Our annual Starting Work as a Translator or Interpreter event will take place on Wednesday 8th February. We are delighted to open our online talks to anyone interested in careers in translation and interpreting. Note that the 2nd part of the event, the networking session, is reserved to Heriot-Watt LINCS students and graduates only.
This online part of the event will include contributions from employers, alumni, and practitioners will give you an insight into different translation and interpreting career paths and advice on starting out. The event will cover the following:
Working with agencies
Working with European institutions
Understanding various professional pathways in Translation and Interpreting and knowing where to start
The line up will be confirmed ASAP, but we have some great speakers who can hopefully inspire and empower you to feel more confident about a starting a career in interpreting and/or translating.
PART TWO: Networking Session (Carnegie Lounge, JWCC) – Heriot-Watt LINCS graduates and students only
This informal networking event will give you an opportunity to speak with previous Heriot Watt graduates who have gone on to carve career paths in the Translating and Interpreting industry. You can find out what first steps they took, what worked (and what didn’t) and create some professional connections all at the same time.
Gavin Darroch may have completed his MA in Languages with Interpreting and Translation (French and Spanish) during the first lockdown, graduating in June 2020, but it hasn’t stopped him from securing what he describes as his “dream job” less than 3 years later: he is now a fully accredited EU interpreter and will be starting work in the booths in Brussels in the coming months.
The lengthy selection process, which started back in the summer of 2022 and included simultaneous tests and consecutive tests, gives him a very sought-after EU accreditation which “unlocks a wealth of opportunities” because, as he rightly highlighted: “the system is inter-institutional, so EU-accredited conference interpreters can work for the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the European Union”. In some instances, the EU even shares its pool of high-profile interpreters with the UN, opening further exciting prospects for Brussels-based professionals. One such interpreter and fellow Heriot-Watt graduate has in fact recently moved from the EU booths to the UN ones in New York!
Gavin’s achievement is no mean feat: he is only 25, a very young age to join the select ranks of the EU-accredited interpreting team, and only holds a British passport. He grew up in the Highlands, in a monolingual household, and studied French and Spanish at high school, before starting at Heriot-Watt on the Chemistry with a European Language course. He soon realised that languages were his true calling and became a fully-fledged LINCS student on the LINT programme.
His desire to study languages was fuelled in part by an event that LINCS is bringing back on campus this year, on Wednesday 29th March: the annual Multilingual Debate. Gavin attended the event while in high school and was left “awestruck”. Languages won him over completely:
“During my time on the LINT course at LINCS, I fell in love with conference interpreting and set myself the goal of one day becoming an EU conference interpreter. It still doesn’t feel real to say that I’ve achieved this goal. I did it!”
To achieve his aim, Gavin drew from what he describes as the “endless passion, dedication, encouragement and expert guidance – both during and after my undergraduate course” of staff in the department. Additionally, he was able to benefit from the many EU-led sessions available to MA and MSc students, thanks to the established partnership between LINCS and DGI-SCIC, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Interpreting. As part of this collaboration, Gavin had access to pedagogical visits led by EU interpreters, as well as virtual classes, and receiving feedback and guidance from EU interpreters was “invaluable”, in his words. This type of experience provided students with a real “motivation boost” and consolidated his determination to one day work alongside these inspiring professionals.
Following his graduation, Gavin knew he qualified for the entry requirements for the EU accreditation tests. However, drawing from the advice gleaned from professionals and industry insight built into his studies, he decided to consolidate his experience as a linguist, working for two years as an in-house translator. These two years helped him get his bearing in the T&I industry, but his goal remained the EU booths, so he started the application process while simultaneously beginning a postgraduate degree in Conference Interpreting in a bid to further polish his interpreting skills. But his initial training came in handy as he passed the simultaneous tests in October, only a few weeks into his further academic training. The simultaneous tests are now the first hurdle in the EU accreditation process, and Gavin successfully passed the last one, the consecutive tests, mid-January.
When asked what advice he would give budding linguists and current students, Gavin said: “the demand for interpreters with English as their mother tongue has never been higher, so now is the perfect time to set your sights on an international institution like the EU”. And he hopes to soon be joined by more fellow Heriot-Watt LINCS graduates in Brussels!
That’s the question raised by Beth Hanley in the workshop held on Monday 20th June, and hosted by Fanny Chouc, thanks to the support of LINCS and CTISS.
