July 2005 Archives

Waldorf and Statler took me to hefner’s bar & cafe last night. Not to be confused with hefner, who I might want to check out. :-)

People-watching was a disappointment but the conversation lively: politics, religion, suspicion, language, livelihood. I’ve been learning about Turkey…the general population (if Waldorf is to be believed!) trusts and values their military in a way quite different than what I’m used to in the States. The notion of the military being used internally is anathema to Americans – so far off the scales of daily imagination as to be inconceivable. Statler mused on Germany’s bitter lessons about uses of the military – it seemed even harder for him to allow for the possibility of a different paradigm.

The gist of it is that the army in Turkey has guaranteed its persistence as a secular state – allowing fundamental Islamicists a certain range of democratic freedom, but then moving in, shutting them down if they start to gain too much power via non-democratic strategies. There is a growing wave of Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey now, with changes visible in the social interactions of neighbors…but “the people won’t stand for it” (I heard from someone else previously). Her sentiment was that the people are now casting about for a solution, a response to the insurgence (if I can use such a term?), but that ultimately they believe the military will step in if they don’t get the right combination of politicians elected for a long enough period to counteract the influence of this religious minority.

riding the rails in Germany.

For train schedules, www.bahn.de.

“People look around and wonder which backpack will change or end their life…” – Annmarie Sauer for the Chloride Epitaph

I haven’t felt suspicious, or under suspicion, too much, myself this summer. Yet the question of whether or not I ought to be is often there, just below the surface, straining for some subtle signal to spring it loose.

For all the differences that I can recognize, I don’t feel so far from my own cultural foundations. The pace is slower but the punctuation of events, the rhythm of daily life, seems about the same. I have not felt constrained in expressing myself, indeed perhaps I have been a bit more free to do so? Or is the sense of this the unconscious privilege of ‘americanness’ that keeps me unaware of people’s reactions, of their sense of being overwhelmed? At least I’ve been getting some coaching, lately. :-) One of these days I'll get to Claim [My] Treasure.

Discourse for 30/7/2005:
We live inside the act of discourse.
~ George Steiner, Language and Silence, 1967

This conference is coming up in about two weeks. I finally began work on the presentation I'd like to share....if it's not too late. I've had more logistical difficulties navigating my participation there...from postage to wire transfers to confirming with my long-suffering roommate-to-be...

I will be following up on comments made by several Parliament interpreters that the act of interpreting well puts on on the mental borderzone just before schizophrenia. To do the topic justice, of course, I need to be more familiar with schizophrenia itself. Peter posted the link to his blog to the AIR listserv, giving new meaning (for me) to his tag line: "Just trying to stay linear".

Here's a competition I'm bound to lose (!):

Blog-A-Thon, in which they'll award prizes for "Most Inspirational," "Most Humorous," and "Best Overall". The task?

"We want to hear about your "click moment" — the very first step you to took to stand up for your digital rights -- whether it was blogging about an issue you care about, participating in a demonstration, writing your representatives, or getting involved with EFF."

How have I stood up for my digital rights....and can I articulate it with enough flare to capture the text-geist?

From a recent Knowledge Media conference, info on semantic blogging as "support distributed sensemaking and argumentation with tools that are both intuitive enough to be quickly learnt, flexible enough for widespread adoption in everyday work, but provide enough semantics for computational support? How can human-generated narrative co-exist and synergise with computational-semantics to create hybrid layers of meaning?"

I can imagine that someday I might be interested in the computational asapect. I can perceive why it matters! But I'm not ready to aggregate on that level, yet. :-)

I’m staying next to a mosque, and heard beautiful singing from their workship service there this afternoon. It carried above the construction sounds of exterior renovation and into my consciousness as I meandered on the internet in quest of suitable tourist activities.

