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)
Ramon Inglada, Assistant Professor in Spanish and Translation Technologies in the Languages and Intercultural Studies department at Heriot-Watt University, was delighted to accept the invitation from the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) to talk about the ever complex issue of payment for Machine Translation (MT).
This invitation came after a successful presentation on MT given by Mr. Inglada for ScotNet, the ITI Scottish regional network, which covered general concepts related to MT (from types of MT engines to quality levels).
The ITI presentation, which attracted an online audience of almost 200 translation industry professionals, was more specifically focused on MT pricing models, with the general aim of raising awareness about the different alternatives and recent developments in this area.
The presentation began by highlighting the complexity of this topic given all the different factors at play. It made the case for professionals working in machine translation post-editing (MTPE) projects to move away from the idea of having a unique word-based rate for all such projects and to explore the possibility of charging a dynamic per-word or hourly rate based on project conditions (such as quality of the source content, quality of the MT output, language combination and deadline). The concept (developed, among others, by Corinne McKay) of using objective data to set translation rates based on a calculation of billable hours and a target hourly rate was also discussed.
The webinar then proceeded to analyse different well-established pricing methods currently being used in the translation industry in order to establish MTPE pricing models (with options including proofreading rates, dynamic ranges for specific MTPE rates, hourly rates and Translation Edit Rate, also known as TER). After this, other more novel alternatives in this field were mentioned (including the potential use of pricing algorithms or special higher rate percentages for certain content), as well as the possibility of introducing a model of standard pricing for this type of projects across the industry.
The presentation gave rise to a very lively 1-hour long Q&A session, with plenty of challenging questions and insightful audience comments. After more than 2 hours the webinar was brought to a close, with the general feeling that, even after a very extensive and useful discussion and exchange of ideas, MTPE pricing models remain a complex and multi-faceted issue that will undoubtedly continue to be the subject of passionate debate for many years to come.
Our free online course on Intercultural Training for Educators was officially launched at national events and at an international final dissemination conference earlier this month. The InterTrainE course is available in 4 languages (English, Greek, Italian and Finnish) and the national events presented the local language version of the course.
National Multiplier Events
ITALY
The Italian course launch took place on 28th January online. The project lead for Studio Risorse,Monica Miglionico, and the project lead for Il Sicomoro, Valeria Zampagni, presented the Italian course and engaged in a long discussion with educators, migrant learners and other stakeholders in Matera and beyond.
GREECE
The Greek course launch took place on 27th January online. The project lead for KEKAPER at the Region of Crete, Charalambos-Nikolaos Piteris, and the project lead for the European Education and Learning Institute -EELI, Kalli Rodopoulou, presented the Greek course and engaged in discussion with participant educators, local and regional authorities and other stakeholders.
FINLAND
The Finnish course launch took place on February 11th online. The project lead for Learning for Integration ry, Marja-Liisa Helenius, presented the Finnish course and engaged in discussion with participant educators, learners and other stakeholders.
UK – FINAL LAUNCH EVENT
The UK dissemination and final launch event for the project took place on February 1st online. The project lead for Creative Learning Programmes, Chrysi Koundouraki, and the project coordinator from Heriot-Watt University, Dr Katerina Strani, presented the InterTrainE course and engaged in discussion with participant educators, learners, academics and other stakeholders in the UK and the rest of Europe.
The InterTrainE course
The InterTrainE course is divided into 4 Modules and each Module consists of 4 units.
Module 1: Theoretical Background, Basic Principles and Concepts Module 2: Intercultural Competences in the Context of Migration Module 3: Adult education practices in intercultural contexts Module 4: Impact and global citizenship
A certificate of completion awarding 5 EQF credits is issued to learners who complete the course and achieve a minimum of 70% in each Module. Learners can choose to complete part of the course according to their training needs, however they will not receive a certificate of completion if they do not complete all 4 Modules.
There is a discussion forum where you are invited to ask questions and discuss key concepts or case studies in the course under the principles of peer learning.
The course is accompanied by a Course Syllabus and a Trainees’ Handbook.
You can find all our completed outputs, including research reports, curricula, the course syllabus and the trainees’ handbook on our website: http://intertraine.eu/outputs
Remember that our website and our outputs are available in all project languages: English, Italian, Greek and Finnish.
Our project website includes information and updates on our project, as well as all Intellectual Outputs to date. The website is available in all partner languages – English, Greek, Italian and Finnish.