Beth, an MSc and MA LINCS graduate, drew from her MSc dissertation to design and run an engaging and thought-provoking workshop aimed at challenging the assumption that the cognitive effort required to use inclusive speech could be one too far for conference interpreters, whose work is already known to require a level of concentration akin to that experienced by airplane pilots.
This very topical subject attracted attendees from both sides of the Atlantic, with users of Italian, German, French, Spanish, English, Czech and BSL engaging in fruitful discussions about suitable and functional strategies to faithfully render a speech designed by Beth to deliberately feature a wide range of examples of inclusive speech.
The consensus established by Beth’s research and by the exchanges that took place during the workshop is clear: while it may not be appropriate to use overtly inclusive speech if it is not a feature of the source speech or a wish expressed by the client, if the original speaker does use inclusive speech, then the interpreter is duty-bound to ensure their rendition mirrors this intentional linguistic choice. And that is where the challenge begins, especially for strongly gendered languages such as French or Spanish.
To address the matter head-on, Beth used a cleverly penned speech of her own, featuring a selection of expressions known to present clear challenges for gendered languages, such as introducing one’s pronoun as “they”, or referring to professions such as “fireman”, which have an in-built gender dimension. Participants were invited to have an initial go at interpreting the start of the speech, before engaging in a discussion on how known inclusive writing strategies presented by Beth may be used to tackle the challenges encountered. Then Beth delivered the full speech, so that participants may approach the task better informed. And a striking 67% stated that they felt their rendition was more inclusive, following an introduction to inclusive expression strategies and a discussion on possible approaches to the challenge!
Beth’s compelling workshop perfectly illustrates the way in which LINCS graduates develop solid research skills and apply them to very current and relevant challenges presented by a constantly evolving profession, and society.
Supporting deaf female victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence
By Jemina Napier & Luce Clark
See the link to this blogpost in British Sign Language (BSL):
In this v/blogpost Jemina Napier and Luce (Lucy) Clark from the SIGNS@HWU team in the Centre of Translation & Interpreting Studies in Scotland (CTISS) at Heriot-Watt University provide an overview of the work to date on the Justisigns 2 project. The wider project focuses on how to support victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence from deaf and migrant communities, with a view to understanding best practices for key professionals (i.e., police, health and social) and interpreters working together to ensure access to support. The Heriot-Watt University team are focusing on support for deaf women specifically.
The Justisigns 2 project runs from January 2020 to May 2022 but had a delayed start due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and is a follow-on from the Justisigns project, which focused on best practices for police officers and sign language interpreters working together.
Below is a translation of the overview presented in BSL.
JEMINA: This vlog is about the Justisigns 2 project. My name is Jemina Napier and I work at Heriot Watt University.
LUCE: My name is Lucy Clark, I work as a research assistant with Jemina.
JEMINA: The purpose of this vlogpost is to explain about the Justisigns 2 project and the goals of the project.
Firstly, we will explain the background of the project, then we will provide details of our work to date and our on-going plans.
Essentially, we are aiming to understand deaf women’s experiences of gender-based violence (GBV), which can be defined in many ways to include domestic, sexual and emotional abuse, and their needs for accessing support.
Much of the information and support for GBV victims is not available in British Sign Language (BSL) or other sign languages, so this project, funded through the European Commission, brings together a European consortium coordinated by Interesource Group. Heriot-Watt University is the UK partner and we are working with partners in Ireland (Trinity College Dublin), Spain (University of Vigo) and Belgium (European Union for the Deaf).
We are aiming to develop training materials and resources to support professionals and interpreters working with deaf female victims and survivors of GBV. In an ideal world, any deaf woman who has been abused should be able to receive support from specialist deaf services to get the support directly in BSL (known as language concordant care).
But we know that this is often not possible, so many deaf women will have to receive support through mainstream hearing services, meaning that police officers, counsellors and support workers will have to work with BSL interpreters.
So, the goal of this project is to develop resources as well training materials for both BSL interpreters and allied hearing professionals who work to support deaf female GBV victims and survivors. The project will enable us to better understand the best way to support deaf women and their needs – most importantly – in sign language.
So far, since starting work on this project we have set up a UK advisory group, involving representatives of key organisations that work with deaf people, with female victims of GBV, or with sign language interpreters, namely BDA Scotland (British Deaf Association), Wise Women in Glasgow, Scottish Women’s Aid, SignHealth, and ASLI (Association of Sign Language Interpreters UK). The organisations will ensure that our project results are most useful, by making us aware of the needs of the key stakeholders.
Also, we held an online workshop with BSL interpreters and deaf IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advocates) to discuss best practices for working together, the challenges involved and any barriers in supporting deaf women.
