February 2, 2012
Students create 'flash mob' in Target
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COUNCIL BLUFFS - The high school students from Iowa School for the Deaf did it again Wednesday, first puzzling and then delighting customers with a "flash mob" at the Target store here.
Wearing "Deaf culture" T-shirts, the teenagers began arriving at the store at 3804 Metro Drive about 11 a.m., moving in small groups through the building as any other group of teens would when out to do a little shopping.
Target store manager Steve Hornbeck knew better. Iowa School for the Deaf officials had told him what the teens hoped to do.
"It seemed like it would be fun and wouldn't be too disruptive," Hornbeck said.
About 11:15 a.m., student John Isaacson "high-fived" a nearby student, beginning a conga line of two. The duo moved down the aisle, picking up more Iowa School for the Deaf dancers - one, two or even three at a time. Each newcomer high-fived every other dancer as he or she joined in...
Click HERE to rest the rest of the story
By Dennis Friend WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
Posted: 01/26/2012 2:51 PM
Omaha.com
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January 20, 2012
Sign Language Interpreters: Stepping Out of the Shadow of Invisibility
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| Some time ago some Deaf colleagues were talking about a familiar topic of conversations with and about interpreters, interpreter attitude. As has typically been my experience, their use of this phrase carried a negative connotation. Essentially, they perceived the interpreters who interpreted an event they attended as aloof, detached and largely disinterested.
What Happened?
When I inquired about specific behaviors, they described how the interpreters arrived for the event, let the event coordinator know they had arrived, briefly introduced themselves to the Deaf consumers, and then isolated themselves at the front of the room where they began texting and chatting while waiting for the event to start.
During the event, there was little if any effort by the interpreters to check-in with the consumers to verify whether things were working well or not. During breaks the interpreters disappeared or were observed in the front of the room texting, talking on the phone or chatting with each other. There was no initial interaction to break-the-ice and allow the consumers and interpreters to become acquainted or to explore logistical considerations and preferences. There was no inquiry into consumer preferences or the effectiveness of the services that were delivered...
Click HERE to read the entire article
Anna Witter-Merithew | January 17, 2012
http://www.streetleverage.com
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January 20, 2012
Sign Language Interpreters: Stepping Out of the Shadow of Invisibility
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| Some time ago some Deaf colleagues were talking about a familiar topic of conversations with and about interpreters, interpreter attitude. As has typically been my experience, their use of this phrase carried a negative connotation. Essentially, they perceived the interpreters who interpreted an event they attended as aloof, detached and largely disinterested.
What Happened?
When I inquired about specific behaviors, they described how the interpreters arrived for the event, let the event coordinator know they had arrived, briefly introduced themselves to the Deaf consumers, and then isolated themselves at the front of the room where they began texting and chatting while waiting for the event to start.
During the event, there was little if any effort by the interpreters to check-in with the consumers to verify whether things were working well or not. During breaks the interpreters disappeared or were observed in the front of the room texting, talking on the phone or chatting with each other. There was no initial interaction to break-the-ice and allow the consumers and interpreters to become acquainted or to explore logistical considerations and preferences. There was no inquiry into consumer preferences or the effectiveness of the services that were delivered...
Click HERE to read the entire article
Anna Witter-Merithew | January 17, 2012
http://www.streetleverage.com
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January 13, 2012
Interpreters Launchpad Issue #7
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Issue #7 www.interprenaut.com December 2011
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Welcome to the 7th issue of The Interpreter's Launch Pad. This newsletter is designed to bring resources, tips, and a bit of fun to the lives of professional interpreters.
Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for countdown!
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 Q: Interprenaut, what is the one terminology area that interpreters struggle with the most?
A: I'm so glad you asked! Most of the interpreters I've worked with over the years have the hardest time interpreting slang. It isn't that slang is any more difficult to master than any other terminology. However, many interpreters view slang as "inferior" and therefore fail to study it with the same type of rigor that we would use to approach topics with of a more scientific or formal nature.
What is slang, really? Definitions abound, but generally, slang is associated more commonly with spoken language than with written language. It's also seen as a more informal type of terminology -- in part, because it appears more in speech than in writing. And since interpreters deal with speech, you know that we're bound to encounter slang in our work. So why is it that so many interpreters struggle with slang?
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One reason is that the resources for studying slang can be difficult to come by. Often, slang emerges first in oral language and only appears in written sources much later. Luckily for interpreters, the numbers of glossaries and dictionaries of slang on the web are growing each day, so this is less of a problem today than it used to be.
However, the biggest reason interpreters struggle with slang is because of our own biases. We often hear a slang term and assume that it's "wrong" or "incorrect" usage of a language. Why do we assume this? We wouldn't have the same reaction if, say, a neurosurgeon would use her industry jargon in a conversation or a speech. We would treat those terms as valid and important, even though, in actual fact, they are probably used by a smaller number of people than, say, the latest slang term to appear in a popular rap video.