I’m still wending my way through info on the museums – there are only about 20 to which I’d like to go! Last time (2003) I did the Pergamon, and had a lovely walk through the Tiergarten. I’ve got my eye on a sand sculpture event (they import some outrageous amount of sand for this and beach volleyball!) I’m also on the lookout for outdoor concerts (especially the free kind). Plenty of sightseeing to do just around the city - if/when it stops raining. Gotta love searching the Internet, where one can also find the outrageous. For instance,

I’m not. :-) I’m being well-cared-for in lodging, meals, and fieldwork. Only two interviews so far, but one more is scheduled, and I have more leads to follow up. I’ve slept an inordinate amount the past two days. Seems I needed it. The foot has been a pain but mellowed out, finally (and I hope for good). I’m starting to consider tourism…

Deutsch Gebärdensprache – German Sign Language – DGS

I’m hearing hints and rumors (!) of folks here interested in the Deaf-Interpreter relationship/interaction. It sounds like they are approaching it from different angles than me, but we’re still interested in the same basic thing, or at least in various aspects of the same thing. Making these contacts and having these conversations is completely bonus to the intention of fieldwork here, but it contributes to my thinking, of course. :-)

There are four interpreting schools in Germany and a cadre of other professionals who work with the Deaf community (as in the US). The language underwent similar historical repression and was salvaged by use on the playgrounds and in the dormitories of residential schools. An additional measure here was a wave of sterilization, which seriously reduced a generation of children who could have been raised by Deaf parents.

Imagine a life where one's awareness of the world is measured by knowledge of "wind and swell". Is it only romantic to picture the waters of the world connected in one fluid system? To pursue a life on the basis of low-pressure systems?

I learned that until ten years ago the swell was very predictable. Surfers could predict, seasonally, where the largest waves would be, where the storm systems tend to develop, and when. Now, these rhythms are much less reliable. They were historically so consistent that ancient (?) Hawai'ians could navigate by feeling the swell and orienting to the stars, sun, and moon.

Today I begin the community interpreting phase of fieldwork. It’s already been radically different than the fieldwork with European Parliament interpreters due to the absence of an overarching institutional structure such as granted me access to the Parliament buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg – where clusters of conference interpreters were readily available. I meet with a Turkish-German court interpreter this afternoon and we’ll go from there. I’ve a few other tentative contacts; I’m hoping that one will simply lead to another. We shall see. :-)

Conference interpreters’ perceptions of community interpreting was one of the questions I investigated with most of the EP interpreters.

The ex-laws have been terrific and they're happy parents. :-) I got to witness the first successful grasp and upper torso twist that almost resulted in turning over. Am now expert with a chupeta, not too bad with feedings, attuned to a range of coos and gurgles, and addicted to baby smiles and laughter. Could have been a worse week, eh? :-)

I devoured Absolution Gap on the flight back to Germany from San Antonio. Contemporary physics and intrapersonal recognition hooked me the most. It’s the last book (?) in an epic SF series by Alastair Reynolds; I read the others while in Europe last summer. The characters really grew on me, I have to say (I didn’t find them all that compelling at first, they weren’t very nice). I was a bit unsatisfied with the conclusion though, as it’s given as if the right choice simply takes care of the current (huge) threat. That’s why I wonder if another book might be in the making? For the conclusion to be sensible one had to recall the vast scale of interspecies interaction Reynolds invokes. If I put it in Goffman’s terms, the levels of lamination generated by transformations of the frame are as big as anyone I’ve ever read, including classics like The Foundation Trilogy by Asimov, and you were on your own to keep events in context. (My memory might be improving with age (?) because I was actually able to do so....!)

I’m more than halfway through Goffman’s Frame Analysis, subtitled “An Essay on the Organization of Experience” (described by Brian as “not an essay, that’s a f*cking tome!”). Robin’s recommendation was right on target. (As was the other text by Deborah Tannen, Framing in Discourse.)