We have done a lot of work so far, and we are excited exciting that Luce has now joined the team as a new staff member, and just started at the end of June 2021.
LUCE: Yes, time flies!
JEMINA: Why don’t you explain what you have been doing since then?
LUCE: So far, I have done a lot of research, primarily analysing the video of the discussion between the IDVAs and Interpreters; their knowledge and experience, it was amazing. Because I knew from my own experiences, I personally understood what they were talking about. I learned along the way, analysed what they were discussing (for key themes) and produced a translation. We will be sharing the results of that soon.
Also, I have conducted other research examining the news in Scotland, England and Wales for local relevant updates concerning domestic and gender-based violence. For example, there is one news item that stood out for me: now in Scotland, if a couple are living together to in a rental property, and the perpetrator of abuse is arrested, the victim can stay safely in the rental property. This means that the perpetrator has to leave the property, and the landlord can approve for the victim stay at home to be safe. Information like this is important to share in BSL, which I will be doing regularly through vlogs.
Plus, I will be sharing information on how to recognise different signs to use for concepts related to abuse. It needs to be recognised as the abuses can be wide ranging. So we need to identify appropriate signs for different types of abuse, for example like ‘informed consent’ and pronouns and other terminology. Because we want to ensure that we create a safe space to talk about GBV, for people from LGBTQIA+ and other minority communities, including different ethnicities and disabilities. We can improve access to information by focusing on the key thing that is common to the various deaf communities, and that is providing information in sign language.
It is amazing this work, and I am still excited to work in this project. Looking forward to gathering more information, as the more we have, the more aware we are. So, we will share more information once we have agreed what information needs to go out.
JEMINA: We have been busy with this project! It will run for one more year, and hopefully we might get an extension (fingers crossed!).
Forthcoming plans include a workshop for deaf and hearing interpreters to get together to discuss, like Lucy said earlier, how we sign different terminology and jargon. For example, we sometimes see the sign ‘victim’ signed in a way that is similar to a sign for ‘guilt’, which implies that it is the victim’s fault, which is never the case. A more appropriate sign might be to show the person has suffered, or has experienced abuse, but it is not their fault. There are several other examples for us to discuss the appropriate signs for different terms. Especially if an interpreter is accompanying a victim in a police context where they are being questioned about an incident, or to a hospital for a medical check-up, or to a counsellor appointment, or to other support services, there can be legal or medical terms that come up that are important for the interpreter to understand. So, Luce is doing some initial research, and then we will have a workshop to discuss these terms with the aim of creating a BSL glossary to make freely available.
We will also provide workshops for police officers and other hearing support service professionals, as well interpreters, so they can reflect on how best to work in these situations with deaf victims. If you continue to watch our vlogposts, we will regularly share information about the workshops/events coming up.
We also hope to conduct follow up interviews with deaf women about their lived experiences. If we can log their experiences, we can better understand their needs which will inform the development of training materials that reflect their needs.
LUCE: And just to add that we are fully aware that most deaf women may feel nervous when it comes to participating in interviews. We would like to be clear on this that all interviews will be 100% confidential. They will help us to generate the evidence to understand the journeys of deaf women having to access hearing services through interpreters. This is our focus as we would like to know how can we improve the situation, to support professionals and interpreters to employ best practices. To avoid additional stress caused by having to explain about deaf-specific issues, which can create tensions. Our goal is to make sure the support services are smooth was possible, to work together to focus on victim, so hearing professionals and interpreters can better work toegther. As a survivor myself who has been through domestic violence, if you are comfortable, I welcome you to talk to me, and I guarantee that anything you say will remain confidential. Our job is to make sure you are safe. We want to be clear on that.
JEMINA: That’s right. It is a good point. Especially because the interviews will be recorded in BSL. From the videos we will take note of the most important things, but then the videos will be deleted immediately as soon as we are finished. The videos won’t be shown to anyone else, or kept for any other reason. No names will be revealed. The aim of the interview is to learn about experiences, and to use example quotes in the training to reveal those experiences; but no one will ever know who said what. which can be used to develop better training. It is a good point and it is important to be clear on that.
So, what’s next? Luce has vlogging plans!
