's) and hopefully professional development and hope to have that ready to go for 2010. This is being researched by our Member-At-Large.

Deaf Interpreter Training: We offered a 30 hour course for Deaf Interpreters that had a wait-list. We hope to offer it again in the future.

Every election I ask the board members to come up with goals for their term. Two years is not a long time to get a project off the ground, successful and completed. Please connect with a board member to share your thoughts about our goals and what you want to see from WAVLI next so that we can make it happen. The board really works for the membership. We need your ideas, goals and dreams for WAVLI. It is your professional association and we're here to do the work.

Susi Bolender
WAVLI President



A Big Thank You to the 2007-2009 Board.
Thank you for all your hard work.




Introducing your Board 2009-2010:
Susi Bolender, President
Suzie Giroux, Past-President and Newsletter Committee
Rhys McCormick, Vice President
Simon Dorer, Treasurer
Barbara Zbeetnoff, Secretary
Heather Perry, Member-at-Large and Professional Standards Committee
Sarah McDiarmid, Professional Standards Committee and Public Relations Brianne Braun, Professional Development Committee
Nicole Pedneault, Professional Development Committee
Rebecca McCormick, Membership Darcie Kerr, Membership
Wanda Sinclair, Newsletter Committee
Julia Menzies, Directory Committee
Emily Allan, Directory Committee
Tess Iwama, Fundraising Committee
Carli van Rossum, Fundraising Committee



Remembering Dave Still
By Karen Malcolm

How can I summarize all that Dave was to me, and to all of us? He was a colleague, interpreter, educator, innovator, and friend, a humble guy with great intelligence, vast creativity, and a devilish sense of humour.

Dave was such an amazing colleague. He had great passion for interpreting, and teaching. He enthusiastically came up with new ideas all the time. I can picture him arriving at my office door, bouncing on the balls of his feet and saying, hey, I just had an idea of something we could try in class, want to hear it?

He was an innovator who embraced technology and the ways it could improve interpreter education. He was the first hearing person I knew who purchased a videophone and he was so thrilled to have a conversation with a long time Deaf friend in Winnipeg. He got me started using vlogs, and clips on YouTube, when the rest of us had never thought of using them in teaching. He introduced me to TokBox and Vimeo. I never knew when I opened an email from Dave what new exciting link he would have found…and when I couldn’t figure out how to actually use it, he was always there to guide me through it, though many times we would both be struggling and cursing as we tried to configure everything successfully!

Dave really cared about student learning and student success. Whenever students were struggling with mastering interpreting skills, Dave would always volunteer to spend extra time tutoring them. Twice a week, 30 minutes per week, Dave met with them and guided them along in their learning process. He did it with wisdom, and with humour.

One student recounted a tutoring incident to me that has really stuck in my mind. She had been struggling with a particular skill set and kept making the same mistake. She was getting really frustrated with herself and discouraged. So Dave had her do a live interpretation in his office. He told her that every time she made the same mistake, he was going to throw a chocolate covered espresso bean at her. (As a side note, why am I not surprised that he had a combination of caffeine and chocolate in his office? )

She began interpreting, and sure enough, she got bopped by a coffee bean several times. She couldn’t help but laugh, which broke the tension, but it also helped her recognize her pattern while doing it, and finally change. This is what I mean about Dave’s innovation as a teacher!

I miss him every day, in ways big and small, and I know for certain I am not alone in this. All of us in the interpreting program (faculty, staff and students), as well as our larger CFCS faculty, miss him…as do countless interpreters in BC, as well as throughout Canada and the US. He was taken from us too soon, and we can’t help but grieve, because he was so loved, and so important to us.

Dave’s family has worked with the Douglas College Foundation to establish the David Still Memorial Scholarship. It will reward and recognize students enrolled in the Program of Sign Language Interpreting here at Douglas. The amount and selection process will be determined later as the family established the terms of reference. If you wish to make a donation in honour of Dave and his contributions, please contact the David Still Memorial Scholarship at the Douglas College Foundation P.O. Box 2503, New Westminster, BC V3L 5B2 or 604-777-6172 or online at
http://www.douglas.bc.ca/visitors/foundation.html.


David Still
by Kevin Layne
On behalf of the Douglas College Interpreting Students

Dave Still was an outstanding instructor. One attribute that will be remembered about Dave is that he had the ability to be at your level. Whenever we had a problem Dave was there with support. Huge workload or not, Dave still found the time to sit with us and talk about concerns we had or stories to share. He made a huge impact in our lives even though most of us only knew him for a short amount of time, which says a lot about who he was. He has touched our lives personally and as a group.

Dave would listen to our opinions with an open mind, and would accept feedback even though we are students. In class when we practiced with the Still Learning DVD’s we would ask to view his version of the interpretation. We called this button the “Dave Button” (mainly because it says “Dave”), but would be a running joke for a while after. Dave would hesitate because he would analyze his work, even though completed and burned to DVD, which showed us that it’s not important what level an interpreter is at, analysing your work to improve is always necessary and at times nerve wracking.

Dave taught us that we have to consider the issues and “trust the process.” Without the process interpreting can go astray, and students would constantly worry. In addition, there was a side of Dave we were lucky to see, the humorous side. In our classes there were many laughs from Dave poking fun at us, or students teasing Dave. It was as though we would feed off the energy Dave had, not the other way around. He had a way of getting us back into a rhythm even in the last class of the week.

We are lucky to have had a chance to learn from one of the Grandfathers of Interpreting and a role model for male interpreters. It seems the ones that impact our lives the most are here for a short time, perhaps to show us the path to inspiration. Thank you for the time you have given us David Still. Your life and teachings will always be remembered in the hearts and hands of many.




Musings from a 2009 Douglas Graduate


Hello Wavli Members, my name is Farah Ladha and I am a recent graduate of the interpreter training program at Douglas College.

It was roughly two years ago that I was mulling over what to write for the Ripple as the WAVLI representative for my 1st year class. We were new and shy and nervous but the thing that stood out for me the most how supportive all the interpreters we met were.

As we continued through our two year journey at Douglas and more recently, working as professionals, we are once again new and shy and nervous but at least now we have learned ‘masking skills’! Honestly it is so great to see the support from interpreters continue as we transition from student to colleagues. Thank you.

As our class size decreased, the bond grew not only with each other but with our teachers who were the most amazing group of individuals. On behalf of myself and my classmates: Tess Iwama, Michelle Garland, Natalie Page, Carli Van Rossum & Tiffany Goodkey, we would like to say a special thank you to: Cheryl Palmer, Nigel Howard, David Still, Karen Malcolm, Barb Mykle-Hotzon and Boyd McWilliam for all their support, encouragement, shoulders to cry on, and most of all their sense of humor.

That being said the 2 years we spent at Douglas, while stressful and nerve wracking till the end, were the most fun. I could not have asked to graduate with anyone other than my fellow classmates who are also my friends, and now my colleagues.

