WASLI Newsletter #7 2018

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PRESIDENT’S WORDS

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REPORT

Read a message from

Liz Scott Gibson, Honorary

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INTERVIEW

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EVENTS

Liz Mendoza talked with

Check out the upcoming

WASLI’s President, Debra

WASLI President, report her

Leslei Greer, President of

events about deaf

Russell, about recent

visit to Iran. Read more on

Conference of Interpreter

communities, sign language

activities of WASLI.

page 8.

Trainers - CIT.

studies, translation and interpreting studies.

WASLI

newsletter. no. 7

2018

Picture the beautiful islands of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean: sunshine, warm air, lush tropical plants, sparkling turquoise beaches, cocktails by the pool, smiling faces calling “Bula!” - hello in Fijian. Could you get a better place to host an Oceania conference for sign language interpreters? (see more on page 4)

President’s words Debra Russell

Dear Members and WASLI Supporters, Reading this newsletter helps me realize how many interpreter leaders are volunteering around the world to advance interpreter training. To each of those leaders, we thank you for your contributions to our shared goals. In keeping with support of interpreters at the regional level, WASLI has been active and here are just a few highlights: Fundraising for the WASLI 2019 conference and sponsorship of delegates from emerging countries continues, and thank you to all who supported my efforts to fundraise for the DPRK interpreters that will attend WASLI 2019. Thank you also to Christian Rathmann for his personal contribution that will see two Iranian sign language interpreters attend our conference for the first time. We so appreciate the sponsorship of Humboldt University in Berlin who will sponsor the International Sign Interpreter Services at WASLI 2019. If you or your organization can contribute to the conference as a sponsor we would love to hear from you!

During August, history was made for the Oceania region, with the first regional conference held at Nadi, Fiji.

It was an amazing experience to meet with interpreters from Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Vanua Levu, and to learn from their experiences working with the Deaf communities in their varied and complex contexts. The

hospitality of the local Fijians was spectacular and we thank them all for making this such a memorable conference for all. Our Oceania rep, Angela Murray worked very hard from with the local Fiji Association of the Deaf and the Interpreters Association and we could not have had a better time, learning from excellent presenters, networking over breaks, and taking the time to get to celebrate on the sunset cruise. Vanaka to you all!

Liz Scott Gibson also represented WASLI by attending a congress in Iran during August, providing presentations to Deaf and interpreter delegates. Her report in this newsletter offers us interesting insight into that country and we look forward to having their delegates with us at WASLI 2019.

The first International Day of Sign Language was marked in such exciting ways around the world, and WASLI was pleased to participate in the UN event at Geneva, and to share a video featuring so many Pacific Island interpreters and Deaf participants – we are a diverse organization and that video message certainly highlighted some of that wonderful cultural and linguistic diversity!

During September it was my pleasure to offer training for efsli-DI, working with the talented Markus Aru of Finland. Thank you to all of the participants for such a warm welcome, and to Sofia Isari and her colleagues for their hard work in creating the training event. It was also a pleasure to attend the efsli annual general meeting and the conference – thanks so much for the Croatian interpreters that worked so hard to deliver another amazing efsli event. WASLI and efsli were also able to collaborate with our national

member, the Russian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (RASLI) in presenting a conference entitled Sign Language Interpreting: Underwater Hazards October 26-27th. Special thanks to Arunas Brazinskas from Lithuania for representing WASLI along with Anna Komorova, our WASLI regional representative for Transcaucasia. The event was a great success and there are many more opportunities ahead to work on developing the profession of interpreting in this region.

November was an exciting month for interpreters in Latin America with significant learning events taking place in Brazil and Colombia. I was thrilled to be able to attend the linguistics and sign language interpreting research conference at Florianopolis. With over 800 participants, and the entire conference given in sign language, Libras and International Sign, it was a fantastic 5 days of research-based presentations, posters and workshops.

Immediately after Brazil, the Colombian sign language interpreters also hosted a conference, bringing together their best to advance the profession. Check out the video interviews on our WASLI Facebook and website to learn more about some of the history of WASLI in Latin America, deaf interpreting and frequently asked questions about International Sign.

November will also see amazing opportunities in our Asian region.

ISLIA, our association in India, is celebrating their tenth anniversary and WASLI and WFD will share in that important milestone Thanks again to Liz, who will replace me – when it is not possible to be in two places at once, I appreciate that our Honorary

President can travel and represent interpreters which such grace and wisdom.