Goffman uses the obvious changes in stage props over time as evidence to “alert us to the expectation that framing does not so much introduce restrictions on what can be meaningful as it … open[s] up variability” (emphasis added, 238). Here I am chafing against the limits when the natural capacity to adjust to all manner of framings and transformations indicates possibility! “Differently put, persons seem to have a very fundamental capacity to accept changes in organizational premises which, once made, render a whole strip of activity different from what it is modeled on and yet somehow meaningful . . .” (238). To wit, teaching “experientially” instead of traditionally, and the capacity of Jeff at UNH to apply communication theory in practice vs the inability of others to recognize the possibility of recasting teaching in an as yet meaningful way. Others (going unnamed to protect the innocent and the guilty) mistrust: “. . . that these systematic differences can be corrected for and kept from disorganizing perception, while at the same time involvement in the story line is maintained” (238). Right? Goffman is saying that the differences between the model and its reorganization are systematic and therefore sensible. “Correcting for” doesn’t indicate “fixing”, rather it indicates the ability to adjust to a different logic without losing one’s perceptive connectivity to the situation and persons in it.

I’m thinking of the degrees of realism and consistency imposed as standards for interpreting practice. In the enactment of interpreting, there seems to be a quite narrow range of acceptability (a tight frame?): EP interpreters and SL interpreters both talk about realism (as measured by the disappearance of the interpreter). To become visible, to appear as one’s own person (or even as the character of the interpreter?), is a violation of consistency, marked in SL interpreting by natural criticism of INTERRUPTING and TAKING OVER.

I'm impressed (and happy to be hired, smile) by my new boss. Note this sampling of early advertising and links to media resources.

Carmen is ten weeks old. She's cute of course (not quite as cute as my very own buggle but that's nothing against her, smile), and its amazing to witness the developmental stage. She's responsive to sound and touch and smiles (although if I laugh hard she wonders if she should be afraid!), isn't quite sure her hands are actually attached to her own body, and spends most of her time sleeping, eating, or just looking around and wiggling. It's nice to be around her and hanging out in Quedlinburg with her mom being mellow while her dad (in-laws, or outlaws as the case may be!) is away at a conference.

I don't want to forget that this was the reason a few people mentioned for choosing to come to the Why Bother? workshop. The concept of impartiality is not spoken of in professional sign language interpreter discourse, or - as far as I know - in the Deaf discourse about interpreting. Indeed, the opposite seems to be the case - a distinct preference for partiality through what people talk about as "being an ally".

“Why Bother” didn’t seem to be as attractive a title as “Breaking Role.” We had well over a hundred people attend, but this was nowhere near the amount of people that came two years ago in Chicago. Was the title a turn-off? Did it imply that interpreters shouldn’t “bother” – even to come? Just curious. :-) Nonetheless, our discussion was rich, and the Deaf participants added a lot that we didn’t have in the Breaking Role discussion. The feedback Eileen and I received was similar to that which I’ve received in the past; those who do come continue to affirm the value of continuing this discussion. (At least, these are the folks who give us direct feedback; no doubt (?) there are others who don’t find it helpful or interesting – or aren’t ready? - to tease out the mechanics of communication breakdown between interpreters and the Deaf.)

This was good prep for interviews I hope to do conducting soon with German-Turkish (spoken language) interpreters. So far the only place I know this service is provided is in the courts.

Caroline Thomas’ workshop on legal interpreting is worth attending for the humor alone. :-) I particularly liked WAG – “Wild-Assed Guess.” Her distinction between “street” and “legal” interpreting was instructive, along with the exercise we did on “black hole questions”. (See me grin!) There was a lot of general knowledge embedded throughout the workshop that all interpreters would benefit from, whether or not they ever do legal interpreting or not.

If I'm not mistaken, the consensus was that Angela's invitation was intended as a spur to good behavior...it sure kept me in line all conference long! ;-) (I could have been in worse company; I remember Carolyn flexing her triceps for us at CIT last year...)

She's a good prez, that chick - bringing in non-signing stakeholders to share in the inner workings of RID and bask in the glow of our professional camaraderie. The whole Board received acknowledgement throughout the conference, but I think what many of us are wondering is whether Glenace shaved off that purple hair or not?!

"They both had that eye thing, the one that pinned you and held you and sank right in, heavy and inert as lead."

~ Virtual Light, William Gibson

Officially, it's Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Gibson presents a possible future transmutation.