Thank you,
Farah Ladha
Douglas College Interpreting Program Graduate Class of 2009!

In memory of David Still
1958-2009


"Your commitment to both your profession and students will never be forgotten and we will forever be in your debt for all that you have taught us"
~ Graduating Class of 2009











Blast From the Past
Submitted by Suzie Giroux

For this edition of our Blast from the Past, I waded through the many archived issues of The Ripple that I have, in search of an article from Dave. Alas, to no avail… However, one article caught my eye. Printed in the Fall 1993 edition of The Ripple, submitted by Marty Taylor, there were two quotes that stood out for me as something I believe that Dave would have held passionate to his heart and would have wanted all of us to strive for:

“How are you ever going to become that “superb” interpreter? How are you going to improve on what you are already doing and what you already know?”

“The simple rule to follow is to always interpret your best, which means with clarity and with 100% concentration.”

Practical Ideas For Professional Growth on Your Own Time
By Marty Taylor

Practice Idea #1
How are you ever going to become that “superb” interpreter? How are you going to improve on what you are already doing and what you already know?

What is it that you are doing? What it is, keep it up!

To help keep it up and improve, let me suggest a couple of ideas.

After you have finished each assignment, take at least five minutes to write down a few comments. Useful comments might be: sign choices you particularly liked; sign choices you know but did not have at your fingertips, such as Mennonite, Hutterite, peach or the apple with the brown spot.

On your paper, draw two columns and label them:
1. practice
2. ask someone/research



Even if you write down five points after each assignment and do at least ten assignments in a month, the total at the end of the month would be fifty points. This is plenty to keep you busy and to keep you focused in your own professional development.

Other comments you might write down could be things such as ethical issues you need to think about, ie: “How would I handle it differently next time, when the doctor hands me the prescription instead of handing it to the Deaf person?” Or, when you are voicing and your team member is not in a position to hear you as back-up, what do you do?

The importance of writing these items down can not be emphasized enough. It is important to have a record of your thoughts. Our mind is limited at to what it will hold on to after assignments are completed, and even more gets lost after weeks, months, and years pass by. A place for reflection is irreplaceable.

A written record to keep track of this is best. It is interesting after time elapses to look back on your scribbled notes and see how far you have come; or, on the other hand, notice that you still haven’t dealt with some of the items. You haven’t taken the time to do your research and those problems are still causing you difficulty. Or, you look at your comment and think, “Really, there used to be a time when I didn’t know the sign for Latin?”

Now that you have taken five minutes after each assignment and have accumulated comments that are interesting and that you have given thought to… share it… with others. Make an hour coffee date with someone you respect to discuss what it is you have learned over the past month. Find out what they think and ask them what they learned over the last while. Fair is fair… smile.



Practice Idea#2
Are you still taking time every day to practice – to rehearse – to perform – just for yourself? Or are you just practicing when you have consumers in front of you who are depending on your interpretation. Do you go into every assignment with a goal in mind as far as your performance is concerned? For example, I will fingerspell every word correctly the first time, or, I will use space to the maximum potential for the second half hour, and the second hour I will concentrate on my eye contact with the Deaf consumer.

Remember when some people first learned to fingerspell and he or she would spell what they heard on the television or say on the road signs as they were driving? Did you ever rehearse in your head and on your hands a particular important rendition of “God Save the Queen” or “Our Father”, or a speech you were going to interpret? These are examples of a desire to perform well and a recognition of the need to be prepared.

A suggestion is to take at least ten minutes periods from your day and practice. The easiest is to use the travel time to and from the assignment. Listen to the radio and choose a segment to interpret and interpret it well. Do it again until it is perfect. Take the time to go over “God Save the Queen”. Memorize it. Do it again and again until you are satisfied.

The simple rule to follow is to always interpret your best, which means with clarity and with 100% concentration.







Is that Blood??
by Denise Sedran and Tarren McKay

One of the most common things we hear from interpreters who are considering venturing into the field of medical interpreting is, “No, that’s not for me, I can’t stand the sight of blood”. Fortunately, for all of us closet hemophobes, blood is rarely an issue on the job. Most medical interpreting consists of visits to the family doctor, specialists, appointments for prenatal care or diagnostic testing ... the only blood you’ll likely encounter will be during routine blood testing .

Medical interpreting is both rewarding and challenging. The setting lends itself well to working consecutively which allows for a more effective interpretation, benefiting both the patient and the doctor. At the same time, medical interpreting can be challenging in numerous ways. One must learn how to navigate the medical system as a professional, deal with medical jargon and complex terminology, and at times deal with matters of life and death.

MIS encourages you to consider joining our roster of interpreters. As we all know, there is a critical shortage of interpreters and MIS is feeling this shortage as well. In the last 6 months, 145 appointments have been declined because no interpreter was available. Also in the last 6 months, we had 49 emergency on call shifts remain vacant with no interpreter assigned. This means that while a Deaf person is in the emergency room, our dispatcher is spending precious time trying to find an interpreter who is available to take the call.

Although we can’t resolve your hemophobia, we can help you prepare for the MIS screen and provide a mentoring opportunity to make the transition into medical interpreting that much smoother. Based on feedback from candidates who have taken the pre-screen workshop and the screen itself, we are currently modifying the workshop to allow for more one-on-one feedback from the facilitator. The workshop will also be offered well in advance of the screen to allow you to incorporate the feedback you have received and make the necessary changes that could contribute to your success.

In addition, if you are successful on the screen but still feeling a bit uncertain about jumping right into medical interpreting, we are providing a mentoring opportunity with one of our staff interpreters. You will experience on the job training, giving you the opportunity to observe and be observed. This will be paid work as MIS is committed to increasing our roster and supporting interpreters as they enter this field.

Should you happen to be unsuccessful on the screen, we can arrange for you to meet with our staff and view specific segments of your test sample that are linked to the feedback from the raters. Interpreters have found this extremely beneficial as it allows them to see the patterns in their work and receive suggestions on how to improve.

So, medical interpreting is so much more than blood. It is a fascinating area of specialty interpreting that is also an opportunity to provide a critical and much needed service to Deaf people and medical personnel.

Remember, in order to be eligible for the practical portion of the MIS screen you must first complete the written exam. For more information on either part of the screen or to obtain a copy of the written exam study manual contact MIS at MIS@widhh.com







21st National Conference of the
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
August 1 - 6, 2009

by Marla Spencer

Philadelphia - the City of Brotherly Love?

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - known as the City of Brotherly Love - was the location of the 2009 Biennial Conference of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. And I was there!

However, I wouldn't say my first impressions of Philly were particularly "loving". Upon arrival at the Philadelphia airport, another interpreter and I were scrambling to get a shuttle to take us to our hotels. I first approached a rather large woman at the shuttle reservation desk, who was quite absorbed in what appeared to be a personal conversation on a cell phone.