In December that WASLI Asia regional meeting will take place in Thailand in conjunction with the WFD regional conference and wish all delegates a productive time there. This will be a chance to begin planning for the election of the next Asian regional rep, something that all of the other regions will start in January 2019. If your national association is a member, then you have a right to nominate and vote for the next representative, so if you have not renewed, please do so now so that you have the privilege of selecting your next regional rep. In that same light, nominations for the next WASLI executive will begin in January 2019. I will be stepping down as President at our Paris conference, and I look forward to working and supporting our next executive.

Some other aspects that have taken Board attention in the last few months – the International Standards Organization ISO sought input from us on interpreting standards and we are pleased to provide that perspective which is new for them. The WFDWA S L I I n t e r n a t i o n a l S i g n Accreditation received new applicants in Sept and we are in conversations with AIIC about international sign.

I also hope that many of you are turning your attention to WASLI 2019. For those planning to attend our conference, we are excited to welcome the world to Paris. If you are not able to attend, consider donating to support delegates from other countries. There are many countries that will be very challenged to attend given the costs of registration, travel and accommodation. I challenge you to

come together with colleagues and sponsor a delegate from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia.

Grab ten friends and make a plan – small fundraisers, large fundraisers, every contribution helps. There are many RID chapters, for example, and it would be wonderful if each chapter could commit to sponsor one delegate – imagine the amazing learning for an interpreter from Guatemala, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Angola, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan, India, Pakistan and so on to participate in a world conference.

We have seen our delegate sponsorship change lives, with interpreter's empowered with learning and support to help develop interpreting in his or her home country.

Our venue, University Paul Decartes is centrally located on the metro line, so you can book accommodation to suit your budget anywhere in Paris. The dates of our conference are July 16-19, 2019!

If you have questions or comments for the board, please email me any time at president.wasli@gmail.com. And to each interpreter that continues to help us build WASLI, thank you for your volunteer efforts!

If you have any questions or comments, please email me any time.

WORKSHOP FOR SIGN L A N G U A G E INTERPRETERS IN CHILE

Between December 8rd and 9th, WASLI Vice President Mr. José Ednilson Júnior has visited the city of Valparaiso, Chile where he gave lectures to sign language interpreters and deaf community from the region. He talked about WASLI work around the world and challenges for the next decade.

Chile is one of the newest national members of Wasli and for me is a pleasure to be here to promote Wasli and our values, as is important to give them words of motivation to our colleagues of Chilean sign language interpreters", said José Ednilson.

This activity was promoted by Chilean Sign Language Interpreters Association (AILES Chile) and supported by Deaf Association of Chile (ASOCH), Centro de Estudios para Sordos and Universidad de Playa Ancha.

WASLI Oceania Conference 2018 Great memories from the beatiful Fiji Island Fiji was home to the first ever WASLI Oceania regional conference from the 17th- 19th August 2018. We were thrilled to have 138 delegates from 14 different countries from our region and beyond. Attendees were from Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Timor Leste, Canada, England, United States of America, Brazil, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Organising and delivering the WASLI Oceania Conference was a challenging but humbling and rewarding experience (our conference committee was split between three countries). Thank you to my team and especially to my conference co-chair, Susan Emerson, for the months of hard work.

Prior to the conference the WASLI board met for our annual face to face meeting with those who were present in Fiji and others who joined us online. Also before the conference, Nigel Howard and Susan Emerson gave a free two hour workshop in International Sign which gave participants a taster of what they would see in action in the opening ceremony that evening.

The conference started off in true Fiji style with a Kava Ceremony led by the local Fijian Deaf community. Kava is a mildly narcotic drink made from the root of an indigenous plant pounded into powder and mixed with water. In a traditional Fijian welcome ceremony the Kava is passed around to the esteemed guests in a coconut shell to drink. I was honoured to be sitting alongside our keynotes Debra Russell and Nigel Howard and the president of the Fijian Association of the Deaf, Jill Temo as we were given the Kava to drink. The completion of the Kava ceremony marks the occasion when the visitor and the visited become one people, striving for the same purpose.

The conference theme was “no interpreter is an island�, emphasising that although you may be isolated in your work, there are other interpreters and Deaf people who you can connect, collaborate and share resources or knowledge with. Throughout the conference there were plenty of opportunities for people to meet interpreters and Deaf people from a completely different

'island' and yet be able to share common experiences and stories.

The presentations and workshops reflected this theme in various ways. Opening our conference was a keynote by Dr Debra Russell about collaboration and communication between interpreters and Deaf communities. This presentation really set the tone for the weekend. We also heard from Pacific Island communities about their interpreter journeys, challenges and initiatives around training. Our second keynote was by Nigel Howard on Deafhood, diversity and Deaf culture which was relevant to all and a good reminder of how our role can support Deaf people in retaining their Deaf identity. There were presentations about practicum and developing the reflective skills of new interpreters and an example of the successful mentoring programme in New Zealand. Other presentations focussed on specialised settings in which Oceania interpreters can often find themselves in such as legal interpreting, interpreting frozen texts and poetic language, working with refugees or in a Catholic church setting.