Updates are published regularly on social media. To make sure you don’t miss out: Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Research Gate
Dr Katerina Strani Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies Henry Prais Building Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh EH14 4AS UK Tel: +44 131 451 4216 A.Strani@hw.ac.uk
Congratulations to Alastair Mackie (HWU) who became a Dad in July! Alastair, his partner Zoe and baby Mikkel are doing great. This is the third new member of the InterTrainE team, with Kalli Rodopoulou (EELI) and Kate Sailer (CLP) also welcoming bundles of joy last year 🙂
Our course is ready!
We are very happy to announce that our online course is now ready and freely available through our platform! http://intertraine.eu/moodle/
The InterTrainE course is divided into 4 Modules and each Module consists of 4 units.
Module 1: Theoretical Background, Basic Principles and Concepts Module 2: Intercultural Competences in the Context of Migration Module 3: Adult education practices in intercultural contexts Module 4: Impact and global citizenship
A certificate of completion awarding 5 EQF credits is issued to learners who complete the course and achieve a minimum of 70% in each Module. Learners can choose to complete part of the course according to their training needs, however they will not receive a certificate of completion if they do not complete all 4 Modules.
There is a discussion forum where you are invited to ask questions and discuss key concepts or case studies in the course under the principles of peer learning.
The course is accompanied by a Course Syllabus and a Trainees’ Handbook.
You can find all our completed outputs, including research reports, curricula, the course syllabus and the trainees’ handbook on our website: http://intertraine.eu/outputs
Remember that our website and our outputs are available in all project languages: English, Italian, Greek and Finnish.
Joint Staff Training Event highlights
Our online Joint-Staff Training Event took place on 16th-20th November. The JSTE was hosted by KEKAPER – Region of Crete, sadly not in Rethymno, but on Zoom. 22 participants from the 7 partners in 4 countries were trained on the basis of the InterTrainE course, provided feedback and critically evaluated the course content and impact.
Some highlights from the week’s activities:
On Day 1, we focused on Module 1: Basic Principles and Concepts. We discussed interculturalism and intercultural education in the context of critical adult education. We looked at dimensions of privilege and their role in the classroom. This discussed included power dynamics in intercultural classrooms, motivation, language of instruction, languages of learners, empowerment and co-construction of knowledge.
Day 2 focused on Module 2: Intercultural Competences in the Context of Migration. We discussed stereotypes, bias, uncertainty, trauma, deskilling, confidence, motivation and empathy. Not bad for one module!
Day 3 focused on Module 3: Adult education practices in intercultural contexts. We revisited group dynamics in intercultural classrooms, and discussed racism and discrimination in the classroom with relevant case-studies. When we finished, Yannis asks us to state one word that we would take away from today. We all agreed on “Inspired”!
Day 4 was focused on the final module, Module 4: Impact and Global Citizenship. We discussed our role as educators, taking into account everything we had learned and discussed so far. We looked at both personal and social impact, which sparked a debate on age and gender bias.
Who says the online medium limits engagement? We had a long and interesting discussion on Intercultural v. Global education.
On Day 5, which was the last day of the JSTE, we focused on case-studies prepared by the participants. These case-studies and personal stories sparked a discussion on the importance of empathetic listening and attitudes as opposed to judging isolated behaviours. An interesting debate followed on politics in the classroom, languages in the classroom, group work and group dynamics, and the difference between individualist and collectivist cultures.
That’s a wrap!!! We are all still buzzing. Cheers! متشکرم Grazie Gracias Kiitos Ευχαριστούμε Faleminderit
We have analysed the JSTE feedback and made minor changes to course material in response to participants’ recommendations. Our External Evaluator, Dr Jim Crowther also provided us with comments and an evaluation of the final course. We are very grateful to our external evaluator for his feedback and guidance. His expertise and engagement with the project are invaluable.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, all our remaining activities will take place online until the end of the project in February 2021. Our national Multiplier Events and our project’s Final Dissemination Event will take place in the coming months.
Watch this space for the dates of our national multiplier events and for our project’s Final Dissemination Event, when the course will be formally presented!
In 2020, many aspects of our work and our lives changed and we are being affected in ways we could not imagine. Online education has a more crucial role than ever before to support and connect learning communities. Stay tuned and check out our activities on our website http://intertraine/eu
Project website and social media accounts
Our project website includes information and updates on our project, as well as all Intellectual Outputs to date. The website is available in all partner languages – English, Greek, Italian and Finnish.
Updates are published regularly on social media. To make sure you don’t miss out:
IndyLan includes 5 partners from 4 countries (UK, Finland, Norway and Spain) and aims to develop a mobile application which will help to learn the languages and cultures associated with the following indigenous languages: Gaelic, Scots, Cornish, Basque, Galician and Saami. The project will develop an educational tool designed specifically for users to learn not only some of Europe’s endangered languages but also more about the cultures of the people who speak these languages.