I tried waiting patiently, truly I did, but it was late and I was tired. I'm sure I did a stationary dance showing that I was in a bit of a hurry. She finally put down the phone and when I asked about how I could arrange shuttle pickup from "Lady Liberty" she shouted at me, quite rudely, that I would need a ticket and shoved one in my face. Then she told me (again in a voice many decibels too high) to use the complimentary phone to call the shuttle myself, which I did.

After contacting Lady Liberty shuttle service and giving them "my number" (the number on the little ticket I had been given - 71) the woman shoved another piece of paper and a small square box with lights into my hand and bellowed at me to wait outside. When I shared that I was told to wait inside for the shuttle driver, she began to yell at me again, and was joined now by a man with an equally loud voice. They were both shouting at me to take the "pager" (the small square box) and wait outside because no shuttle driver was going to come inside looking for me! Wow! I was feeling incredibly welcome to Philly at this point.

So Sherry (the other interpreter, from St. John) and I went outside to wait for the shuttle. There was a Lady Liberty van just across the street and a youngish man there was shouting too, only he had a purpose for shouting. He barked out, "66, 67, 68 ...". At which point, I hopefully inquired, "71?" He responded with , "Yeah, come on over. I'll take you". Sherry and I hurried to the shuttle, bags in tow. I handed him the paper and the pager, and he loaded up our bags while we piled into the van. We were joined by some other interpreters (also headed for the conference) and a few locals.

As Sherry and I were commenting about the loud, rude communication that we'd just experienced, a woman in the seat in front of us identified herself as a local and said, "That's just Philly for you! Everyone here talks like that." Oh, great I thought ... there's going to be more shouting, and I forgot to bring my earplugs!

The next morning I got another taste of "brotherly love". I left the Hampton Inn, on Race Street, and walked toward the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, on Market Street, where the RID conference was being held. My trusty Google map was telling me that I had found the right location, but I couldn't see the entrance to the Marriott. So, I was walking slowly, looking up at the tall buildings trying to spy a sign that would tell me that I was indeed at the right place. Just then a rather grizzly, disheveled (and smelly) man made a bee-line towards me and said, in a gruff (but quiet) voice, "Woman, get the f*** out of my way!" Oh, now I was definitely feeling loved!

Okay, so much for my introduction to Philadelphia. But I can say it was all "uphill" from there. Honestly these were my only "bad" experiences with Philly itself.

Now, about the conference. This was not my first RID conference experience, so I had some idea of what to expect. What I wasn't expecting was how much the conference attendance has grown over the years! The "largest interpreter conference ever held in the United States", had over 2,600 registered attendees (although we did hear that final attendance was over 3,000)! Whew! That's the approximate population of Quadra Island!

After picking up my registration package, including my name badge, my 10 year pin, and "ribbons", I got right to the purpose of my trip to Philly - earning CEUs! Over the next several days, I attended 10 different workshops and/or professional discussions, most of which were related to the field of Video Relay Interpreting because that is the area where I do the majority of my interpreting work these days. I won't go into details about each workshop/discussion. Suffice it to say that some were very worthwhile and others were merely "meh".

I also attended the Opening Ceremony (much too long!) and Reception, where we were entertained by the Deaf Performing Artists Network (D-PAN). I made sure to attend the Region V Caucus (of which BC is included), the Video Remote Interpreting committee meeting (because I am involved in the production of the Standard Practice Paper for VRI), and the new Video Interpreter Member Section (VIMS) meeting (a member group specifically for Video Relay and Video Remote interpreters). I was appointed Region V representative at this meeting, but more about that at a later date.

I did not attend the four hour business meetings on both Monday and Tuesday morning – bleah – not my style. I attempted to endure the Closing Ceremony, but I was just to pooped by that point to stay throughout. I returned to my hotel room before the Closing Ceremony was concluded, so I also missed the Closing Reception and entertainment that followed.

One other highlight of the conference was the special "International Tea Reception" on Wednesday evening, hosted by Cheryl Moose, current President of RID. All international registrants were invited to attend, so I made sure to make an appearance before scooting back to a workshop. While at the reception, I had the honor of introducing Cheryl to fellow BC interpreters, Suzie Giroux and Vicki Yee. (By the way, there were a record number of Canadians in attendance at the conference, too. Way to go, team Canada!)

I think that about wraps it up for the conference! The only other "highlights" were reconnecting with former friends and colleagues (deluxe!), a 3 hour self-guided walking tour of some of the most historical sites of early Philadelphia (yep, I saw the Liberty Bell), a traditional "Philly Cheese Steak" sandwich (if vegetarian can be considered "traditional" *smile*) and the Reading Street Market (incredible! amazing! a conglomeration of cuisine and culture) and finally ... touching down again in BC and getting home to my loved-ones!!

There is so much more to the story, but I think that's enough for this writing. I'll just close by saying that, although it got off to a "Rocky" start (get the reference?), the weather was fairly good for the duration, and most of the other Philidelphians I met were friendly and helpful to this "tourist/conference attendee". So, in reality, I guess I did get a taste of the “brotherly love” for which Philadelphia is known. (And the RID CEUs earned definitely made the trip worthwhile!)

If you'd like a more thorough look at what the conference entailed and the many workshops/professional discussions that were offered, visit:
http://www.rid.org/UserFiles/File/pdfs/2009_Conference/ProgramBook_final.pdf







Sorenson Communications launches school for interpreters
Taylorsville facility will help sign language translators and teachers hone their skills.
by Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune

Having created the telecommunications technology to help the deaf and hearing impaired to converse over the phone, Sorenson Communications now is focusing on developing skilled interpreters to complete the connection. The company has established the VRS Interpreting Institute at its Taylorsville headquarters, setting up classrooms for a half-dozen faculty members and building a 30-station lab where students can train -- and see how well they performed -- on the video relay service (VRS) videophones pioneered by Sorenson Communications.

"Our goal is to be the premier training site for sign language instructors," said Chris Wakeland, the company's vice president of interpreting.

The institute is not intended to take people off the street and turn them into interpreters. Instead, it is targeting the 1,500 graduates of North America's 150 programs that teach American Sign Language, people who have the basics down but not the practical skills needed to be fluent interpreters, whatever the subject matter.

And it can be used to help teachers in those dispersed programs do their jobs even better.

"We want to offer training to them so they can better assess their students and write tests better so that their students are better prepared to do the job when they graduate," Wakeland added. To get the program rolling, Sorenson Communications hired Carolyn Ball as the institute's first executive director.

She became interested in American Sign Language as an Idaho high school student when a deaf boy asked her out but they had trouble communicating because she did not know how to sign. She learned while on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, enhanced her skills while pursuing her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, then spent two decades developing educational programming. For the past 10 years, she was director of the American Sign Language & Interpreting Program at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo.