If you're in need of a New Year's resolution, try this one: treat every term as if it's a valid one. Open your mind, and instead of making judgments about people based on the way they use language, consider each and every word you encounter as a legitimate one. And once you master this, open your mind even further, and see each term -- yes, including slang ones -- as a valuable addition to your terminology arsenal. You never know -- changing your attitude about the words people speak might even help you change the way you view the people who use those terms
Click HERE to read the entire issue of "The Interpreters Lauch Pad".
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January 4, 2012
Sign language interpreters are the second highest in demand in California courts
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Stanislaus County program will benefit deaf defendants
The Stanislaus County Superior Court has joined five other county courts in a pilot program using video-conferencing technology to make American Sign Language interpreters more accessible to deaf or hearing-impaired defendants.
Officials say the technology eventually will help the courts save more than $1 million statewide.
The technology is called Video Remote Interpreting. It allows the defendant to talk face-to-face to a sign language interpreter using a large screen computer. The computer hardware is mobile, so it can be used in any family law, juvenile, traffic or criminal courtroom...
Read more HERE
By Rosalio Ahumada
rahumada@modbee.com
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December 23, 2011
Will Sign Language Interpreters Remain Silent on FCC VRS Reform?
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In some circles, VRS providers are viewed as the newest of the Coyotes on the scene of the sign language interpreting industry. Whether you subscribe to that view or not, what the FCC is ‘seeking public comment’ on (i.e. prepared to do unless there is significant feedback in opposition) will have an impact on you as an interpreter—regardless if your position is “I don’t do VRS.” In the Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making relative to the Structure and Practices of the VRS Program released on Thursday, December 15, 2011, the FCC outlines a dramatic change to the structure of the Video Relay Service.
What is Being Proposed?
Generally, the FCC is seriously exploring the concept of moving VRS providers from the current tiered model of compensation (paid on a per minute basis) to a “per user” model (paid a monthly fee per active user) and having qualified providers bid for one of a small number of contracts to deliver the service...
To read the entire article click HERE
Brandon Arthur | December 21, 2011, streetleverage.com
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December 22, 2011
Sign Language Interpreters – Complicit in a Devil’s Bargain?
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Five decades ago those of us who functioned as sign language interpreters were allies of Deaf people, united with them in fighting for communicative access to the various services and opportunities offered to society at large. Working to overcome the daily attitudinal and communicative oppression that confronted Deaf people was a force that served to unite interpreters and Deaf people. Then the communicative access needs of Deaf people were provided by the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, relatives, teachers, ministers, VR counselors and friends of Deaf people. Indeed, the interpreting scene for Deaf people then was in many ways like it is today for individuals needing spoken language access to society’s services and opportunities.
Communicative Oppression
The communicative oppression Deaf people experienced enabled them to define the work of sign language interpreters in many ways ...
To read the entire artice click HERE
Dennis Cokely | December 8, 2011, StreetLeverage.com
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December 15, 2011
Court win fuels Snoqualmie man's fight for deaf rights
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| Court appearances are inherently scary, and not just because of the legal or financial outcomes. The language of law is obscure, and, for the average person, difficult to follow. For a profoundly deaf person like W. Michael Kral of Snoqualmie, without an interpreter, the language might as well be ancient Greek.
Kral, 33, was arrested in 2005 on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, and served nine months in jail, he says because he didn't understand the proceedings at the Benton County Court in which he was tried.
"It was really frustrating," he said through an interpreter. "Sometimes I didn't even know that I was misunderstanding something."
His present attorney, M. Moe Spencer, who recently helped Kral win his appeal to reverse the 2006 conviction, said the court was required by state law to have a court-certified sign-language interpreter present at Kral's trial. Kral specifically requested one, as well, to help him understand the legal process.
Attorneys, Kral said, "they don't really talk to you, they talk at you."
He didn't get a court-certified interpreter, although Spencer's appeal brief stated there were three qualified people in the area during Kral's trial. Instead the interpreter named in the brief, Sal Contreras, "was actually a Spanish interpreter who knew a little sign language," Spencer said. "He certainly wasn't qualified to do sign language."
Kral has relied on American Sign Language to communicate nearly all his life, having lost his hearing at 9 months, when he developed spinal meningitis. Benton County's failure to accommodate Kral's needs in court was the foundation for his successful appeal, said Michael's wife, Amanda.
"The interpreter in the courtroom at the time told Michael that he was signing a continuance... that's how he won it," she explained...