The IndyLan application will help speakers of English, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish to learn Gaelic, Scots,Cornish, Basque, Galician and Saami, all endangered at different degrees.
The tool constitutes a gamified language-learning solution in the form of a mobile application. Smartphones have become a popular educational tool and the number of the smartphone and tablet users of all ages is constantly growing in the EU. The application is building on a previous project, Moving Languages, with the key difference that IndyLan will produce one application for all languages, and not multiple language-specific applications as Moving Languages did. IndyLan will contain around 4,000 vocabulary items (both terms and expressions) in about 100 categories. The modes that will be available in the application are: Vocabulary; Phrases; Dialogues; Grammar; Culture; Test.
The app is scheduled to be launched at the Final Dissemination Conference in Cornwall in September 2021. It will be available for download globally for free in both iOS and Android. Like all language-learning apps, IndyLan is complementary to other language- and culture courses and can be considered to be part of self-study material.
Our vision is for the IndyLan app to contribute to endangered language learning and revitalisation so that these languages remain alive and relevant in contemporary societies and economies.
News and updates
Website launch
Our project website was launched in February! The website is available in 10 languages (and soon we will also have Swedish). It has a dedicated section on the languages and people of the IndyLan app, with videos and resources. On our website you can also find news and updates, as well as a list of our downloadable outputs.
Intellectual Output 1 completed
Our Intellectual Output 1: Report on endangered indigenous languages in partner countries and mobile learning solutions is ready and can be downloaded from our website
The report provides an overview of endangered languages in the partner countries (UK, Finland, Norway, Spain) and a review of mobile and other virtual learning tools for learning and promoting these languages. The report starts with an overview of the endangered languages in Europe, and the current EU policies concerning indigenous and minority languages. Next, it provides some figures and statistics regarding the above six indigenous and endangered languages, which are part of the IndyLan app (Basque, Cornish, Gaelic, Galician, Scots and Sámi), in the partner countries (UK, Spain, Finland, Norway). Finally, it reviews mobile learning solutions and online resources available for these endangered languages in partner countries (for Android, iOS, and Windows platforms).
Each partner researched, downloaded and tested where possible, and evaluated the available language learning applications. The search was carried out on Google, Apple and other markets, using the mobile devices and PCs. The result of this work is not only a rich collection of language learning applications described in detail, but also an important collection of suggestions and useful information for developing the IndyLan app.
Promotional Cornish video
Watch Mark Trevethan from Cornwall Council promoting the IndyLan app in Cornish!
Covid-19 impact on our project
These last few months have certainly been different and difficult for many of us. Many aspects of our work and our lives have changed as we are being affected in ways we could not imagine.
In light of the rapidly changing situation with the Coronavirus pandemic, we had to cancel our face-to-face meeting in Karasjok, Sápmi, Norway which was due to take place on 10-11 June. We met twice online instead, once in April and once in June. If circumstances allow it, we will meet in Karasjok in March 2021 at our scheduled third project meeting, otherwise we will meet in Bilbao as originally planned.
Our 2nd project meeting took place online due to Covid-19 restrictions
Katerina (coordinator, HWU) dialling in from her home in Edinburgh
Steve (Scots researcher, HWU), joining from his home outside Edinburgh
Veronica (Learnmera) in lockdown in Portugal, looking very happy indeed!
Mark (Cornwall Council) joined from his home in Cornwall
Garazi (Moviéndote) joined from her office in Bilbao, where the lockdown had just been lifted
Áile (Saami Council) from her office in Karasjok, where the lockdown had just been lifted
Beaska Niilas (Saami Council, Sámi researcher) also dialled in from Karasjok.
With the help of technology, we were able to hold an online partners’ meeting on the 10th of June instead of our planned one in Karasjok. We had already held a catch-up meeting in April online, where we discussed the current and next stages of the project and made sure that everyone is all right and coping with the situation at the moment. In these two meetings we discussed the project’s progress, dissemination, internal and external reviewing procedures, and Covid-19 contingency planning. The full agenda of the meeting can be found here.
We submitted a progress report to our funder, Erasmus + UK, and we are awaiting results and any recommendations.
Intellectual Output 2 is the application itself, which will be ready in beta version by April 2021. Partners have completed the translation of about 4,000 vocabulary items for each language, which was no easy task, as there were many untranslatable terms (there are no words for yes or no in Cornish), terms with complicated translations (‘to own something’ in Gaelic) and other terms with more than one translations (see snow terminology in Sámi).