If you didn't attend the business meeting yesterday you missed:

covert communication typed into the meeting from the computer operator;
Mount Rushmore (four past RID Presidents);
regional and state rivalries;
a challenge to beat the Europeans in donations to WASLI, through RID's "A Day's Pay" program;
and customized (albiet unscripted) martini and fan service.

Perhaps other organizations have as much fun and intercollegiality as we do; but I'm not sure!

There was some drama concerning the now-delayed position paper (Standard Practice Paper) on Video Relay Interpreting and Video Relay Service.

"The internet is a place for me to practice the kind of courage and honesty that my specific vocation in life requires." So says my friend, museumfreak, joining a discussion about academic blogs reacting to a recent article, Bloggers Need Not Apply, in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

I'm having a roommate adventure fit for a sitcom. Not only is one of my roomies an expert in critiquing presenter quirks, hee hee hee, another has become Queen of the Cell Phone Vibration function after her own cell phone technological nightmare (which does not rival the plague of tech disasters haunting my prep for today's "Why Bother?" presentation with Eileen (who rocks the house!) Our third roomie, who ventured to join us on a whim, had at least a few moments of serious self-questionning, wondering to herself, why did I bother? She did come 'round and decide our interaction was "lively, challenging, and uninhibited." I'm glad our foursome has worked out the way it has. :-)

Ruth suggests checking out Jeff Carroll's artwork; apparently he's an interpreter from Cincinnati here at the RID conference.

It feels like a small miracle, but we're ready for tomorrow's show. :-) There are 22 clips of video in the first part, another dozen in the second part, for 35 minutes total. I've never included so much before. I knew it was going to be time-consuming...but it is all so fascinating! I've had a handful of revelations as Anne's arguments with me finally started to sink in. Let's see, that's only several months later after three re-viewings of our conversation! No wonder I've never been accused of having a quick learning curve! ;-)

There's no update on the official website about whether Mr. Peltier has been removed from the hole after an unannounced transfer roughly two weeks ago.

had a nice videochat with Sam today, even though we kept losing connection cuz his voice is so quiet. He recounted the guest list for his birthday: Jessica and her boyfriend, Lee and Pat and Ralph, Edith and Jennifer, Christine and Buddy. Miss anyone? Apparently you had a very nice dinner at the Putney Inn, where they still remember Sam (whether from mistaking his slow movements as drunkenness or other events I didn't inquire, grin). I know lots of you were there in spirit. The best part of our conversation was Sam recalling a time that The Experiment held it's annual event in Brugge, Belgium. I visited there a few weeks ago. Forgot to mention that it is the cleanest city I have ever seen - they literally sweep the streets!

Looking for a metaphor.....Eileen uses the notion of a wheel to teach about culture, and we've been discussing the relationship between culture and discourse - how we can distinguish between them, and also separating out dynamics too, even though we know all three are braided together.

Mathemagenic just posted on her beginnings at Microsoft, where she is Walking on Ice trying to figure out which rules are bendable and which risks worth taking. The censure I've received from various folks at school has been at the social level more than the professional level - although it may come out against me at some future/potential employment site. Because it's an academic institution there are more protections for me (I have assumed, going on what has/hasn't been said to me) on the basis of the right to intellectual freedom/free speech.

The problem with the social level is that persistence is taken as aggression . . .

a former tour guide provides some hints...Museumfreak on DC

For the most detailed explanation of a choral piece I've ever read, go to Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. Museumfreak was a member of the chorus for this rarely-performed piece this past spring. Her musings include parallels with contemporary times.

Monica posted this link, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4659237.stm yesterday to the AoIR-list where there's a discussion of British stiff-upper lips and reminders of generations of terrorism. The link is for comments from witnesses.

Today's list just came across and there's nothing in following up on yesterday's spate. THAT's weird - business as usual interspersed with comments on chaos yesterday, and today, back to business.

As my flight taxied to the gate after landing in Dallas/Ft Worth, the flight attendant announced that they had learned just after takeoff from Frankfurt about the bombings in London. Maybe it would have felt less bizarre if I wasn't reading William Gibson's cyberpunk Virtual Light, which is placed in North America after natural disasters and disease have devastated modernity. Terrorism and virtual war may be another means to a similar future . . .