LUCE: Yes, I will be vlogging about any events in the UK, or new information, e.g. about change of laws or the fight for law reform, or campaigns for the victims. That information I will be vlogging via Twitter and Facebook. The more information out there, the better. You can follow us, tag us, and share the information with friends and family. It will raise awareness about these situations, and we will signpost information on where people can get support by the right people/organisations. And the best thing is that it will all be in BSL; we will be translating information into in BSL. This we hope to launch soon, aiming for a vlogpost every month. So, keep an eye out for it. If you have any information that you would like to share with us, that we can do; I will share it through the vlog.
Minoritysignlanguages and sign language contact. (Supervisory team: Dr Robert Adam & Dr Annelies Kusters)
For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Robert Adam (r.adam@hw.ac.uk)
Syrianidentities in the UK. (Supervisory team: Dr Lina Fadel & Dr Katerina Strani) For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Lina Fadel (lina.fadel@hw.ac.uk)
Deafgeographies. (Supervisory team: Dr Annelies Kusters & Dr Robert Adam) For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Annelies Kusters (a.kusters@hw.ac.uk)
In December
2019, the Centre for Translation &
Interpreting Studies in Scotland
and the Heriot-Watt University BSL team (SIGNS@HWU) had the privilege of hosting a curriculum
development meeting to discuss a potential pioneering new Masters programme in
Sign Language Interpreting in Conferences and High-Level Meetings, as well as
the delivery of a ‘taster’ course in 2020 in order to boost the number of
International Sign interpreters currently working in these contexts.
The project has been
established in recognition of the increasing demand for sign language
interpreters to work at international conferences and high-level meetings, and
also to increase the numbers of International Sign interpreters accredited
through the WASLI-WFD International Sign interpreter accreditation system.
SCIC
recognised Heriot-Watt University as being the ideal university to develop a
new Masters programme, as LINCS been offering
courses in Conference Interpreting since 1970 and is one of only four UK
university departments that have been granted membership of CIUTI, an international body which
brings together universities which specialise in translating and interpreter
training. LINCS is also a partner with the Magdeburg University of Applied
Sciences in Germany and HUMAK University of Applied Sciences in Finland in the
delivery of the European Masters in Sign Language Interpreting (EUMASLI). Thus, we will draw together
our expertise in training both spoken and signed language interpreters to
deliver this pioneering course. It is hoped that the new Masters programme will
commence from September 2021
2020 intensive course
The first step in the
curriculum development project is to offer an intensive ‘booster’ course in
June 2020.
The intensive
5-day course on sign language interpreting in international conferences and
high-level meetings (SLIC) for professionally qualified national sign
language interpreters focuses on strengthening International Sign skills,
enhancing awareness of relevant European and international institutions, as
well as practical translingual interpreting skills, working between
primarily English and International Sign but also other spoken and signed
languages.
(2) To boost the
number of International Sign interpreters working internationally, but
particularly in Europe to meet needs at the European Commission, the European
Parliament, at United Nations Geneva, and also for academic conferences and
political meetings.
(3) To trial
curriculum content for a potential new Masters programme in Sign Language
Interpreting at Conferences to be offered through Heriot-Watt University LINCS.
The overall
aim of the intensive course is to work towards readiness for applying for
accreditation either with WFD-WASLI, or for EU or UN accreditation.
Completion of
the intensive training course is no guarantee of accreditation or offers of
work as an International Sign interpreter
Course
content
The final course content and
delivery will be finalised once the language combinations of the participants
have been confirmed. Overall, using a case study approach, the 5-day course
will include discussions and practical sessions on:
The International Sign/
multilingual interpreting landscape
EU and international
organisations
Enhancing translingual skills
International Sign ‘therapy’
Applied interpreting skills
Unilateral interpreting
Bilateral interpreting
Relay interpreting
Critical reflective practice
One-to-one structured feedback
on interpreting
Interpersonal skills
Professionalism and ethics
Our
state-of-the-art digital interpreting and sign language labs will be available
exclusively for use by students on this course, as well as access to bespoke
visual software for recording and annotating sign language interpreting work.