Partners are now in the process of translating phrases and dialogues, developing the grammar tabs and the culture tabs. After this, we will be producing audio files for all these terms and phrases!
The developers will have the app backend ready soon, so the app will start taking shape.
Intellectual Output 3 will be the pilot testing of the app which will be carried out by remote users as well as participants in our multiplier events in all partner countries in the summer of 2021.
The app is scheduled to be launched at the Final Dissemination Conference in Cornwall in September 2021.
Next project meetings
–> September 2020 (online)
–> December 2020 (online)
–> March 2021: Bilbao or Karasjok – to be confirmed!
Will the March 2021 meeting take place in Karasjok?Or in Bilbao?
If you are an educator, the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe has just opened a call for #AdultLearning community to share their stories.
InterTrainE includes 7 partners from 4 countries (UK, Finland, Italy and Greece) and aims to develop an intercultural training programme for educators teaching adult migrants.
Specifically, the project is developing a modularised training curriculum with qualification standards specialised for Adult Education.
It will also produce a handbook for trainers including a theoretical framework of basic concepts, learning outcomes and the training package itself which will include practical exercises and, where possible, case studies.
All the training materials will be uploaded to a publicly accessible Moodle platform, which will be accessed via our website.
Covid-19 impact on our project
These last few months have certainly been different and difficult for many of us. Many aspects of our work and our lives have changed as we are being affected in ways we could not imagine.
In light of the rapidly changing situation with the Coronavirus pandemic, the team decided that our Joint Staff Training Event which was due to take place on 04-08 May 2020 in Rethymno, Greece, had to be postponed.
If circumstances allow it, we will reschedule for some time in autumn 2020 or winter 2021.
We hope we will be able to organise our Training Event in Rethymno in the near future.
Our flyers are ready and waiting for our JSTE … 🙁
Our 4th project meeting took place online due to Covid-19 restrictions
With the help of technology, we were able to hold an online partners’ meeting on the 18th of May instead of our planned one in Crete. We discussed the current and next stages of the project and made sure that everyone is all right and coping with the situation at the moment. The meeting agenda can be found here.
During this online meeting, the team – joined by our external evaluator, Dr. Jim Crowther – discussed the impact of Covid-19 on our project, the communications between our coordinator and the National Agency and an eventual request for our project’s extension. This would allow us to carry out our Joint Staff Training Event and Multiplier Events in the future, hopefully once the situation with Covid-19 will be clearer.
Progress
Our teams have completed our Curriculum development on intercultural education and training for Adult educators, which was developed based on O1 and O2 results, and our Intellectual Outputs 5 and 6, the Training guide for adult educators and the course syllabus with final material and useful information and tips will be made available to Adult educators and all interested parties. We also submitted a further progress report to the funder in April 2020, and we are awaiting the results and any recommendations.
We are now working on our Output 4, the learning materials for our online platform. The objective is to elaborate a set of sample training materials organised in modules and divided into topics. We are working on the development of the MOOC, where the training materials will be uploaded and adapted.
Our External Evaluator, Dr Jim Crowther gave us his comments and evaluation of our overall progress and we were happy to confirm that our work runs smoothly despite all the difficulties we face. We are very grateful to our external evaluator for his feedback and guidance so far. His expertise and engagement with the project are invaluable.
Remember that our website and our outputs are available in all project languages: English, Italian, Greek and Finnish.
The InterTrainE Moodle platform
During our meeting, our Finnish partner also showed us the Moodle platform and we discussed the final stages of Intellectual Output 4 – the online course. Finally, we discussed the outputs’ evaluation and peer reviewing process.
LFI colleagues taking us through the comprehensive Moodle platform and through all the features
In the meantime, and as we all await developments on current circumstances, the InterTrainE partners have been busy getting used to working from home and still trying to engage with our audiences. We are continuing our research activities and development of material from home or from the workplace for those of us who are allowed to do so!
Monica from Studio Risorse back in her office in Matera, Italy!
Babis and Dimitra from KEKAPER back in their office in Rethymno, Crete !
We are very excited and looking forward to presenting our platform soon, as online education has a more crucial role than ever before to support and connect learning communities. Stay tuned and check out our activities on our website: http://intertraine/eu
Online resources accessible now
While you are anxiously waiting for our updates (😊 😊), you can have a look at these online resources and tools for learners, teachers and educators during the outbreak of COVID-19 provided by EU-funded projects:
If you are an educator, the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe- has just opened a call for #AdultLearning community to share their stories.