"did you see this?"

Deaf high school students explore Faults in the Field. Maybe I should try to hook up with UMass Amherst geologist Dr. Michele Cooke.

~posted 7 July and backdated

It was the widest and deepest river I’ve ever seen. At the foot of craggy cliffs we walked, observing fish larger than whales lazily floating in the depths. I fell. The rip from the other was extreme – panic, loss, fear: a visceral rending. I flailed. The water was clear, I could see the edge. I tried to reach it to no avail, the current was too strong. Fearful of the creatures in the deep I cast about in vain…the current carried me. I was submerged. I realized the edge was not within reach, but the surface I would need. Relax. Let the body float. Don’t resist: drift with the tide.

Away?

Along . . .

~dreamed in the wee hours of July 5, posted 7 July and backdated

Viera posted some wonderful (heartfelt, passionate, hint of sensual) poems in the comments to Sam's Big Day. They share a birthday, and Viera and I commiserated over broken hearts together. sigh oh sigh :-/ We're both plucky enough to keep on keeping on...regardless!

bilberry-ginkgo eyebright complex. by Solgar, Leonia, NJ.

bicyclemark recommends radiohumper, and the first post I read makes it clear why. Gotta see this one!

He also recommends Ashbloem:

museumfreak posted this today, from current UN Ambassador John Danforth.

He positions himself as speaking for "moderate Christians", claiming:

"...for us, the only absolute standard of behavior is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we find that the Love Commandment takes precedence when it conflicts with laws. We struggle to follow that commandment as we face the realities of everyday living, and we do not agree that our responsibility to live as Christians can be codified by legislators."

Brian told me about the new Sappho poem.

It's always a pleasure to see a town with its natives. Well, that would be a local and a half-local. Here they are recalling old times. They had the nerve to call me a juvenile delinquent!

Activists were busy preparing for this Protest targeting the G8 today.

Let's see what comes out of the meeting. It would be outrageous for the G8 to merely posture.

via email to Socjus-teach@educ.umass.edu
https://list.umass.edu/mailman/listinfo/socjus-teach

Now voting on the greatest philosopher of our time.

Your choice on the shortlist is among five dead white men.

in Flemish country!

My extensive vocabulary (oui), is not appreciated here in Antwerpen. Alas!

I still enjoyed this morning's market, as I did the one in Brussels (where my limp French oui was acceptable at the level of "effort"). ;-)

I picked this one to be different (!), since Lilia said most had selected "I broke the power law." :-)

Trying to post a comment to Jyri Engeström's weblog but "typepad is down" at the moment. :-( Anyway, it's below. Found him via Lilia's post on Living Relationships. Need to go back over the Powerpoints etc.

New reviews (found at http://www.com.washington.edu/rccs/) include:

"Pure nostalgia."

Dinner was fantab - asparagus, salmon, beets, salad, and vanilla pudding with gingerbread. :-)

"If he makes love like he plays music, there won't be much movement."

For ambience: Latin American Music.

Spain, and a renegade family member, strike a blow against homophobia!

Spanish MPs approve gay marriages.

will be the site of the first ever World Association of Sign Language Intepreters. It's a gorgeous place, going by internet pictures. The town is situated between Jo-berg and K-town in the Breede River Valley. They make wine.

I read Jeannette Winterson's Lighthousekeeping on the way from Paris to Toulouse (last week). I marked every 5th page or so, with a quote that seemed personally relevant. “Don’t regret your life, child. It will pass soon enough” (107).

“The true things are too big or too small, or in any case always the wrong size to fit into the template called language” (135). “Memory points…[to the] archives of catastrophe and mistake” (147). “I don’t know how to poultice my heart” (194). “This is not a love story, but love is in it. That is, love is just outside it, looking for a way to break in” (133). “I wondered if a gift had been left for me. I had no idea where to look, or what I was looking for, but I know now that all the important journeys start [by chance]” (33).