The course will be
delivered primarily by leading sign language, deaf studies and sign language
interpreting researchers, educators and practitioners at Heriot-Watt,
including:
Professor Jemina Napier: Accredited
WFD-WASLI International Sign interpreter, AIIC Associate member, Registered
Qualified BSL/English interpreter, Accredited Auslan/English interpreter,
expertise in research and teaching on sign language interpreting
Professor Graham H. Turner:
Sign language policy and Interpreting Studies academic, co-founder of the
EUMASLI and Heriot-Watt BSL UG programmes, expertise in research and teaching
on sign language interpreting and BSL policy
Dr Annelies Kusters:Deaf
Studies academic, expertise in research and teaching on deaf ethnographies,
professional mobilities, translanguaging and International Sign
Dr Robert Adam:Accredited
WFD-WASLI International Sign interpreter, Registered Qualified BSL-ISL
interpreter, Registered Qualified BSL-English translator, expertise in research
and teaching on sign language contact and sign language interpreting. (joining
Heriot-Watt staff in April 2020)
Dr Stacey Webb: Certified
ASL/English interpreter, expertise in teaching sign language interpreting and
research on sign language interpreting pedagogy
Andy Carmichael: Accredited
WFD-WASLI International Sign interpreter, AIIC Associate member, Registered
Qualified BSL/English interpreter, Accredited Auslan/English interpreter, Chair
of the board of Association of Sign Language Interpreters UK (ASLI UK), in-house
interpreter at Heriot-Watt, expertise in training and mentoring sign language
interpreters
Christopher Tester: Accredited
WFD-WASLI International Sign interpreter, AIIC Full member, Certified
ASL/English interpreter, PhD student at Heriot-Watt, expertise in training sign
language interpreters
In addition,
further input will come from LINCS academics who are experts in teaching multilingual,
spoken language conference interpreting, and external collaborators with
expertise in International Sign and International Sign interpreting.
Who is
this course for?
This
intensive course is targeted at sign language interpreters from any country who
have not yet achieved WFD-WASLI International Sign interpreter accreditation,
or are already accredited but do not feel that they have previously received
sufficient training and would like more professional skills development. Priority
will be given to applicants who are not yet accredited.
Applications
are particularly encouraged from interpreters who are deaf, female or from
ethnic minorities.
A quota of
places will be offered to European-based interpreters due to the part funding
of the course by the European Commission.
Applicants for the intensive
course must meet the following essential criteria:
Hold a national sign language interpreting
qualification (or equivalent)
Have a minimum of 5 years
post-qualification (or equivalent) experience in national sign language
interpreting
Have
extensive experience of national sign language interpreting in conference or
high-level meetings (minimum of 50 hours)
Evidence of IS conference interpreting experience
(minimum of 20 hours)
Applications from deaf or hearing
interpreters from countries that do not have established undergraduate sign
language interpreting programmes, or professional infrastructure will be
considered on a case-by-case basis for the equivalent knowledge and experience.
How to
Apply – click
here to get more information and how to apply
LINCS is glad to announce that this academic year (2019-20), a Language Tandem app will be running after the huge success and very positive feedback received last year. This app is intended to get Heriot-Watt students (and staff, if they so wish) in touch so that they can practice their languages.
Language
Tandem App – what is it?
Language Tandem App is designed and developed for and by Heriot-Watt University students under the guidance José M Conde and Liz Thoday (LINCS) and Santiago Chumbe (MACS).
The app aims to help language learners find conversation partners. Think Tinder, but with languages!
How
does it work?
It’s very easy. You just need to sign
up with your Heriot-Watt University email account. The first page you encounter
should look something like this:
To sign up you’ll need your HWU credentials, and once you’re in, you’ll need to create a profile. We recommend that you create a profile that represents who you are. Don’t be shy, let others know what your interests are, it could be anything from football to manga. Once you find someone that matches your profile, say hi to them, get a conversation started and in no time you could be meeting socially to practice your foreign language.
“I found the app very useful, I was able to speak with my match in the foreign language I am studying (Spanish) and they spoke to me in English to improve, giving each other feedback as we went along.” (anonymous feedback)
The idea is for students meet regularly and practice English for, say, 30 minutes, and another language (there are many to choose from!) for another 30 minutes. This is a brilliant opportunity for people who need an extra little bit of conversation practice, and for this reason, we’ve created a platform where you’re in control, you decide who you want to meet up with, and you decide what languages you want to practice!
“Very useful as it is a great way to find people that are able to help you and want to chat in a casual setting” (anonymous feedback)
In this blogpost,
Jemina Napier and Audrey Cameron provide an update on the work that has been
done on the DESIGNS project (promoting access in employment for
deaf sign language users in Europe) since our last blog/vlog in October
2018.
The project is coming to an end on 30 June and most of the work in the past 6 months has been focusing on developing training materials, running pilot workshops for employers, sign language interpreters and deaf people and disseminating the project data:
Training – workshops
2018.11.08 Employers’
workshop in partnership with Vercida in South Bank University
2018.12.07 Sign
language interpreters’ workshop in Antwerp, Belgium – DESIGNS team
2019.03.05 Masterclass
workshop for deaf people, sign language interpreters and employers – in
partnership with Deaf Action and Deaf2Work in Deaf Action, Edinburgh
2019.04.09 Employment of sign language users in Europe
– Policy & Practice Implications at European Parliament – hosted by Helga Stevens –
to present project research findings – Adam Kosa MEP and the Directorate-General for Employment,
Social Affairs and Inclusion (developing EU strategy for employment for
disabled people).