"I just lived with deaf people, and they told me what I did right or what I did wrong," she said.

What's wrong with the current system, Ball said, is that the Americans with Disabilities Act spelled out situations in which the deaf have the right to an interpreter -- such as dealing with schools or government agencies -- but provided little training for interpreters.

Interpreting can be tough work, she noted, leading to a high turnover rate. And it can be challenging to accurately convey the intended message, either from speaker through sign language to a deaf person or vice versa.

"It's particularly hard when you can be talking about family stuff, banking transactions, cars or signing up for classes," Wakeland said. "You can do a disservice to people if you don't interpret well."

The program Ball is developing allows students to handle interpretation scenarios, then go back through the videophone system to see if the message they conveyed matched what they really intended to convey. And to get better at it.

She is designing the system to be flexible, so that it can be tailored to the needs of small groups of instructors or interpreters who come to the institute seeking specific assistance. Ball also is creating a curriculum for a 15-week instruction period that will give college graduates intensive training.

"When they leave our program, they will be nationally certified and employable by whomever," she said.

Leaders in interpreting
Sorenson Communications has hired a number of leading sign language educators to lead its VRS Interpreting Institute, including:

Executive Director Carolyn Ball, director of the American Sign Language & Interpreting Program at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo.

Debbie Peterson, who comes from a deaf family in Alabama, and has taught around the country and has taught the use of international sign language.

Marla Broetz, who taught Salt Lake Community College, William Woods University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.Annette Miner who formerly taught full-time at Salt Lake Community College and coordinated
its interpreter education program.



Sunday, July 19, 2009

July 2009 WAVLI Ripple

In This Issue:



Editors' Note
A Message from the WAVLI President
Support the AVLIC 2010 Conference
AVLIC AGM - Halifax, NS
AVLIC Strategic Plan
Douglas College Distinguished Alumni Award
Puerto Rico
Blast from the Past





Editors' Note
by Wanda Sinclair & Suzie Giroux

Welcome to the new Ripple Blog. While there seems to be two camps when it comes to the permeation of technology into every avenue of our lives, you either love it or you hate it, most of you seem to enjoy access to The Ripple through this new format. In fact, 17 of 17 of you who who replied to the survey question on the Blog said you like it.

The Ripple will run four times a year; July, October, January and April.

As always, The Ripple will endeavour to provide a forum for sharing the myriad of perspectives that exist in our community and for promoting intriguing discussion. Our newsletter is a valuable tool for sharing our field and supporting each other as we continually strive to become the best we can be in our work.

We encourage all readers to submit articles relating to our profession for your colleagues to consider. Everyone has something to contribute - so get inspired and share your ideas through the newsletter Blog.

Hope you enjoy this edition!




Hello Members,

Seems like now we are just waiting for the sunny weather to remain consistent and then we'll be back to the hectic nature of fall before we know it! Things have been moving slow and steady with Title Protection which is my main focus for this term. Currently we have an Ad-hoc committee working on overseeing the process and right now we're just making sure we've got everything covered. Expect to hear more information soon on some areas where we will need member feedback on how to continue the move towards Title Protection for BC.

I attended the AVLIC AGM in Nova Scotia mid-June. It was a beautiful place (despite the fog!). At the Presidents' meeting there were some concerns about retaining membership for other chapters. Some other Provinces were struggling to recruit and/or keep members. I was proud to speak about our membership being almost 200 members strong! With recent changes over the last few years in our community, it's really supported WAVLI by growing into the largest chapter in Canada at this point, which leads me to the next part...

As many of you know the AVLIC 2010 Conference will be held in Ottawa. They have suggested a "Chapter Challenge" selling water bottles and air fresheners. The chapter that sells the most will get a free conference registration for one of its members. If you are not planning on attending the conference, please support AVLIC by buying a water bottle. We'll be posting more information about how you can get your bottle or air freshener soon and with our 200 members, there is a good chance we can win this challenge and a free conference registration for one of our members!

I'm really excited to move into the next term; we have a really energetic group of board members with many ideas for their terms. Some things we'd like to see happen are more information on how to proceed with our application for Title Protection which has been ongoing for many years, the possibility of a degree program for interpreting is finally coming to the table for discussion with various stakeholders and program review committees, a dedication to figuring out how we can make our business meetings and workshops more accessible for members outside of the Lower Mainland and continuing to streamline communications so that WAVLI continues to be an efficient and effective organization. The board will be meeting throughout the summer so we can continue to work on coordinating a busy fall.

My term will be complete in March 2010 at our next AGM, so I encourage members to start thinking about how they want to become involved on the WAVLI Board - it is only 8 months away! I'm looking forward to those next 8 months and hope to accomplish many of the goals I've set out to do before the end of my term.
On a personal note, I've finally graduated with my BPA which is a Bachelor of Professional Arts and my 2-years at Douglas counted towards the degree as block credit. If you are considering further Post-Secondary, don't forget that the 2-year diploma from Douglas does count at many universities for a block credit so for many Douglas grads, you're half-way through a degree if you choose to go that route. There are several WAVLI members that have already done this and if you're considering it, feel free to contact me and I can connect you with others that have graduated here in BC or through other universities.

Look forward to seeing members at upcoming professional development opportunities and for sure at the WAVLI Western Night November 4th!

Have a wonderful summer!
Susi Bolender, BPA, COI
WAVLI President




Hi Members! SLINC who is hosting the AVLIC 2010 Conference in Ottawa has challenged all AVLIC Chapters to a contest to see who can sell the most water bottles for their fundraiser. If we win, WAVLI will receive a free conference registration that we will raffle at the Spring AGM. Especially if you are not able to attend the conference in 2010, please show your support and click the link to BUY YOUR WATER BOTTLE




AVLIC AGM - Halifax, NS
by Susi Bolender

What can be said about the AGM in Halifax - short and sweet? The business meeting ended around lunch time and there were a few motions that needed discussion. Many of them were regarding specifics for bylaws and some "tidying up" that needed to be done.

There were two motions that took some more time to discuss: one about the WTK and one proposing an investigation into RID certification as an American Standard versus the TOI as a Canadian Standard. Unfortunately the movers and seconders of both these motions were not able to attend and it's always hard to discuss motions at non-conference AGM's because there are less members in attendance and it's hard to understand the motivations behind the motions without the people there to speak to them. The members in attendance shared lots of perspectives on both these motions and unfortunately for the people that made these motions, they were defeated.

There was lots of good discussion and perspectives that were raised and the AVLIC board was privy to all of those representations which they will probably be taking under consideration as they move through the phases of the Strategic Plan. From what was explained at the AGM, it sounds like an exciting direction for AVLIC and it will be great to get our west coast voice into the future directions by participating in any surveys, focus groups or online discussions that come as a result of the research and development phase of the Strategic Plan. Suzie Giroux will share more about it here, but to really get a sense of how AVLIC will be changing over the next several years, make sure you are saving up those Airmiles for the AVLIC 2010 Conference & AGM in Ottawa next summer!