Like any good conference we made sure there was a good balance of education, entertainment and socialising. There was an opening cocktail party on Friday night where participants could meet and greet, swap names or reconnect with old friends. On the Saturday night we went for a beautiful sunset cruise in Nadi Bay. We sipped on cocktails as we chatted and watched the sun go down. After a delicious buffet meal we were entertained by Fijian cultural dancing and a live fundraising auction. During the day, a local artist had humorously captured aspects of our work and the drawings were auctioned off to raise money for Pacific Island interpreters to attend WASLI in Paris 2019.

We were fortunate to get funding to cover the costs of approximately 50 Pacific Islanders (including Fijian) interpreters and Deaf leaders to attend the conference. Without the generous support of our sponsors we wouldn't have had so many delegates and the conference and social events wouldn't have eventuated as they did. Thank you again to all who supported us, especially to SLIANZ and ASLIA for being our conference partners and to our

local partners: The Fiji Association of the Deaf, Sign Language Interpreters Association of Fiji, and the Pacific Disability Forum.

It meant a lot to the local Fijian interpreters that we chose to hold the first ever WASLI Oceania Conference in their country. One Fijian interpreter recently told me: “The conference was a good booster for Fiji…the celebration for the international week of the Deaf was nothing like we've had in years…this is all because the conference was brought to Fiji. Thank you for your support to the Pacific.”

The conference also had an impact from those outside of Oceania.

One participant said: “Such an amazing collaboration between both Deaf and hearing interpreters and community representation for the entire Oceania region has most definitely made this the ultimate conference experience. I feel like I will never be able to beat such a truly amazing experience, so many positive discussions and actions taking place on this side of the world.”

Following the conference we held a two day workshop for just the Pacific Island Interpreters. The workshops were practical and tailored to the group's needs focussing on ethics, role, working in a team and classifiers. At the end of both days the group of Pacific

SHORT NEWS North America Region Since the last newsletter, the North American associations have had our face-to-face meeting at the RID Region IV Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We discussed the lack of opportunity for interpreter training, education and credentialing in Mexico.

Mexico would like more ongoing interpreter training. If you are interested in being a trainer/educator in Mexico, please contact Liz Mendoza, WASLI Regional Representative at northamerica.wasli@gmail.com.

Legal Interpreting on Focus in a a Workshop in Mexico Mexico is hosted a legal interpreters' workshop 13-15 November 2018 in Mexico City (CDMX). The government of Mexico is working with the Unión Nacional de Sordos de México (UNSM) and the Asociación de Sordos de CDMX (COPESOR), with Friday's session specifically for Deaf participants.

WASLI's President, Deb Russell will be one of the presenters.

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Conferences In the United States, RID held five regional conferences during the summer. WASLI North America Representative, Liz Mendoza, attended the Region V conference in Vancouver, Washington, and held a WASLI North

Deaf leaders met with us and both groups were able to share their goals and expectations for future developments in the region. Thank you to our presenters Rachel McKee, Alan Wendt, Della Goswell, Debra Russell and David McKee. I believe regional conferences are so important. Bringing people together from different countries with different experiences, education and cultural backgrounds meant we had to make a programme that was relevant to all. We also wanted to provide a special focus on relevant topics for the Pacific Island delegates as for the majority of them this was the first interpreters conference they had ever been to. For a lot of them it was also the first interpreting training they had ever received. It was heartening to read this feedback that “the conference made such an impact on the Pacific delegates. We left feeling more confident, inspired, reoriented.”

Thanks to social media, the communication and collaboration that started between participants in Fiji is still going strong. As interpreters we are not 'islands' on our own in the middle of the ocean but we are a global community. I hope to see you soon as the global interpreting community meets again at the WASLI Conference in Paris 2019. I can't wait!

America face-to-face meeting prior to the Region IV conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. RID recently announced that the next national conference will be held in Providence, Rhode Island on 0711 July 2019.

Conference of Interpreter Trainers Biennial Conference The CIT Biennial Conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah (http://www.citasl.org/new/conference/) and this year, President Leslie Greer, encouraged more international participation and interpreting. All workshops, except one, were presented in American Sign Language with a team of Deaf interpreters interpreting into International Sign. There were 28 international attendees, including 10 from Japan, who also brought their own interpreters. It was an amazing experience. Below are two interviews with CIT President, Leslie Greer, and International Sign interpreter, Chris Tester.