Our project website includes information and updates on our project, as well as all Intellectual Outputs to date. The website is available in all partner languages – English, Greek, Italian and Finnish.
Updates are published regularly on social media. To make sure you don’t miss out:
This blogpost is published to coincide with the publication of the DESIGNS research project report. This presentation was originally planned to be delivered at the Bridging the Gap 6 conference in Cardiff in November 2019, but due to technical issues with trying to live stream it could not happen. So instead we filmed our presentation and have created this blogpost to provide an English text equivalent. The goal of the Bridging the Gap conference series is to ensure that research taking place in academia is made available to the British Deaf community, and also that deaf BSL users can shape the research agenda. The 2017 Bridging the Gap conference was hosted at Heriot Watt University, so we hope that by making this blogpost it will some way make up for not being able to present at the 2019 conference.
Both of us work at Heriot-Watt University in the SIGNS@HWU team, which is affiliated to the Centre for Translation & Interpreting Studies in Scotland (CTISS), and we were the UK team in the Designs Project from 2017-2019. The project is now finished, and the aim of this blogpost is to provide a conclusion to our work by presenting our key findings and also to provide information about the resources that have been developed through the life span of the project that specifically pertain to the UK context. In the videos linked to this blogpost you will see a taste of the resources that we have created.
What was the DESIGNS Project?
The DESIGNS Project was about deaf people in employment and the key focus of the research was to examine how deaf people work best with interpreters in employment contexts, including getting a new job, continuing employment working alongside regular interpreters, and also how one’s career progresses and how one gains promotion in the work place.
Funding for the project came from ERASMUS+. The research delved into what it is like for deaf people and, importantly, for interpreters who work alongside deaf colleagues in employment settings, as well as finding out employers’ views about deaf people in the workplace. There were seven project partners working across four different countries, so we worked with partners in Ireland, Belgium and Germany, including the European Forum for Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) and the European Union of the Deaf (EUD).
The culmination of the project was a meeting at the European Parliament in April 2019 when we shared the findings and discussed implications at a concluding event hosted by the (then) deaf MEP Helga Stevens.
One of the key aims of the project was to develop resources and training materials, as well as guidelines to help interpreters, deaf employees and employers to understand best practice in the work place. The project team felt that it was important to have research as the foundation for our work so that the resources we developed had a solid evidence base and linked theory to practice.
DESIGNS project research phases
The research itself had four phases. In the first of those, the EUD conducted a survey via national deaf associations across Europe pertaining to numbers of deaf people in employment and numbers of those who are unemployed. The survey also asked questions about the payment and booking of interpreters as well as a number of other issues. In the second of the four phases, we conducted a global literature review in the area of deafness and employment. Thirdly, each of the universities involved in the project conducted either focus groups or individual interviews, which were either face to face or online. We asked questions of employers, deaf employees and interpreters to really understand how they felt about the barriers and challenges they face as well as positive stories from their employment experiences. We were keen to gather information about these positive experiences as the team’s goal was to produce best practice guidelines, rather than focussing on negative experiences and obstacles. In summary, the third and fourth phases were aimed at eliciting views from the three groups of stakeholders: deaf employees, employers and interpreters.
This blogpost focuses on the British data set and we will share with you our findings from the three stakeholder groups in the UK and show you some of the resources we have developed for use in the UK.
Research findings
We collected a wealth of data that we analysed for key themes and to identify gaps in existing knowledge.
We found that most people did not know what rights and what responsibilities they had and there were gaps in, firstly, organisational culture meaning the culture of the working environment and how it affects deaf employees. Secondly, we identified a gap in experience, thirdly a feedback gap and fourthly we identified systems gaps. An example of this being when deaf people finish school or university and attempt to transition into the workplace, many do not know how to find an interpreter, how to source funding to pay for support or how to work with hearing people. Many of our respondents went to deaf school and therefore struggled in an unfamiliar hearing environment. That is an organisational or cultural gap that we had not realised existed, as well as being a systems gap in terms of the lack of knowledge of where to find funding.
Also, most respondents reported feeling anxious about job interviews, again through lack of knowledge about how and when to source interpreters for the interview process. Further, they stated they lacked practice in interviews, interview techniques and how to work with interpreters in interview situations. The need for funding and where to find the funding was an identified gap. We would describe this situation as an experience and knowledge gap.
Many workplaces with multiple deaf employees make use of staff interpreters. Deaf respondents found this positive because it helps when the interpreters and deaf people are familiar with each other as this allows for smoother interpretation. Because the staff interpreters are familiar with the work place, it helps them to feel confident but a lot of people reported that they did not have access to regular interpreters and this creates a gap, as interpreters find it more difficult to interpret unfamiliar meetings, jargon and people’s names. Because of this difficulty, we identified that it is important for a regular pool of interpreters, familiar with the workplace, to be available.