AVLIC’s Strategic Plan
by Suzie Giroux

In Halifax, a motion was put forth for the AVLIC Board to participate in a Strategic Plan. The motion passed and as such, AVLIC has started the process of hiring Nathan Garber & Associates to guide it through a strategic planning process.

The end goal of the strategic plan is to improve operation and delivery of AVLIC’s programs to the membership and the communities that AVLIC serves. Through this, AVLIC will develop a more transparent approach to doing business and will establish a concrete direction towards achieving goals for continued success.

This strategic plan should include the following elements:
1. Recommendations for changes to AVLIC’s mission statement if necessary.
2. Recommendations for changes to AVLIC’s objectives if necessary.
3. Recommendations regarding the programs and activities that AVLIC
undertakes.
4. Recommendations regarding the division of responsibilities between
volunteers (including Board and committee members) and paid staff.
5. Recommendations for a staffing model.
6. Recommendations regarding financial measures to ensure that AVLIC has
sufficient funds to support the staffing model.


This would be developed as result of undertaking a strategic planning process which
includes the following activities:
1. Review AVLIC’s mission statement
2. Review AVLIC’s objectives
3. Review programs, projects and activities
4. Review current staff and volunteer deployment
5. Recommend reorganization of responsibilities among volunteers and staff
6. Determine job description of paid staff and other paid workers
7. Determine qualifications needed for paid staff
8. Determine costs for new staff
9. Recommend measures to raise the revenue necessary to pay for proposed
staffing

The motion in Halifax was approved to adopt the strategic plan with a cost limited to $25,000.

Budget Item Projected cost
Professional Planner consultant fees (1) $11,000
Strategic planning meeting with AVLIC Board and Planner (2) $5,000
ASL Interpretation and Translation costs (3) $7,000
Membership outreach such as mailings, meetings,
web based collaboration, administrative manager’s time (4) $2,000
Total $25,000






June 8, 2009

Distinguished Alumni Award recipient sets standard for sign language interpreters

Mission’s Marna Arnell was drawn to sign language interpretation by empathy and curiosity. Now a driving force in the field, the Douglas College Distinguished Alumni Award recipient is committed to making a difference in the interpreting community.

“Watching young Deaf people sign and interact was the most amazing unanswered puzzle I had ever seen,” says Arnell, whose curiosity was first sparked as a volunteer in an elementary school. Initially, she came to the Program of Sign Language Interpretation as a means to learn more about Deaf communication. Intrigued by the challenge of matching visual and spoken languages, she was hooked.

Arnell graduated from Douglas in 1991. Since then, she has been active with the provincial and national professional associations for sign language interpreters, including the Westcoast Association of Visual Language Interpreters and the Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada (AVLIC). At AVLIC, she has put numerous hours into revising the interpreter certification process. She also played an integral role in establishing pre-testing workshops to help interpreters improve their skills.

Today, Arnell works as a community interpreter, mainly in post secondary schools and via video relay, a service that allows Deaf people and those with hearing or speech impairments to communicate over the phone with hearing people in real-time. Last year, she was granted the Celebration of Excellence Award by the Disability Resource Network of BC.

Arnell continues to support her alma mater as a regular guest speaker in Sign Language Interpretation classes. “Her desire to see continued improvements in the field is infectious and she promotes high standards of professionalism to students. She has also mentored numerous alumni in their positions,” notes Cheryl Palmer, coordinator of the Sign Language Interpretation Department at Douglas.

After 18 years in the field, Arnell’s passion for the job remains intense. “Every day is new and the work energizes me. As a new field, interpreting requires each of us to be a researcher, a teacher and a student on the job. There are absolutely no limits to what we can achieve.”

Despite her accomplishments, Arnell is humble about receiving the award at the commencement ceremony on June 3.

“If anyone had told me when I graduated that I would one day receive this wonderful award, I would have had a good laugh at the thought. But I did have a dream and I was in the right place at the right time. I got to play a part in establishing interpreting services in the post secondary system in BC. Does this make me a Distinguished Alumna? I am not sure, but I treasure my years at Douglas College and I am deeply honoured to be this year’s recipient.”

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the quality of Douglas College graduates and their contributions to the community. Past recipients include Vince Tomassetti of Assistive Technology BC, poet Liz Bachinsky and Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Daniel Igali.






MISSION: Puerto Rico - Evangelical School for the Deaf
by Rudy Unger

Several people have asked me to write a report on our trip to Puerto Rico over Spring Break, so here it is.... If you'd rather just see the pictures, you can go straight to my web album at http://picasaweb.google.com/rudyunger/PuertoRico09?authkey=Gv1sRgCM3z4uu5moXJVQ&feat=directlink

This spring break (March 12-19, 2009) Vicki and I travelled with a group of 15 people to volunteer at the Evangelical School for the Deaf in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. We had seen the school last year when we were on vacation in the Caribbean and thought that it would be a great place to bring some of the teens and young adults in our weekly Bible Study. When we asked if anyone was interested in spending about $1000 to work for a week in a Deaf school in beautiful tropical location, it didn't take long to sign up our maximum number of 15 people. We had 7 high school and college students, and 8 adults, including some parents.

Since it was far cheaper to fly out of Seattle, we had to leave home at 2 am to catch our 8 am flight. Lynch Bus lines donated a bus which Fernando (from Victory Hill) volunteered to drive to Seattle. A Deaf church in Renton brought "bag breakfasts" for us at the airport, before we boarded our flight to Houston. Continental airlines treated us like VIP's. Since their safety protocols require them to "flag" Deaf passengers (11 out of our group of 15) for "special service", we were greeted at the gate in Houston with 3 large golf carts to take us to our connecting flight. We arrived in San Juan at 9 pm, and rented a van for the 1 1/2 hour drive to the little town of Luquillo, on the northeast corner of the island. Everyone was pretty tired after being awake nearly 24 hours, and the dorm beds looked very inviting!

The next morning breakfast was served at 7 am, followed by chapel at 8. By 8:30 we got started on our work assignments. A couple of the men started with fixing the lawn tractor, while most of the teens got started on clearing weeds with machetes or weed-eaters. The school is out in the country, mostly surrounded by jungle. Plants grow very quickly in the tropical sunshine, and there's always plenty of yard work to be done. The warm, moist climate also means that things rust very quickly, so there was lots of scraping and wire-brushing needed to prepare the iron security bars for painting. (There are no glass panes on any windows or doors, just screens, shutters and the security bars.) Our group painted almost all of the bars, except for a few second storey windows. One of the men in our group is a skilled cabinet maker, and he resurfaced most of the student desks, and turned several blackboards into whiteboards.