Deaf Imigrants in Europe Doof Vlaanderen, the Flemish Federation of the Deaf (Belgium), presents a new website for deaf migrants with useful information on migration for deaf people. The website is published in four languages: Dutch, Flemish Sign Language, English and International Sign. It offers clear information on the rights and obligations of migrants and

the whole migration procedure.

Additionally, it presents a documentary starring deaf people who have migrated to Flanders. This is the website: http://www.doofenmigratie.be/en Europe Region The European Representative was also on the board of efsli and has now stepped down from that responsibility.

Christopher should now be able to focus more on engagement with Europe and hopefully encourage more National Associations of Sign Language Interpreters in the European region to become members. One of the issues is that much of the support that occurs within Europe happens within the efsli network and WASLI does not want to overlap with their work.

38 NASLIs There are 38 National Associations of Sign Language Interpretesr within the European area and many have multilingual members who could engage in specific WASLI written language networks/egroups (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, etc.). This could be a way of promoting support, mutual information sharing, and interpreter development between Europe and the world. Because 2019 is a conference year, we hope to have a boost in members although we are hoping that NASLIs will continue yearly membership.

WASLI Vice-president Visits Peru José Ednilson Júnior visits Lima, accompanied by the WASLI Representative, Isabel Rey for meetings and training workshop.

In last September, WASLI Vice President, José Ednilson, WASLI

also met Dr. Malena Pineda, Head of the Program for the Defense and

Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Isabel Rey

Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, linked to Public

Clemente has been in Lima, Peru to meet a series of appointments

Defenders, to present the need for qualified Sign Language

scheduled with governmental and non-governmental institutions with

Interpreters in public services in Peru. The next day, on September

the support of Peruvian SLI Association (ASISEP) represented by the

18th, they met with representatives of the Ministry of Education of

President Vanessa Flores Linares. The First meeting was with the

Peru, Sonia Ascue and Cecilia Tenorio. This meeting aimed to provide

president of ASISEP, Vanessa Flores and Peru’s Ministry of Education

recommendations for the creation of a curriculum designed for the

delegates Francisca Chiong and Teresa Chaves to address the role of

professionalization of Sign Language Interpreters in Peru including a

SLI in the educational context, including qualifications, evaluation,

proposal to define SLI qualifications and evaluations. A sectoral

functions and code of ethical conduct.

commission which is in charge of developing training programs and

On September 14th,

careers for SLI and Deaf-Blind interpreters also attended this

they met with Jesús Espinoza, Inclusion

Commission Advisor for People with Disabilities of the Congress of

meeting.

the Republic of Peru. The purpose of the meeting was to present

On the last day, September 19th, they met with the National Council

proposals which will help regulate standards for SLI in television,

for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities - CONADIS. They had a

improve the services of sign language interpreters and help establish a

conversation with Salomón Américo Velásquez, Director of Registry

national accreditation for SLI.

and Research of the CONADIS and his team. This created an

For two full days, September 15th and 16th, José Ednilson gave a

opportunity to address topics such as: establishment of interpretation

training workshop for sign language interpreters. According to him

services in public and private services, specific functions of SLI and

"this was an incredible experience of knowledge exchange whose

SLI recognition. This past week WASLI and ASISEP had many

goal is to train and improve the Sign Language Interpreters skills, in

meetings with several public and private organizations to promote

order to offer quality services for deaf people, especially in the

Sign Language Interpreters work and professional development.

educational contexts."

"Since my first visit to Peru 8 years ago, when I was still the WASLI

On September 17th, José Ednilson Júnior, Isabel Rey, and Vanessa Flores visited the "Basic Alternative Education Center Hipólito Unanue "(High School for the Deaf) where they were able to meet with teachers and sign language interpreters. On the same day, they

Representative for Latin America and Carribean, this country has made progress in public policies aimed at deaf people and in the recognition of sign language and sign language interpreters. I'm happy about that and I know that a lot more is coming. We, as WASLI will be always available to support them", said José Ednilson Júnior.

7th National Congress on the Situation of the Deaf in Colombia Fenascol and Fenilc united for the deaf community and sign language interpreters of Colombia.

Last October 8th until 13th, the 7th National Congress on the Situation of the Deaf in Colombia, was held in the city of Bogotรก.

The Congress included a week of many activities and events that made visible the rights of the Deaf Community in Colombia, its needs and its future goals. In the framework of the Congress three consecutive events were held, which were: 2nd National Encounter of Interpreters of LSC, National Forum of Deaf People and 3th Symposium on Linguistic Planning There were more than 180 Deaf people, interpreters, professors and professionals from all over the country and representative of the Confederation of the Deaf in Spain and guests from Brazil and Bolivia.

