What's Being Done?
Interpreting
is a practice profession, like medicine or law enforcement, where
the acquisition of professional judgment and self-evaluation skills
should be imparted along with “content” knowledge in training programs.
The University of Rochester (UR) and the University of Tennessee
(UT) are collaborating on this FIPSE-funded project. Investigators
Dean & Pollard (UR) have developed interpreter training methods
that reflect this broader view of interpreter competencies and a
practice-profession style of learning. Their approach draws from
demand-control theory (D-C) and problem-based learning (PBL). UT
is partnering with UR to implement a 5-course D-C/PBL track in UT’s
baccalaureate ITP.
During the first course in this baccalaureate
sequence, students are taught that the variables relevant to interpreting
work are much more extensive than those pertaining to language and
culture alone. With this more holistic foundation, students explore
in the next two courses how these additional variables or “demands”
(paralinguistic, environmental, interpersonal, and intrapersonal)
impact the work of an interpreter through observing in-vivo interactions
in medical settings and post-secondary education settings. Unlike
most observational techniques employed in ITPs to improve language
acquisition and fluency, these students are not observing interpreted
assignments or deaf individuals’ communications but, instead, are
observing hearing people involved in typical interactions which
highlight these often overlooked but salient additional aspects
of interpreting work. Through analysis of observed work challenges
students develop judgment skills and a repertoire of responses to
various occupational demands. The final two courses are practica
where students employ Dean and Pollard’s schema in their work and
in their analysis of work situations with fellow students.
For further information on Dean &
Pollard's schema for interpreting work, see Dean, R. K. & Pollard,
R. Q (2001). The application of demand-control theory
to sign language interpreting: Implications for stress
and interpreter training. Journal of Deaf Studies
and Deaf Education, 6(1), 1-14. For a copy of this
article, contact Robyn Dean: Robyn_Dean@urmc.rochester.edu;
(585) 275-6572.
Mailing address:
Deaf Wellness Center
University of Rochester Medical Center
Department of Psychiatry
300 Crittenden Boulevard
Rochester, NY 14642
(585) 273-1117 (fax)
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