Even though we all worked hard every day, we did manage a trip to the beach most afternoons. It was incredible to jump in the huge waves. The bay at Luquillo Beach is like something you'd see on a postcard - lined with huge coconut palms, and sand the colour and texture of coarse brown sugar. Since we were away from any major tourist areas, we usually had the entire beach to ourselves.

All week we alternated work, play, and visiting with the staff and students at the school. Since all but one of the school's 15 students go home every evening, we were able to use the dorms for our accomodations. The rooms were simple, and the mattresses thin, but after all the hard labour, we all slept well!

Puerto Ricans do eat different foods than what we're used to, and while they import a lot of items, those tend to be much more expensive. Vicki was in charge of our meals and faced her biggest challenge doing the grocery shopping with a Deaf Interpreter. This Deaf woman is the school's volunteer cook and she is only partially fluent in ASL and Spanish. I didn't witness it, but we all had a good laugh at both of their descriptions of their shopping trip! Even though Puerto Rico is a US territory, the main language is Spanish, and English is not that common in the rural areas. The good news is that the Deaf people use ASL, and the school teaches both written English and Spanish!

In addition to all our work at the school, we also got to do some sightseeing. We drove up to the El Yunque National Forest and climbed the observation tower for a spectacular view of the island. On Sunday we visited the Deaf Church in San Juan and also took some time to go shopping in Old San Juan, and to visit the fortresses around the oldest walled city in the Americas. Driving our extended 15 passenger van on the narrow cobblestone streets was quite a challenge. I learned to follow the routes that the tour bus drivers used, and drove over the same curbs that they did, in order to navigate the tight corners.

Another first for most of our group was the opportunity to use Video Relay Service to call home. Since internet connections in Puerto Rico tend to be quite unreliable, when we finally got an interpreter on the screen, we kept them on line while everyone took turns calling home. Most of the parents and spouses back home had not experienced VRS either, so it was a real treat for all of us. It was especially fun one night to see some familiar interpreters from Vancouver! ("Hey that's the person who interprets at my school!")

The highlight for many of us was our catamaran/snorkeling trip on the last day. We sailed out to a tiny unpopulated island with nothing but palm trees and white sandy beaches. It was amazing to snorkel along the reef that divides the Caribbean from the Atlantic - there were so many fish all around us, eating out of our hands. It felt like we were swimming in a tropical aquarium. Several people even saw stingrays and sea turtles! Many of our group got sunburned, but everyone felt that it was worth the pain!

A lot of people have asked when we will be going back. At this point we don't have any definite plans, but I would love to go back -- let me know if you're interested in joining us next time!

By the way, don't forget to look at the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/rudyunger/PuertoRico09?authkey=Gv1sRgCM3z4uu5moXJVQ&feat=directlink




A Blast From the Past!
by Suzie Giroux

My how times have changed! Or... have they? In this feature of The Ripple, we'll go back in time and publish an article from the past. For this issue, it's interesting how history can often repeat itself. Is the current perceived shortage of interpreters really new? Maybe not. Read on...

The Ripple
February 2000
by Marna Arnell

Post-Secondary Interpreter Shortage: What is the Answer?

In British Columbia, as in most of North America, there is currently a shortage of qualified interpreters. There is also an increasing number of students who are deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing attending post-secondary institutions.

In response to the need to promote qualitative service, the Interpreting Services Project has developed a system to advertise available interpreting positions in BC. Interpreters deemed “competent” on the Post-Secondary Screen receive automatic notification of every opportunity posted by a college or university via the British Columbia Institute of Technology “Jobsline.”

Should the job not be filled, ISP then resends the posting to a secondary list of interpreters who have not yet taken the Screen but have training, experience, and who have demonstrated professionalism in the post-secondary system. If there is still no response, the job is sent to interpreters outside of the province via professional interpreting associations. Despite our best efforts, postings still remain unfilled.

One answer suggested by some students is to hire individuals who are not professional interpreters. Often students will request to attend class with a friend or family member who can sign and who works in the interpreter role. Unfortunately, this form of service can lead to problems around the role of the interpreter, the quality of the interpretation, and educational success.

Other students decide they do not want to wait to attend college or university until an interpreter is available. Colleges and universities in BC strive to provide the most educationally sound service possible, however, they also face the need to provide access to the students. This situation has resulted in the need for some creative solutions.

One approach is to offer an alternate service should interpreting not be available. Electronic note-taking and captioning can be an effective solution for some students. It is important, however, to consider the student’s literacy level and course content when evaluating these alternatives. A trial of the new service should be carefully evaluated by the student, service provider, and coordinator.

The Interpreting Services Project, in conjunction with the field, has developed a draft “Alternate Service Form for Student Who Use Interpreting” which outlines the conditions regarding the provision of alternate services and explains the specific steps a coordinator has taken to retain a qualified interpreter on the student’s behalf. There is an emphasis on the student’s role within the educational team and the evaluation process of the alternate service provided. The student and coordinator sign the form, indicating the student is accepting the access alternative. Should the alternative service not be successful, coordinators make every effort to hire qualified interpreters.

This process has been implemented to:
 Communicate clearly to students the effort made by the college or university to secure interpreting services.
 Encourage self-advocacy on the part of students in determining services that result in educational success.
 Meet legal access requirements for students who are deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing.

We are expecting to incorporate feedback regarding the process and form by the end of February and would be happy to share it with you at that time. If you have any further suggestions to help resolve the interpreters shortage, please contact us at…

Thursday, April 9, 2009

WAVLI Fundraiser (November 4th, 2009)

WAVLI WESTERN NIGHT!
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Roosters Country Cabaret
# 4 -19040 Lougheed Highway, Pitt Meadows, BC, V3Y 2N6
Phone: 604 465-5552 | Fax: 604 465-2357

Tickets - $10
Tickets include 2 slices of pizza and a beverage of your choice!

Live country music band – huge dance floor!
TRY YOUR HAND AT THE MECHANICAL BULL!

WAVLI Silent Auction table will be up through the evening to bid on!
(Auction donations to Deb Miyashita please! )

Come have a fun night of music, food, dancing and socializing!
Wear your best Western gear – cowboy hats optional (but great!)

Where is the next generation of interpreting educators? - Karen Malcom

Where is the next generation of interpreting educators?
by Karen Malcolm

As we mark 20 years of interpreter education at Douglas College, my thoughts can’t help but turn to the future. Our current educators have been doing this work for a long time, and are all of a similar generation. That generation will eventually retire, and I wonder, who will be waiting to take our places and continue to prepare interpreters for the field? Perhaps it may be you! I would like to offer some thoughts about the skills and credentials an educator needs, and what the work entails.