Isabel Rey, WASLI Latin American and Carribean Representative attended to support them. This event had a profound impact on attendees both Deaf and hearing, "It was very important to see how you can work together both Deaf and Interpreters, for the good of

the Deaf community" said Eder Gongora, a Deaf youth leader from the Caribbean region of Colombia.

This 7th Congress was organized thanks to the joint work of the National Federation of the Deaf of Colombia (FENASCOL) and the National Federation of Translators, interpreters and interpreting guides of Colombian Sign Language (FENILC), and great progress was made in the following areas: Joint construction between FENASCOL and FENILC of the Code of Ethics for the profession, Strengthening Deaf Associations, Leadership for the defense of the rights of Deaf people, Evaluation and certification of interpreters, to be carried out jointly with the Government (INSOR National Institute for the Deaf) and Civil Society (FENASCOL AND FENILC), Role and functions of the deaf interpreter, Creation of the National Council of Linguistic Planning of the Colombian Sign Language, which will be made up of government entities and civil society.

WASLI Asia Regional Meeting Honorary President, Liz Scott Gibson represent WASLI in Bangkok On Dec 11-14, 2018 the Asia region held meeting at Bangkok, Thailand. Our Honorary President Liz Scott Gibson represented WASLI and there were 22 people attending (countries in alphabetical order) India: 2 delegates (1 observer), Indonesia: 2 delegates, Japan: 2 delegates (3 observers), Korea: 2 delegates, Macau: 2 delegates, Nepal: 2 delegates, Thailand: 2 delegates.

Vietnam: 2 delegates Acting WASLI Asia Representative, oriko Miyazawa, and an IS interpreter. Liz presented training for the group in addition to the business meeting. Like many regions the vastness of the region and the diversity of languages and cultures create some challenges for communication. The region has a desire to increase training and information sharing, and to support the national associations in joining WASLI. For a full

summary of the meeting in IS, visit our WASLI Facebook page and see the video.

WASLI in Islamic Republic of Iran

by Liz Scott Gibson Honorary WASLI President As WASLI President, Deb Russell, was

Language Interpreting’, ‘The Professional

Coordination Network is keen to set up a

unable to take up an invitation to participate

Sign Language Interpreter’, and ‘Ethical

sign language interpreter association, and

in a conference organised by the Iranian

Behaviour in Interpreting Situations’.

Deaf NGOs Coordination Network, I was delighted to be able to represent WASLI at this event – and the video greetings message sent by Deb was warmly appreciated.

The Conference – ‘Expanding Awareness

Meetings were also held with the Head of the Islamic Council of Tabriz, the Mayor of Tabriz, and with representatives of Disability organisations and the Department of Health in Tehran. It was useful to be able to share the Concluding

and Solidarity’ took place at the Talar

Observations of the UNCRPD Committee,

Vahdat University of Tabriz, from August

published in May 2017, following its Review

6th to August 10th 2018. Topics covered

of Iran, which expressed concern at the

were: Iranian Sign Language (ZEI) and

lack of recognition of Persian Sign

Deaf Culture, Sign Linguistics, Sign

Language and the limited provision of sign

Language Interpreting, Deaf Children’s

language interpreters, and called upon the

Education and Rights, Support and

Iranian Government to establish protocols

Management of Deaf Organisations, The

for sign language interpreters in court

UNCRPD and Deaf Rights.

proceedings. In addition, one of its formal

The Conference attracted 800 participants from all over the country, primarily from the Deaf/DeafBlind community (and more would have come if there had been space for them!), but those involved also included teachers, family members and interpreters, as well as Deaf representatives from Iraq, Kuwait, and India. Some Government dignitaries attended for the opening and closing sessions. Professor Dr Christian

is already in discussion regarding the possibility of training being established through a private tertiary level educational institution in Tehran – although the practicalities of recruitment, teaching, certification, cost etc have still to be further explored. The interpreters who were present and working at the conference were disappointed that there had not been separate workshop sessions arranged for them whilst I was present. However, the intense schedule with the very large Conference, and various bilateral meetings, regrettably did not allow for this, although we were able to have some ad hoc discussions.

Recommendations also stated that the

There is a great deal of commitment and

Government should “ recognise Persian

enthusiasm amongst the interpreters I met,

Sign Language as an official language, and

and the Iranian Deaf NGOs Coordination

its use in schools, and establish jointly with

Network is keen to engage in collaborative

organisations of Deaf persons a

partnership working with them, and with

mechanism to certify the quality of

WASLI & the WFD. I was delighted to note

interpreting services and ensure

that Dr Rathmann has agreed to sponsor

opportunities for the continuous training of

the attendance of two Iranian Sign

sign language interpreters….” Iran will be

Language interpreters to the WASLI

called for Review again in 2022.