This also helps interpreters to be more confident and competent in those work settings. There was a reported difficulty in finding the right interpreter because there are not enough interpreters and the demand exceeds the supply which sometimes resulted in respondents using Communication Support Workers (CSWs) not only due to the lack of interpreters but also because CSWs are cheaper for the company. So, not having enough interpreters is another gap.
Also, respondents commented on the importance of preparation so that interpreters know what to expect, as well as feedback to the interpreters from both hearing and deaf workers, which helps improve the standard of the interpretation and also encourages team work; the result being that deaf people are represented better. But many deaf respondents were nervous about giving feedback in case the interpreters took this negatively and then would not come back to work with them. This difficulty was expressed within the context of not having enough interpreters.
In relation to the UK Government’s ‘Access to Work’ scheme, many of our deaf participants reported that when starting a new job, they were unaware of how to apply, fill out the forms, etc., which led to delays of up to three or four months meaning it was difficult for them to start a new job without interpreting support. So, there is a need to change that situation and ensure immediate support is available because without such, hearing colleagues could misunderstand and get the wrong impression of their new deaf colleague.
Once in employment, a lot of our deaf respondents reported a lack of confidence in applying for promotion. This phenomenon could be linked to there not being enough interpreters or lack of available training. Deaf employees undertaking training have the additional burden of interpreter costs and questions remain over who will pay for interpreting services. For these reasons, it is more difficult for deaf employees to seek and gain promotion. Furthermore, not being able to hear means that they also miss out on office chat and gossip which may include informal information about pending available promotions. So, that’s another gap.
Also, hearing people are generally not familiar about how to work with deaf sign language users, so they experience anxiety and hesitation about how to relate to their deaf colleagues. These issues could be cross-cultural or due to misunderstandings and communication breakdowns. Thus, there is a need for training to be provided to non-deaf, or rather, non-signing personnel. The necessity of such training highlights the importance of the DESIGNS project.
The themes and gaps were identified as a pattern across three different countries: Germany, Ireland and the UK. We found a similar picture in each country so these issues are not only specific to the UK. They are widespread and similar in other countries too. What we have done here is used examples, such as Access to Work, that are specific to the UK to discuss the issues in relation to this country.
Project outputs
Training materials
Training materials were developed in parallel across the different countries. So, we’ve developed specific resources in BSL. We have videos and also a training course that all stakeholders could undertake together. There’s an e-guide presented in sign language for deaf community members and we have versions of this in BSL, Irish Sign Language (ISL) and German Sign Language (DGS). We have a written guide for employers and all of these materials are available through the Designs website.
We have now finished the project and most of the resources are now available through the website with everything we have learned. We would like to share some sample clips of materials and resources we’ve developed throughout the project.
The first videos focus on job interviews and show what it’s like when deaf people go for interviews with an interpreter to try to get a job. The videos can be used in training for all three stakeholder groups: employers, deaf employees and interpreters.
In the Job Interview: Scenario 1 video, the interpreter was booked at the last minute, being contacted on the morning of an interview due to take place that afternoon, meaning that neither of the deaf interviewee or interpreter were prepared; they did not have the opportunity to meet beforehand and neither really knew what was involved.
In the Job Interview: Scenario 2 video, we see what happens when there is preparation; both the deaf interviewee and interpreter preparing beforehand and discussing the interview.
We have used these two videos in the training that we did with hearing, non-signing employers from a range of different organisations. We showed them the video without subtitles, so they had to watch and listen to the interpreter’s spoken English interpretation of the deaf interviewee’s signed utterances. They could obviously access the interviewers’ speech as well. After showing them both videos, we ask them to contrast the two. When we asked the employers what they thought about the deaf candidate in the first video, they responded that they would not have given her the job as she did not sound confident and was hesitant. With regards to the second video, they reported that they would have given her the job.
It was only afterwards that we told them that the candidate’s signing was exactly the same in both videos, and the hesitation actually came from the interpreter in the first video due to lack of preparation. The employers were dumfounded by the difference the interpreter made in their perception of the deaf interviewee, which made them aware of this issue. From this example we can see how important it is for interpreters to be prepared, to know the person well and generally be ready to interpret for a job interview. It is unfair for deaf candidates if the interpreter is unsure about who is present, information about the company and so on.