Up to the end of June, we are continuing to finalise the training materials
and filming case studies for the DESIGNS project website. The next
update is due in June where we will introduce the finalised material.
Below is an English
translation of the update that is presented in BSL.
Hello! (both)
Jemina: We’re
here to give you an update on the DESIGNS Project, which is to do with deaf
employment and interpreting. The last project update was November last year, so
we thought it was high time we let you know what we’ve been doing over the last
6 months.
Audrey: … yes, we’ve got a lot to
tell you.
Jemina: We’ve got a number of things to cover so we’ll alternate between us. So, the first thing to say is that we’ve been out there delivering a lot of training sessions – sorry I need to refer to my notes here to remind me of everything we’ve done….. Audrey and I went down to London to run a training session for employers in partnership with an organisation called Vercida, who encourages employers of large organisations to recruit disabled people and embrace diversity; when larger organisations are looking for advice about how develop a more diverse workforce, Vercida are the people they go which also makes them a perfect fit for fits perfectly this project. Vercida helped us find three employers but we were hoping to have more but really this session was more of a pilot.
As part of the DESIGNS Project, we interviewed
employers, deaf sign language users and interpreters and we shared our research
findings with those employers so that if they were looking to recruit deaf people
they would have an idea of what it’s like and we could see that they found that
really useful. From the evaluation at the end there were clearly things they
hadn’t known about deaf people and interpreters, so they definitely found the
session helpful.
We used that session to help us to develop another
Master Class that we delivered here in Edinburgh in partnership with Deaf
Action, which is a local deaf community organisation based in Edinburgh. We
developed and ran this in conjunction with their employment service and
interpreting service and some other people from here at Heriot Watt…
Audrey: … and from Deaf2Work…
Jemina: … yes Tony Barlow, who is a deaf employment consultant has a company called Deaf2Work so we all worked in conjunction with one another deliver this Master Class. What was really interesting was that we had a group of employers (some of whom had experience of working with deaf people and some who didn’t); a group of interpreters and a group of deaf people. We started the day together and then spit into our respective groups and we tailored the content accordingly. Then we all came back together to watch a role play of an interview involving an interpreter, a deaf person and an employer and that was fascinating and generated a lot of valuable discussion.
… Audrey and I were also involved in delivering a training workshop with the rest of the consortium over in Antwerp for a group of about 40 sign language interpreters from all over Europe (both deaf and hearing) with some having travelled some considerable distance to get there. We presented a lot of the findings from the DESIGNS Project plus again using roleplays, we gave to them an idea what it’s like interpreting for job interviews. That was really interesting and a good experience…
Audrey: … a lot of them wanted to
know how to work with deaf people at job interviews which was clearly a worry
for them and I think the training was really useful in that respect.
Jemina: So altogether that’s 4 training events we’ve delivered and even more recently Audrey went to the EDSU The European Deaf Students conference in Prague…
Audrey: … yes…
Jemina … and ran a workshop on
the DESIGNS Project at which she talked about deaf employment, creating a CV
and the barriers deaf people face around employment. This was for students all
of whom are currently studying at University level and starting to think about
their career path… that was a two hour workshop…
Audrey: … two and a half hours
Jemina: … so another two and a
half hours linked to the DESIGNS Project which is good. That’s those 4
different training workshops covered. Ok, now I’ll hand over to you Audrey…
Credit to EDSU
Audrey: Jemina and I have not just been focusing on
training; we’ve also been out there disseminating the data and the findings
from the DESIGNS Project. Since November we’ve attended a number of events. The
first was in York at St John’s University, which was organised by Dai O’Brien
who’s been doing research on what employment for deaf people is like in Higher
Education. I, along with Mette Sommer (who is a PhD student here at Heriot
Watt) and Nicola Nunn for UCLAN also gave presentations and incorporated our experiences
of working in that environment with interpreters. That was a good conference
and there were a lot of people there…
Jemina:… and lots of questions and a great deal of interest in the project.