First off, teaching interpreters is incredibly rewarding work. Watching the professionals who provide quality service in the field, and knowing I was part of helping them learn the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, is so satisfying. Most interpreters, I believe, have strong ideas about what constitutes best practice. Being an educator allows you to act on your convictions by shaping the education of new interpreters.
Students ask great questions and I feel that I grow in understanding and improving my own work as I articulate my reasoning for my own practice. In addition, I get to work with other colleagues who are also passionate about interpreting. There is a constant sharing of new ideas, new research and new resources. Working in an educational institution provides access to the library and on-line academic resources, as well as the collegiality of teachers in other fields of study, who share their understanding of teaching and learning. It is stimulating!

Requirements for interpreter educators

Interpreting skills and community respect

We all know the field of interpreting continues to grow and develop, and the requirements for educators have continued to change accordingly. When I started teaching, the main requirement was “good” interpreting skills. The assessment of what those “good” skills were was subjective, because we didn’t have national certification yet in Canada. Educators were individuals who were well known in the Lower Mainland and/or nationally, and who had contributed to the Deaf community and interpreting community both.
That requirement still stands. Without community support for the educators in the program, it can’t succeed. We need community support in so many ways; in advisory capacities, as Deaf role models, as twins, and as practicum supervisors, to name just a few.

But assessing interpreting skills has become more objective with the implementation of the Canadian Evaluation System. I would urge every person considering becoming an educator to participate in the TOI workshops, and to ultimately obtain the COI. This is an objective demonstration of having reached a level of interpreting skill that is recognized across the country.


Academic qualifications

Academic credentials were seen as something to strive for twenty years ago, but were not required. When I first started teaching at Douglas in 1988, there was one person with a Bachelors degree among the teaching team of 5. (It wasn’t me. I ended up returning to school to complete a Bachelor’s degree, and then to continue on to get a Masters. In fact, three other current faculty all completed degrees while also teaching, or are in the process of doing so.) In our current teaching team of four, we now comprise a team with two Bachelors degrees and two Masters. So one of the considerations for those wanting to teach is continuing your academic study and securing degrees. While we don’t yet have a BA program in Interpreting, it is possible to take the diploma from Douglas and transfer into either of two Bachelor degree programs offered through Athabasca University, and we also have an unofficial transfer precedent set with the University of the Fraser Valley and the University of Calgary. Some valuable areas to consider studying include education, adult education, linguistics, sociology, anthropology and community studies. I encourage people to consider graduate studies as well, even to as high a level as a PhD. One day we will have Bachelor programs in interpreting in Canada, and we will need people with PhDs to teach in them!

There is a graduate program offered online through Northeastern University, located in Boston, which is specifically geared for teaching interpreting. Our colleague Debra Russell is one of the faculty. It prepares students to actually teach interpreting. Of course the drawbacks are the expense, since Canadians are considered to be foreign students and pay correspondingly higher fees, and the on-line format, which does not necessarily suit every student’s learning needs.

Western Oregon University, which is just south of Portland, Oregon, has a Bachelors in Interpreting, and are considering establishing a Masters in Teaching Interpreting, so that will be interesting to watch for. But of course, staying in Canada and taking a Masters in Adult Education or Sociolinguistics, or other fields, can also be very useful.

Teaching interpreting

If you have established good community ties, obtained certification, and also have academic qualifications, how do you actually learn to teach interpreting? Those who have studied adult education will have the principles of lesson planning, curriculum development, and planning and leading learning activities that work successfully for adults. Those who have studied in other areas can take the Provincial Instructors’ Diploma Program, which is offered on a part time basis at Vancouver Community College, and provides an introduction to the elements of successful instruction and assessment. Still, the actual teaching of interpreting can remain a mystery. Fortunately, the field of interpreter education is maturing, and there are more and more publications and resources to use. The Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT) offers monthly online newsletters, that often include teaching ideas, and hosts conferences biennially where a vast array of presenters comment on ways to prepare interpreters for a wide range of settings and challenges. Their website is www.cit-asl.org.

It is likely thought that the way new educators are being prepared will still need to be through mentorship. We need new people to start to work with existing faculty, and to be mentored through the process of teaching interpreting. Shadowing teachers in the classroom, and starting to act as an assistant, is one possible route. We haven’t done this yet at Douglas, but are considering offering this in the future. We would not be able to offer any guarantees of employment, and would also need to know that you are commencing with the steps listed above to prepare yourself as an educator, but if you are interested, or have further questions, please contact me at malcolmk@douglas.bc.ca.

Conclusion

I hope that listing these requirements does not present too daunting a picture, or discourage those who are interested. It’s important to remember that some of these steps can be occurring simultaneously. For example, you can be working as an interpreter, developing expertise so that you are ready to pass the TOI, and at the same time be a part-time university student. The flexibility of interpreting allows for combinations of work and study. And there is still time to develop your abilities too. We may be an aging faculty, but we still have some good years left, so there will not be a complete turnover of educators within the next decade. Nonetheless, these changes WILL take place, and I hope some of you will plan to become the educators of the future.

Two Hours – Two Interpreters? How did we get there? - Deb Miyashita

I have never been one to mince words, and the focus of this article will likely do nothing to ameliorate that perception in people’s minds. J As a COI (borderline pass for sure, but COI never-the-less) with 33 years experience, I was recently challenged for taking 2 hour assignments by myself. “We’ve negotiated a teamer for those assignments – why are you doing the meetings by yourself – you’re affecting our professional standards!” I was told in a phone call. “Because I can – and easily,” I replied.
After I hung up the phone, I looked long and hard at the situation and vowed to monitor my ability to concentrate, my error rate, the impact on the meeting of having only one interpreter and what situations a single interpreter seems to be quite adequate for a 2 hour assignment. I came to the conclusion that I was providing satisfactory interpretation service, was not becoming unduly fatigued (in fact I sometimes find it more tiring to work with a newer interpreter and support them than to just go on “auto pilot” and do the job myself) and the consumer(s) were getting good service at half the price.

Why then has the norm in our field become Two Hours – Two Interpreters, I asked myself? When did this policy creep in and under what situations does it make sense or not make sense? Several possibilities occurred to me.
Perhaps new or recent grads cannot process information with the speed or ease of a more seasoned interpreter and need the support of a teamer to do a good job. If this is the case, should I be charging more because I CAN do some 2 hour assignments (certainly not ALL) by myself with ease? Should they be charging less? If I get $40 an hour, perhaps newer interpreters who need the support of a teamer should charge $20 each, thereby covering the assignment with alacrity and not costing the consumer double to make up for their lack? Or maybe this has nothing whatsoever to so with money?

Perhaps I am deluding myself into thinking I am doing an adequate to good job alone without benefit of a teamer? The feedback I get from the consumers is not supporting this presumption, and most regular consumers of interpreting services are trained to call a 10 minute break each hour (regardless of whether they have one or two interpreters). I’m good at advocating for my own breaks as well. I find it easier to clarify a missed point or perception with the speaker directly than turn to a teamer who has likely missed the same thing I have or was on “screen saver” and not attending to the speaker anyway – by the time I’ve looked to a teamer for support, it’s often too late or awkward to stop the speaker for clarification. Hmm??? Curious and more curious!