Rathmann of Humboldt University in Berlin

There is currently no formal training for sign

was also an invited guest lecturer, along

language interpreters in Iran, although ad

with experts from Iran. In addition, there

hoc workshops have been held; there is no

Conference in Paris in 2019, should it be possible for them to obtain the necessary travel visas.

It is easy for us all to become caught up in

were some excellent cultural

paid employment, and a lack of recognition

our own worlds and difficulties…..but we

performances. A special thanks must go to

of the role of interpreters. The State

should not forget that we have colleagues,

Deaf interpreter Ardavan Guity, (currently

Welfare Organisation currently invests a

like those in Iran, who are looking to us to

studying for his PhD in Sign Linguistics at

considerable amount of money in hearing

work with them to become the best they can

Gallaudet University) supported by Deaf

aids and cochlear implants, but seems not

be. I look forward to welcoming them to

colleagues Ali Sanjabi and Ali Faridi (also

to have funding available for the

Paris in 2019.

studying interpreting at Gallaudet) who

development of interpreter training and

worked tirelessly between ZEI & IS so that

services. There is some reported tension

Dr Rathmann and I could actively

between the Deaf community and existing

participate.

interpreters, particularly in relation to skills

At the request of the organisers, I gave presentations on ‘The Development of Sign

levels, conflicts of interest and appropriate ethical behavior. The Iranian Deaf NGOs

European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (Efsli) Conference «Sign Language Interpreting: Underwater Hazards» WASLI and Efisl working in Collaboration to Support Russian SLI Efsli conference «Sign Language Interpreting: Underwater Hazards»

between different languages was itself a very valuable example for

organised in cooperation with WASLI by the Russian Association of

novice interpreters and interpreters without international experience:

SLI (RASLI) and Galina Zaitseva Centre for Deaf Studies and

there was simultaneous interpreting between spoken Russian and

Bilingual Education was held in Moscow 26 – 27 October 2018. 172

English, interpreting between RSL, German SL, International Sign.

people participated in the Conference including 45 RASLI members,

14 interpreters worked during these two days including 2 interpreters

students of the Moscow State Linguistic University (future

for deaf-blind participants.

interpreters), interpreters and Deaf leaders from 12 Russian regions, as well as Lithuania and Tadjikistan. Regional representatives were from Ulan-Ude (Buriatia), Novosibirsk (Siberia), Cheliabinsk, Omsk, Perm, Izhevsk, Kazan (Tatarstan), Nizhnij Novgorod, Tula,

The conference participants discussed and adopted the resolution which supported RASLI, WASLI member since 2016, to join efsli in the near future. Efsli is planning to support RASLI’s participation in its schools, workshops, seminars and conferences to promote better

Voronezh, Petrozavodsk (Karelia),

interpreting practice and service in

Makhachkala (Dagestan). The

Russia. Special attention should be

Minister of Labour and Social

paid to SL interpreting in special

Welfare of Russian Federation sent

education, juridical and medical

official letter of greetings to the

spheres, deaf-blind interpreting.

conference with the head of the After the conference about 40 Deaf

ministerial department; the Moscow

and hearing people took part in the

government was represented by the

seminar “Deaf interpreters: past,

Committee of Public Relations, the

present, future – WASLI perspective”

head of the Alliance Fund (for deaf-

run by Arunas Brazinskas.

blind people) also addressed the conference. The Dean of the MSLU

It was the first international event of

and the head of the department

such level in Russia aimed

participated in the conference for

completely at SL interpreting which

one day, the acting president of VOG

had and will have much effect on the

Stanislav Ivanov elected the day

interpreting situation in the country.

before came to address the

Before the All-Russian Society of the

conference for 20 minutes and stayed till the end of the conference.

Deaf organised SL Interpreters’ conference in Moscow in 2005 and

About 30% of the audience were Deaf people. 20 papers including 5

sections on SL interpreting at the conferences “Linguistic Rights of

short presentations were given at the conference, 8 presenters were

the Deaf” in 2007 and in 2014. Efsli/WASLI conference in Moscow is

Deaf. The key-note speakers were Ivana Bucko, efsli president

the first step out of the regional isolation and gives much hope to the

(Serbia), Sofia Isari (efsliD, Greece), Dr. Christian Rathmann and

improvement of quality interpreting and service. A good sign was that

Christian Peters (Germany, Humboldt Uni), Arunas Brazinskas

the conference dates nearly coincided with the Russian national Day

(WASLI, Lithuania). WASLI president Debra Russel sent video

of sign language interpreter which is celebrated on October, 31.

greetings and 2 papers were sent on video by Dr Christopher Stone

We are very grateful to WASLI Transcaucasia fund that it became

(UK).

possible to invite the leader of the Tadjik association of SLIs

The name of the conference was chosen deliberately as the event was

(organised only recently) Ms Zebo Bidieva who participated in the

aimed at discussing hidden and evident problems of SL interpreting

conference and gave a short presentation about the situation in

and some possible solutions. The organisation of interpreting

Tadjikistan.

