My mentor pat recommended this FANTASTIC workshop "Peer Conferencing: Let's Talk Ethics" by: Jo Linda Powell Greenfield and Anna Witter-Merithew to me a few weeks ago and I really benefited so much from the workshop!
It really emphesized the fact that interpreters were out there working autonomously but you need to work with "competent autonomy" which means you need to process every decision you make in your mind and make the most ethical decision during your interpreting work.
Peer Conferencing allowed you to evaluate your own work and others to make the right decisions when you are put in different situations. This really to me allowed me to really make the connection to why we are having this mentor program and how important this is to the interpreting field. There was also a part where the speaker really encouraged to get feedback from the Deaf person you are working with, asking for feedback if you feel you weren't clear on the message or if you could improve in some area. Even going a step further to VP with the person beforehand if it is a big conference to get an idea of some of the signing styles, etc. is a very proactive approach to interpreting and allows you to challenge yourself and improve with the help of others.
They talked about how in different interpreting situations you might feel uncomfortable-how important it is to make the right choices. If the job is not for you, if you need someone else, if you have been working too long, YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE. It is most important when you feel comfortable in a situation and if you don't then you really need to go through some of the reasons you are not feeling comfortable and try to figure out what steps need to be taken to make sure that the correct message is being given and none of your personal feelings are overflowing in to your interpeting. I can see how people can overlook this one because people want to feel that they can "do it all" even if they have been working all night, or know the person they are interpreting for very well, or have a bad experience in a similar situation. We need to constantly "check in" with ourselves and try to tap in to every different interpreting situation and how we would make decisions based on the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. Every situation is different...but we need to bring our high standards to each one and do our best.
We all have a Liberal and Conservative side to us...I always thought I was a little more liberal (haha) accourding to the continuum peple will swing back and forth depending on the situation. Conservative meaning not really being involved in decision making (backing off) and Liberal meaning more involved in decision making (really pro-active). These are based on (Dean & Pollard,2004) I looked them up on the internet and I found http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/6/1/1 which was a very good article related to this whole topic of how you deal with stresses on the job and how to approach these different situations.
It was very empowering to really take charge of my own interpreting and to strive to develop skills and learn new skills from others. By using my ability reach out to the interpreters in this field I can learn from their previous experiences and knowledge. It is amazing all the resources there are out there, but we have to be actively be seeking to learn and be willing to ask the right questions.
I'm going to study for my written test for 30 minutes before bed...
It really emphesized the fact that interpreters were out there working autonomously but you need to work with "competent autonomy" which means you need to process every decision you make in your mind and make the most ethical decision during your interpreting work.
Peer Conferencing allowed you to evaluate your own work and others to make the right decisions when you are put in different situations. This really to me allowed me to really make the connection to why we are having this mentor program and how important this is to the interpreting field. There was also a part where the speaker really encouraged to get feedback from the Deaf person you are working with, asking for feedback if you feel you weren't clear on the message or if you could improve in some area. Even going a step further to VP with the person beforehand if it is a big conference to get an idea of some of the signing styles, etc. is a very proactive approach to interpreting and allows you to challenge yourself and improve with the help of others.
They talked about how in different interpreting situations you might feel uncomfortable-how important it is to make the right choices. If the job is not for you, if you need someone else, if you have been working too long, YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE. It is most important when you feel comfortable in a situation and if you don't then you really need to go through some of the reasons you are not feeling comfortable and try to figure out what steps need to be taken to make sure that the correct message is being given and none of your personal feelings are overflowing in to your interpeting. I can see how people can overlook this one because people want to feel that they can "do it all" even if they have been working all night, or know the person they are interpreting for very well, or have a bad experience in a similar situation. We need to constantly "check in" with ourselves and try to tap in to every different interpreting situation and how we would make decisions based on the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. Every situation is different...but we need to bring our high standards to each one and do our best.
We all have a Liberal and Conservative side to us...I always thought I was a little more liberal (haha) accourding to the continuum peple will swing back and forth depending on the situation. Conservative meaning not really being involved in decision making (backing off) and Liberal meaning more involved in decision making (really pro-active). These are based on (Dean & Pollard,2004) I looked them up on the internet and I found http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/6/1/1 which was a very good article related to this whole topic of how you deal with stresses on the job and how to approach these different situations.
It was very empowering to really take charge of my own interpreting and to strive to develop skills and learn new skills from others. By using my ability reach out to the interpreters in this field I can learn from their previous experiences and knowledge. It is amazing all the resources there are out there, but we have to be actively be seeking to learn and be willing to ask the right questions.
I'm going to study for my written test for 30 minutes before bed...
Comments