We have also shown the same two videos in a masterclass that we held in Edinburgh in collaboration with Deaf Action, where we had three groups representing deaf people, employers and interpreters. We showed them the same two videos and followed exactly the same procedure and got a similar reaction from all three groups. It had an impact on all of them, for example the deaf participants fully appreciated how working with an unprepared interpreter could seriously damage their job prospects at interview and for the interpreters, the experience also underscored the importance of preparation. All three groups realised how important an issue preparation is.
Case studies
An important outcome of the project was to show different positive deaf role models in employment; success stories of those whose careers have gone well. So, we filmed various case studies of deaf people to share their experiences of how they have succeeded at work, including Toby Burton, who works in the finance industry.
We just picked one short clip from Toby’s video, as an example of a positive story that shows a deaf person being successful in his work and attaining a high-level position in industry. By showing what deaf people can do, the goal is particularly to encourage young deaf people by showing them what is possible through a variety of role models from a diverse range of backgrounds and in very different jobs, some working in deaf or sign language focused work and others not.
We also collected various case studies from a number of people across the three stakeholder groups of deaf people, interpreters and employers, in order to showcase good practice and give insights into experiences in deaf employment.
Our research showed that there did not seem to be enough visible deaf role models to show others how to succeed, as well as a lack of mentors, so it is even more important to have videos like these available.
Training course
The course curriculum contains a number of different modules, which are grouped to focus on the training needs of each of the three stakeholder groups. For the deaf participants, we focussed on their employment rights, such as interpreter provision as well as how to best work with an interpreter; and for the interpreter group, we gave similar information about how to build rapport with both the deaf candidate and the employers thereby creating a triadic relationship. For the employers’ group, we gave information about deaf people and their rights but also how to include them as employees in the workplace, dispelling any fears they may have and so on. So, the content of these modules can be made available to other institutions, such as universities or training centres and the videos and other training materials make up a whole package that can also be used for CPD workshops. In essence, these modules are available to pick and mix according to need and are freely available for anybody to use.
This is particularly useful for a deaf person starting a new job as they can select some of the materials to help their colleagues understand how best to work with them.
Example Session 4 is one example of one module content about what happens when deaf people graduate from college or university and how they then navigate the world of employment, including learning outcomes that link to videos and in this example, the video is a person from Ireland giving advice to deaf jobseekers.
Other materials
Other materials have been designed specifically for deaf communities in the form of a tailored E-Guide each for the UK, Ireland and Germany, which is like written guidelines but presented in the national sign language, in our case BSL, and give ten tips for deaf sign language users on getting a job. These videos will be useful for young deaf people because they are delivered in sign language.
We also produced a guide for employers, which comes in the form of a small booklet and it is aimed at employers who are preparing to bring a deaf employee into their workplace. It contains useful information gathered through our research from employers who told us what they needed to know.
The employer guide has been sent out to employers that were involved in the project so they can share it with others, and is available to download from the project website, so please feel free to disseminate it as widely as possible. We want to enable deaf people to have as smooth a transition into employment as possible.
Acknowledgements
The team owes a great deal of thanks to our project partners here in the UK. We could not have achieved all we did without strategic partnerships with different organisations, including the British Deaf Association, the Deaf Business Academy, the Association of Sign Language Interpreters UK, Deaf Scotland, Deaf Action, the Government Department of Work and Pensions, Alison Bryan at Deaf UK Jobs, Tony Barlow at Deaf2Work, as well as the former Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters; and VERCIDA, which is a platform for supporting employers who are interested in employing people with disabilities thereby increasing in diversity in the workplace. We were fortunate to work in partnership with VERCIDA as they gave us access to their sizable network of employers and can facilitate the dissemination of the training materials to employers.
We would like to extend our thanks to all the organisations involved across the UK that helped us deliver this project.
Finally, we could not have done carries out this project without the involvement of our deaf, employer and interpreter participants, so thank you to you all.
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
I considered it to be a unique opportunity and I immediately started
emailing around, to find out more about all the requirements and the procedure
in general. I was trying not to get my hopes up at first, as I thought that it
was just one opening and I guessed that many other students would have been
interested.
Nevertheless, after a few meetings with HWU Marco Polo Coordinator John Cleary and Cultural Studies coordinator
Katerina Strani and several emails
later, it was confirmed from Vietnam that I was accepted! The University took
care of my trip there and I arranged the matter of my VISA (got reimbursed
later). I also received a grant for my expenses during my stay there.
By the end of October, I was in Vietnam, where I spent the next two weeks. I explored the vibrant city of Hanoi and I was able to travel around the country as well. Apart from its natural beauty, Vietnam is soaked in history. A millennium under the rule of China, the French colonisation and the Vietnamese war have left their marks that are evident in its cultural heritage.