I decided to do a quick Google Search – Two Hours Two Interpreters – and came up with the following quotes.

The Canadian Hearing Society booking policy states “Assignments of two hours or less may be covered by one interpreter, provided the material is not overly technical, fast-paced, or involves numerous individuals participating in rapid interactions. In these circumstances, even for a period of less than two hours, two interpreters may be needed. Regardless of the number of interpreters present at an assignment, a minimum 10-minute break is required after each hour of interpreting.”

The Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services interpreting policy reads “Interpreting is a very taxing activity, both mentally and physically. Research has shown that an interpreter's ability to mentally process the message and interpret it accurately diminishes drastically after approximately 20 minutes of interpreting. Additionally, the rate of repetitive motion injuries among sign language interpreters is very high. Therefore, when an assignment is over 2 hours, two interpreters will be scheduled; they will relieve each other approximately every 20 minutes, to ensure that the message is interpreted accurately for the full length of your assignment.”
Both these policies state two hours or MORE, two interpreters.

Deaf Expression Inc. states, “One-on-one and self-paced meetings can use a single interpreter for the full two hours. Because of the slower pace and less formal situation, an interpreter will usually have some natural down time and the opportunity to take a break if necessary.” They do go on to talk about repetitive strain injuries and mental fatigue in more demanding settings and suggest a thorough assessment of each assignment before the decision to send two interpreters is made.

Interestingly enough, spoken language interpreters also have policies around numbers of interpreters. ATIO (Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario) states the following:

For simultaneous or whispered Interpretation

i. for meetings with two working languages, working both ways in a single booth:
o maximum 40 minutes 1 interpreter
o maximum 3.5 to 4 hours 2 interpreters
o maximum 6 hours 3 interpreters
o maximum 8 hours 4 interpreters


And across the water in Australia, the policy is the same. Echo Interpreting in Boronia Vic, Australia have the following statement in their policy online, “

Assignments consisting of large groups or complex information under two hours duration may require a second interpreter and this will be at the discretion of Echo Interpreting and will be negotiated at the time of booking.”

Please don’t misunderstand me – I realize there are some 30 minute meetings or settings that require 2, 3 or more interpreters. But for our every-day type of community meetings, are we not doing the Deaf community a disservice by demanding 2 interpreters automatically before we see if the assignment couldn’t be well served by a single interpreter? I do and I’m interested in other people’s feedback and opinions.
Happy interpreting,
Deb Miyashita, BA, COI

Times of Change - Message from WAVLI President

TIMES OF CHANGE

Hi Members, by the time you read this it's possibly after the April AGM which was our Election AGM, so maybe I am no longer the President (today is March 1st, so hard to predict!). Either way, I'm either grateful for the experiences I've had over the last two years of my term and wish all the best to the new President, or, if I'm still President, I'm looking forward to many new and exciting things over the duration of my next term.

We've all heard the familiar saying that "change is hard" but I feel that the next few years will bring some significant welcomed changes with our organization. At this point the 2007-2009 board has made some progress on the work with title protection, we've also revamped the website, designed new directories, new membership cards and had well over 10 professional development opportunities bringing in presenters from various locations as well as continuing to learn from our own local talent. We've had the first curriculum Deaf Interpreter training modules and had some great activity from some of our committees, specifically the K-12 Educational Committee that works in partnership with CAEDHH and hopefully we'll see some exciting change within the specialization of educational interpreting over the next few years.

I wanted to take an opportunity to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the board members who have served with me over the past two years and all the members who took the time to connect with me and offer their feedback and suggestions to make WAVLI a stronger organization.

Here's looking forward to lots of change over the next term as well!

Susi Bolender
President

WAVLI 2008 Award

Congratulations to Jami Nystrom the 2008 recipient!  She was awarded at the recent Spring AGM on April 4th.  Here are some of the things that were said about her contribution to the field:

If this person has not been nominated before, I’m sure you would agree her impact on our professional field need to be recognized. Here are some of the highlights:
Graduated in 1989, 20 years of experience
While she is one of the most talented and skillful interpreters, she also has a supportive and humble attitude.
She has a wicked sense of humour that can lighten even the toughest of times, she combines that with an incredible amount of compassion for everyone she comes into contact with.
She is open and willing to mentor practicum students and new graduates
every year. She also has been involved with the twin mentoring program at Douglas College for many years.
She creates a safe learning environment for everyone to work in, and from my understanding, has recently began a mentorship program for new interpreters to work with seasoned interpreters.
She supports interpreters and encourages them to reach their full potential.  
She is the chair of the AVLIC DRP committee.
She successfully fought for fair wages for interpreters working at VCC.  This supported interpreters and coordinators across the country in their efforts to set up competitive contracts ensuring that post secondary students are able to get interpreters for their classes.  
She was also instrumental in the fight to save the ASL Deaf studies program last year.
I feel that Jami Nystrom needs to be recognized for all of her efforts and work that she has done for our community through the years. In my opinion, she is definitely deserving of this year's WAVLI award.

Title Protection Update

Ad Hoc Committee: Suzie Giroux, Cheryl Palmer, Sara MacFayden, Susi Bolender, Barb Mykle-Hotzon

Our application for Title Protection is inching its way towards Victoria even though we had another brief setback. Last year’s bylaw changes regarding membership categories and criteria still did not satisfy the registrar’s office. In response, we had our lawyer draft some suggested changes that we edited and presented to the membership on April 4th at the annual general meeting. Fortunately, the motions concerning the bylaw changes all passed and we can go ahead with submitting those changes. Once approved, we can send in our application for Title Protection. The titles we will request protection for are:

Registered American Sign Language-English Interpreter
Registered Sign Language Interpreter
Registered Visual Language Interpreter

Once a title is granted under Section 10, section 89(1) states: “no person other than a qualified member of that society has the right to use, in connection with an occupation or profession the person practises that is similar to the occupation or profession represented by that society, the name of that society or the word or combination of words or initials designated under section 88 (3), in a way that identifies the person as a qualified member of that society.” In brief, not only is the specific title protected, but any variation on that title is also protected.


The reason Title Protection is so important to attain is because it will protect our consumers. Interpreters who are not members of a professional association are not obligated to adhere to a code of ethics nor a dispute resolution process such as ours. Once our application is approved, the real work of educating our consumers and the general public will begin!

Welcome to the New WAVLI Ripple BLOG

WAVLI has listened to your feedback and after discussions with the Newsletter committee we've decided to test out "blogging" for this edition of the WAVLI Ripple.  Many members said that once the Ripple went to an online only version newsletter, they weren't reading it as much any more.  We've discussed the blog idea and are going to try it out in the hopes that it's more accessible to members, more frequently updated with articles, information and events for our members.

We're open to feedback as always and we'll see if the blog is the new way to go for The Ripple!

Happy Reading!