Click HERE to read the entire article
By CAROL LADWIG
Snoqualmie Valley Record Staff Reporter
Dec 15 2011
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December 6, 2011
Schools Lack Interpreters for Deaf Students
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As states raise the requirements for educational interpreters for deaf children in schools, some students are left without qualified translators in school.
The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act for the first time defined the role of an educational interpreter, but allowed states to establish standards for interpreters in schools, says Brenda Schick, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
During the past seven years, 26 states have adopted the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) - an interpreter certification. Rhode Island was the most recent state to adopt the test , says Shelly Carney of the Center for Childhood Deafness at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Nebraska, which oversees the exam nationally...
To read the entire article click HERE
By Kara Rose, USA TODAY
Updated 11/22/2011 8:51 PM
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December 1, 2011
Supreme Court Declines to Review Court Interpreter Licensing Requirement
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| The California Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear a challenge to a Judicial Council requirement that interpreters pass language proficiency examinations in order to be licensed violated the due process or equal protection rights of nine previously-licensed interpreters who failed to pass these certifying tests.
The justices, at their weekly conference in San Francisco, voted 5-0 to deny review of the ruling by Div. Eight of this district's Court of Appeal in Chan v. The Judicial Council of California, B224332. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Justice Marvin Baxter, who serve on the council, were recused.
The conference is usually held on Wednesdays, but is traditionally moved up during Thanksgiving week.
Div. Eight said the plaintiffs failed to meet the initial substantive due process threshold since they did not have a property interest in remaining certified interpreters, and that they were not similarly situated to the so-called subject matter experts who helped develop the licensing exams.
To read the entire article click HERE
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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November 30, 2011
The Interpreter's Launch Pad Issue #6
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Issue #6 www.interprenaut.com November 2011
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Welcome to the 6th issue of The Interpreter's Launch Pad. This newsletter is designed to bring resources, tips, and a bit of fun to the lives of professional interpreters.
Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for countdown!
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To read the entire issue click HERE
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November 29, 2011
The cool twists of language
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The Oxford philosopher JL Austin once observed in a lecture that in English a double negative implied a positive meaning, whereas no language had been found in which a double positive implied a negative meaning. Another philosopher who was in the audience that day made a very simple counterclaim just by saying "yeah, yeah".
To continue reading the article, click HERE
By David Bellos, Guardian.co.uk - November 21, 2011
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November 9, 2011
IPTV Television will be airing Deaf Jam
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Airing on PBS this week click the link below to get more information.
Aneta Brodski is an Israeli-born teenager living in Queens, New York. She is passionate and driven and well liked by her high school classmates. Unique among her classmates, Aneta longs to fully participate in the hearing world.
While she is proud of her deafness, she does not want to be defined by it. She longs to be understood by everyone around her in the bustling city. Some of her classmates feel that Deaf culture is - and should be - claimed by a fierce embrace of deaf identity and respect for the unique beauty of its language.
At her school, Aneta joins an extracurricular program to learn American Sign Language poetry. She and her fellow students gradually find their inner voice in the poems they create. Aneta's world opens up as she is tantalized by the possibility of competing in a poetry slam with mostly hearing competitors.
With ties to rap and hip-hop culture, the U.S. National Poetry Slams for youth have gained momentum across the country, highlighting a highly verbal and rhythmic form of self-expression. Aneta is one of the first deaf youth to participate in a major slam event, and despite some initial anxiety about how the deaf performers might be received, she courageously takes the stage.
In a remarkable twist of fate, Aneta meets and then collaborates with Tahani - a hearing Palestinian slam poet. They create a hearing/deaf duet touching on their shared personal and cultural experiences - generating a new form of slam poetry that crosses boundaries, cultures, and languages.
Click HERE for IPTV's schedule. Don't miss it!
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November 8, 2011
Interpreters Have Known Since '05 That Certification Was Coming
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| In response to the article, "New Rules Leave Deaf Students Without Help" (Oct. 11): The Iowa State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ISRID) is in support of our state licensure. An interpreter can obtain an Iowa license through the Educational Interpreters Performance Assessment testing or Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf certification.
American Sign Language is...
To read more click HERE
Letter to the Editor
Des Moines Register
— Laura M. Lord, ISRID president, Marion
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November 8, 2011
Dr. Jeanne Prickett Becomes New President of FSDB
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| The superintendent of the Iowa School for the Deaf will become the 17th president and first female president in the 126-year history of Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind here.
The FSDB Board of Trustees announced the selection of Jeanne Glidden Prickett in a press release.
"I look forward to working with each and every one of you to include students, families, faculty, staff, friends of FSDB and community members," Prickett told the board. "This school has a great reputation and has potential that is realized and potential for the future."
To read more click HERE
The St. Augustine Record
From Staff 11/5/2011
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