Watching the beauty of Tam Coc from above.
At the HANU University of Hanoi, I was welcomed by Mrs. Nhai Nguyen, Mr. Ha Pham Viet and the manager of the programme, Prof. Nhat Tuan Nguyen. My classmates were very friendly, and we exchanged our points of view regarding cultural differences, as well as several cultural and heritage-related topics. Their insights helped me understand Vietnamese culture much better.
With Prof. Duong (on the left) and Prof. Tuan Nguyen (on the right) at HANU University.
One of the buildings at HANU University.Initiated to Pho Bo (soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat) by my classmates.
Here are some interesting facts around student life in Hanoi:
Classes start at 7.00 in the morning and facilities like the library
close after 18.45. Yeap… You might have to say goodbye to 9.15 for a while!
Students who live in the dorms pay almost £17/month (Monthly average
income per capita in an urban area for 2018: £185) [1] and share the room with
another 6, 8 or 10 persons. This would be very difficult for me and I would
guess for other Westerners, as I appreciate my privacy.
The University Halls of Residence
As a final point, I would like to encourage all students to make the most of their student life and participate in exchange programmes in order to meet new people and places and expand their horizons. My experience was unforgettable!
Sources:
[1] General
Statistics Office of Vietnam:
11. Health, Culture and Living
Standard – Monthly average income per capita at current prices by residence and
by region- Urban,2018). Retrieved from: https://www.gso.gov.vn/default_en.aspx?tabid=783
IndyLan includes 5
partners from 4 countries (UK, Finland, Norway and Spain) and aims to develop a
mobile application which will help to learn the languages and cultures
associated with the following indigenous languages: Gaelic, Scots,
Cornish, Basque, Galician and Saami. The
project will develop an educational tool
designed specifically for users to learn not only some of Europe’s endangered
languages but also more about the cultures of the people who speak these
languages.
The IndyLan application
will help speakers of English, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish to learn
Gaelic (designated as ‘definitely endangered’), Scots (‘severely endangered’),
Cornish (‘critically endangered’), Basque (‘severely endangered’), Galician (a
minority language) and Saami (‘severely endangered’).
The tool
constitutes a gamified language-learning solution in the form of a mobile
application. Smartphones have become a popular educational tool and the number
of the smartphone and tablet users of all ages is constantly growing in the EU. The application is
building on a previous project, Moving Languages, with the key
difference that IndyLan will
produce one application for all languages, and not multiple language-specific
applications as Moving Languages did. IndyLan will
contain around 4,000 vocabulary items (both terms and expressions) in about 100
categories. The modes that will be available in the application are:
Vocabulary; Phrases; Dialogues; Grammar; Culture; Test.
The
app will be launched at the Final Dissemination Conference in Cornwall in
September 2021. It will be available for
download globally for free in both iOS and Android. Like all language-learning
apps, IndyLan is
complementary to other language- and culture courses and can be considered to
be part of self-study material.
Our vision is for the IndyLan app to contribute to endangered language learning and revitalisation so that these languages remain alive and relevant in contemporary societies and economies.
News and updates
Our kick-off meeting took place in Edinburgh on 07-08 October 2019.
Partners met at Heriot-Watt University‘s Riccarton campus and discussed the project’s timeline, milestones and deadlines. They agreed on the project logo and on the design of the website. Each partner gave an overview of their contribution. The project evaluation procedures were also finalised, and the procedure of appointing an external evaluator was agreed upon. The external evaluator for the project will be Dr Philip McDermott, Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, University of Ulster. The full agenda of the meeting can be found here.
The first Intellectual Output is a short needs analysis, which will be published in early February. The 2nd Intellectual Output will be the application itself, which will be ready in beta version by April 2021. The 3rd Intellectual Output will be the pilot testing of the app which will be carried out by remote users as well as participants in our multiplier events in all partner countries in the summer of 2021. The app will be launched at the Final Dissemination Conference in Cornwall in September 2021. It will be available for download globally for free in both iOS and Android.
Discussing the budgetA long but productive day!Discussing the vocabulary and going through more than 4,000 terms! Finished! Now time for the partner dinner. (L-R): Katerina Strani (HWU), Veronica Gelfren (Learnmera Oy), Mark Trevethan (Cornwall Council), Naroa Bengoetxea (Asociación Moviéndote), Áile Jávo (Saami Council) The IndyLan project partners with our Intercultural Research Centre Directors Ullrich Kockel and Máiréad Nic Craith
Our project website will soon be available, so stay tuned!