INTERVIEW

LESLIE GREER Conference of Interpreter Trainers President E-mail: president@cit-asl.org

You can watch full interview with Leslie Greed by Liz Mendoza in ASL version here: https://youtu.be/kU17j_WOJV0.

Speaking of international attendees, how many international guests are at the conference?

Liz: Hello! I am here with CIT President, Leslie Greer, to ask a few questions.

Leslie: We originally had about 30 registered, but due to various circumstances, only about 28 are here.

Leslie: Wait – hello everyone! Thank you for inviting me to this interview.

Liz: How many total attendees are there?

Liz: Thank you for taking the time. I know you are very busy being pulled in different directions during the conference. Thank you for your time. How do you think the conference is going so far?

Leslie: Great! Since our last conference in Portland, we changed the format of the presentations. We have been inclusive of Codas and diversity, and now we feel it is time to shift our focus to higher academia and research. It has been very successful.

Liz: Yes, I have been to several intriguing workshops and have learned a lot. Is this the first time, or maybe it was Portland, where CIT has used IS interpreters during the conference. Would you explain the interpreting team?

Leslie: CIT has had a long history of providing spoken language interpretation and we felt the need to change from spoken language interpretation to international sign, as a result of the WASLI and WFD conferences. There is no ASL used in those international conferences, and we decided to incorporate that philosophy into our conference. There has been mixed reaction to the change, but I feel this way, we can include a younger, more diverse attendees, including more Deaf attendees.

Liz: Yes! I like having the option of watching the ASL presentation and seeing the IS interpretation. It's great!

Leslie: Around 350.

Liz: That's almost one tenth of the total people registered.

Leslie: Yes, that's right. Originally, I think 36, now down to 28.

Liz: That's nice so many are here. My next question is: Are you planning on going to Paris next year?

Leslie: Definitely! Because four years ago, no three years ago, you and I were both at the WASLI conference and I remember how inspired I was with the various experiences of people. Yes the US has good conference, but WASLI exceeds them all. I have met Maya de Wit and asked her if she was familiar with CIT. She said that she used to live in Minnesota and knew about CIT. Christina Rathmann who thought that CIT was just for hearing people. I explained that it was for both hearing and Deaf people. I then explained that the interpreting programs are backwards from the European programs in that in Europe, the process starts with translation, then consecutive interpreting, and last, simultaneous interpreting. In the US, it is the exact opposite with very little translation. It is time to change that process. Christine presented in Kentucky four years ago, and this year Maya de Wit presented. If it hadn't been for the WASLI conference, we probably would still be doing the same thing as before. I would like to thank WASLI for inspiring me to change our conference. I would like to tell everyone out there to definitely go to the WASLI conference in Paris!

Leslie: It has been a challenge because who in the US is skilled in International Sign? This means that interpreting programs need to include more emphasis on international sign and not just ASL and English, which hopefully will increase in capacity in those programs.

Leslie: Thank you!

Liz: True, which allows students to have more of an open mind.

Leslie and Liz: Love you all!

Liz: I want to thank you SO much for your time. I realize that you are very busy during the conference, so thank you.

Face-to-Face Annual WASLI Board Meeting Prior to the Wasli Oceania Conference, the WASLI board met for two days in Nadi, Fiji. The full executive board was present and joined by Angela Murray (Oceania Rep.), Liz Mendoza (North America Rep.), Nigel Howard (Deaf Interpreter Advisor) and Michelle

Ashley (Chair of Wasli Conference 2019).

We had the opportunity to discuss our work and projects for the next years and receive reports from regional and representatives and departments. The next WASLI face-toface will be in Paris.

Technology Based Deaf Education Initiative

NEWS

by FESF

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), announced that the Pakistani Project, “Technology-Based Deaf Education” was a winner of the 2018 WISE Awards. Each year, the WISE Awards recognizes and promotes six innovative projects from across the world that are addressing global educational challenges.

The project, developed under Family Educational Services Foundation's (FESF) Deaf Reach Program, aims to improve the quality of education for deaf children in Pakistan. The tech-based initiative provides schools and communities across the country who work with deaf children a full repository of digital learning resources in Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) free of cost. These resources include the first-ever 5000-word PSL dictionary, as well as numerous student and teacher tutorials and literacy programs.

Richard Geary, Founder and CEO of the Deaf Reach Program, explained why the need for such a program is pressing: “For deaf children in Pakistan, an underserved silent minority, PSL educational resources tailored to their special needs are pivotal.