Audrey: Jemina and I have not just been focusing on
training; we’ve also been out there disseminating the data and the findings
from the DESIGNS Project. Since November we’ve attended a number of events. The
first was in York at St John’s University, which was organised by Dai O’Brien
who’s been doing research on what employment for deaf people is like in Higher
Education. I, along with Mette Sommer (who is a PhD student here at Heriot
Watt) and Nicola Nunn for UCLAN also gave presentations and incorporated our experiences
of working in that environment with interpreters. That was a good conference
and there were a lot of people there…
Jemina:… and lots of questions and a great deal of interest in the project.
Audrey: … they were very
keen to have the training pack that will help people get into work and that’s
one of the aims for the project …
The second dissemination event was back in March
where we’d been invited to present at one of the ‘EdSign’ series of lectures at the University of Edinburgh
which are run by four universities – Queen Margaret University, Heriot Watt and
Edinburgh… that’s only three isn’t it Jemina?! … sorry it’s three not four! So
as I said they invite different speakers to come along and we presented for a
couple of hours… or was it an hour?
Jemina: … about an hour…
Audrey: … for a hour and that went well. It was also live streamed; we’ll put the link up so you can watch our presentation if you’re interested.
… and thirdly we were recently at the European
Parliament – Helga Stevens who is deaf and an MEP hosted an event at which she
invited us to share the our findings from the DESIGNS Project. We were able to
present these to MEPs and the Directorate-General for Employment, Social
Affairs and Inclusion came along to listen and I think he soon realised the
need to deliver better access to employment and that was good… that was in
April.
Jemina: Really that was the last
‘official’ event of the DESIGNS Project because now we’re starting the process
of bringing things to a close and finishing off.
We held the last project meeting the day before the
event at the European Parliament. All the other project partners gathered
together to work out what we still had left to do and to make sure we tidied up
any loose ends and then the next day we were at the parliament.
Audrey: But we’re not finished
just yet. The report still has to be written and we are filming
case studies with employers, deaf people and interpreters for the website and what else…? And then working on the training pack which will also be put up on the website. Then, when absolutely everything is done we’re going to have another Facebook livestream where we’ll be showing you what resources we’ve got and that will be soon – when do you think that will be Jemina?
Jemina: … probably later in the
year. Here at Heriot Watt, the project officially ends at the of June; after
that we’ll have a few things to tidy up and unfortunately that’ll mean Audrey
and I will no longer be working with one another on the project… but who knows
maybe we’ll get to work again on something in the future… we’ll see…
Audrey: But this project has been
so worthwhile doing…
Jemina: There will also be more
information coming out in BSL – for example, there will be a BSL version of the
summary of the research report and summaries of some of the training materials
Audrey mentioned so we’ll be back with more information about those another
time.
As part of this long-standing cooperation, S1 to S4 pupils visit campus several times a year and get a chance to consolidate their French and Spanish, but also to broaden their knowledge and understanding of languages and cultures.
This scheme was initially set up as a
collaborative project to work towards the implementation of the government’s
1+2 policy, and it’s one of the many innovative ways in which LINCS engages
with local communities in order to inspire young generations of learners. The
project was initiated by Mr Meikle, one of LINCS’s graduates, who is now Depute
Rector at Larbert High, and it has been
beneficial to both institutions: young learners with a taste for languages get
a chance to further their skills by working with native speakers and talented
university students, while discovering our campus, and Heriot-Watt students and
Erasmus students and interns get a chance to share their culture and passion
for languages, whilst gaining some valuable teaching experience. This
collaboration has benefited our graduates and students further, as Larbert High
has welcomed some of them as volunteers for some shadowing and classroom
experience, like Mrs More. She has been accompanying the groups to her alma
mater and this experience enriched her CV; she’s since secured a place on a teacher
training postgraduate programme of studies.
So what do pupils do when they visit LINCS?
They engage in a range of activities geared
both towards practice, with applied classes in French and Spanish related to
their curriculum, but since LINCS is a also very global department, with
expertise in multilingualism and multiculturalism, we use the in-house
expertise to broaden these young linguists’ horizons.
For instance, during their latest visit, S2 and
S3 pupils got an insight into British Sign Language learning, thanks to two of
our Honours students from the BSL degree in Interpreting, Translation and Applied
Languages Studies. Lou and Louise explained how they came to study this
language, how the learning experience is designed and the skills they developed
along the way, and pupils’ curiosity was clearly peeked: they asked questions
about the language, but also about the deaf community and culture.
Thanks to our Erasmus + intern from Mons University,
Nathanaël Stilmant, these two groups also discovered another French-speaking
country, Belgium. As part of this session, very much focused on the
multilingual nature of this country, pupils also had a chance to learn some
Dutch and Walloon.
