Reflexivity

“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.)

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Popularity: 3% [?]

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 &emdash; “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.

Popularity: unranked [?]

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?!

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Popularity: 1% [?]

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.

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Popularity: unranked [?]

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!

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Popularity: unranked [?]

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.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

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.

Popularity: 1% [?]

David Krueger forwarded info on health care interpreting to the VermontDeaf listserv.
This comes right as I get ready to wind up the final week of research with European Parliament interpreters and – after RID – gear up for the plunge into community interpreting for the Turkish community in Germany.
Did someone say, segue?

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Popularity: 1% [?]

I finally found a bottle of Reisling to belatedly celebrate my birthday.
Had a nice chat with the salesclerk in the wine shop in Ghent, who also recommended a fab place for lunch. I’m stuffed to the gills! My mind is also still full to the brim from another confab with Prof Blommaert. We’ve got hypotheses and research questions out the wazoo!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Found the reference I was looking for after emailing for help. I still need help, but at least I can be more specific now!

Popularity: 1% [?]