S4 pupils, who are already thinking of exams, worked
on their Spanish with two of our Honours students: Simon and Rachel devised
activities around their curriculum, but also shared anecdotes about their
experience as students at Heriot-Watt and as Erasmus students abroad, since the
M.A. includes two semesters of study in one of our partner institutions on the
continent or beyond. This helped young learners consider the importance of a
global profile, at a stage when they are making important study choices and are
starting to think about higher education.
As for S1 pupils, after a French session with
one of our enthusiastic 2nd year, Samuel, they went on an adventure
on campus: armed with audio clues in French, they explored the grounds, collecting
information along the way, in a bid to crack a code to work out the secret
message they had been given. This cross-disciplinary and fun approach gave them
a glimpse into the daily life of students as they went from one place to the
next, and this discovery experience is also part of a joint bid to make young
pupils think about university studies from an early age. It was also a chance
for them to realise that languages and STEM subjects often complement each
other well: code-breaking has historically been done by linguists as much as
scientists; for instance, many of the talented code-breakers who worked in
Bletchley Park during World War II were linguists, and worked alongside
mathematicians to crack and decipher codes used by enemies to communicate.
But more exciting opportunities lay in store:
for their next visits, pupils will get a chance to visit the Confucius
Institute for Business and to learn some Esperanto, to name but a few of the
activities LINCS has in store for them.
Click here to see a version of this blogpost in British Sign Language (BSL).
While I am on research sabbatical from Heriot-Watt University I am fortunate to be spending my time as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh (see here for overview of what I am working on).
As part of my fellowship I have been able to avail of IASH facilities to organize a workshop with a leading scholar in the field of Deaf Studies, Dr Annelies Kusters, to bring together a small group of researchers who work with sign language data. The 2-day workshop took place on 25-26 October 2018 and was by invitation only. Our priority was to invite deaf and hearing researchers that are fluent British Sign Language (BSL) users, and who are currently grappling with issues either to do with the analysis of qualitative sign language data, or are exploring new and innovative qualitative research methods. One of the reasons we wanted to ensure that everyone is a fluent BSL user is because we wanted to avoid holding discussions through interpreters, to allow for more in-depth and organic discussions. And this certainly worked!
The majority of the 12 attendees were my colleagues and PhD students from the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot-Watt University, but we also had several attendees from other UK universities and also one Finnish university.
The first day (Thursday) was dedicated to the discussion of different approaches to data analysis, and the second day (Friday) was devoted to methodologies. Each participant was asked to give a 15-minute presentation about their topic and we built in plenty of time for discussion. The projects being conducted by the group range from experiences of deaf people seeking asylum in Finland, documentation of Indonesian Sign Language, explorations of professional and labour migration among deaf sign language users, family sign language policy, deaf tourism in Bali, video remote sign language interpreting in police settings, different perceptions of sign language interpreting, and experiences of deaf business owners, deaf professionals and deaf parents in social work contexts. As you would expect, such a range of projects calls for a range of approaches to data analysis and methodologies. Over the two days the following key issues were discussed:
How and whether to anonymise video data
Whether to directly code from sign language data or translate and code from written (representative) texts – and if so what and how to translate
Use of different software for coding (such as ELAN, Atlas.ti or N-Vivo)
Processes for deciding what and how to code
How to code observational fieldnotes, and saturation of observational data
Thematic coding as an organic or planned process
Using visual methods for data collection and analysis – eco-maps, photos, film-making, social media networking sites
Data coding fatigue
Benefits of documenting analytical decisions as part of the research process
Value of having conversations with others about coding/ annotation/ analytical processes
Challenges of how and what to code
Power dynamics in interviewing participants
Positionality and the observer’s paradox
Reflexivity in planning, reviewing data collection and data analysis
Ethics of recruiting and interviewing disadvantaged people, and methods for gaining consent
Building rapport and trust with research participants
How to create semi-authentic simulations of sign language (interpreted) interactions
Interviewing directly or through interpreters
Methods for taking fieldnotes
This exploratory workshop was a huge success, so we hope to make it an annual event, and open it up to other sign language researchers. Many of the issues we dissected are not unique to sign language researchers by any means, but being able to come together and have the space to have open and frank conversations about our work in sign language was a rare and much valued opportunity. We are considering a proposal for an edited volume based on the format of this workshop, so hopefully that will be a book that we can add to the IASH library one day!