Less than 5% of Pakistan's deaf children attend school and become literate, with the rate being much lower for deaf girls.

Many are socially marginalized, and lack sufficient skills for employment or resources to improve their quality of life.”

The award ceremony will be held in New York City on Sept. 22nd.

Winners are evaluated according to strict criteria. They must be established, innovative educational projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on the individuals, communities, and society of their context. They also need to be financially stable, have a clear development plan, and be scalable and replicable.

WFD-WASLI International Sign Accreditation Advisory Body

by WFD

The World Federation of the Deaf and the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters are pleased to announce the creation of a joint WFD-WASLI International Sign Accreditation Advisory Body (“WFD/WASLI - ISAAB”). Four WFD-WASLI International Sign (IS) Accredited Interpreters have been appointed to oversee the processes affiliated with the IS Accreditation. The appointees are: Dr. Christopher Stone, Ms. Carol-lee Aquiline, Ms. Liz Scott Gibson, and Mr. Clark Denmark.

The ISAAB members will serve a four year-term (2019-2022).

The role of the ISAAB: The WFD/WASLI - ISAAB oversee and advise the WFD and WASLI Boards and the WFD Secretariat on the subject the issues related to the Accredited IS Interpreters with the aim of expanding the number of Accredited IS Interpreters.

Accordingly, the WFD/WASLI - ISAAB shall: - Serve as an expert advisory body for the WFD and WASLI Boards and/or the WFD Secretariat staff member who takes on the responsibilities inherent to this position (currently the WFD/WASLI Accreditation System is under the responsibility of

the WFD Secretariat).

- Provide support to the WFD Secretariat in administration of the WFD/WASLI Accredited IS Interpreters.

- Analyse policies and procedures and make recommendations to the WFD and WASLI Boards for approval, including but not limited to the general requests related to Accredited IS System.

Additionally, the WFD/WASLI - ISAAB is tasked with: - reviewing the current WFD/WASLI IS Interpreter Accreditation materials and processes and to recommend improvements to streamline and articulate the process.

- developing the policies for pre-requirements, testing administration, rating and releasing of results.

- advising on matters that arises in the course of administering the process.

- recommending future accreditation processes (e.g. feed interpreters).

WFD and WASLI thank these appointees for their volunteer service to our organisations in order to continue to advance standards for IS interpreters working high level events in countries around the world.

EVENTS ICELAND 9th International Deaf Academics and Researchers Conference Reykjavik 11 - 13 May 2019 Website: https://www.dac2019.com JAPAN Critical Link Conference CLI19 Tokyo 14 - 16 June 2019 https://criticallink.org CANADA International Conference on Sign Language and Acquisition Toronto 17 - 18 June 2019 https://waset.org/conference/2019/0 6/toronto/icsl SWEDEN 8th Media for All International Conference Stockholm 17 - 19 June 2019 https://www.tolk.su.se/english/mediafor-all-8 EFSLI AGM & Conference Malmö

7 - 8 September 2019 http://efsli.org/2019/ USA Deaf Refugee Conference Rochester 20 - 23 June 2019 www.reachoutdra.org FRANCE Conference CODA 2019 Paris 11 - 14 July 2019 Website: https://codafrance.org/conference-coda-2019 WASLI Conference Paris 17 - 20 July, 2019 Website: www.wasli.org XVIII World Congress of WFD Paris 23 - 27 July, 2019 Website: www.paris-wfd2019.org GERMANY TISLR13 - Conference of Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research Hamburg 26 - 28 September 2019 Website: https://www.idgs.unihamburg.de/en/tislr2019.html

The organizers of the Paris WFD are happy to offer a discounted registration for interpreters that are attending WASLI, and want to also include WFD in their plans. Here’s what you have to do: Register for WASLI first.

Then contact WFD organisers at inscriptions.wfd2019@gmail.com to get the discount code needed before registering for WFD. You will need at attach to the email proof of your WASLI 2019 registration.

The views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters. The Editor, together with the WASLI Executive Board and external contributors, produce the WASLI newsletter. WASLI will work to ensure the authenticity of any information provided. We reserve the right to edit all submissions that are published. WASLI accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed. Readers are invited to reproduce information provided the source is quoted. Readers should contact secretary@wasli.org for permission to use WASLI official photographs, or to advise of a change of email address.

WASLI EXECUTIVE BOARD Officers: Deb Russell (President); José Ednilson Souza Junior (Vice President); Isabelle Heyerick (Secretary); Susan Emerson (Treasurer) Regional Representatives: Angela Murray(Oceania); Natasha Maliko (Africa); Etsuko Umemoto (Asia); Desanka Zizic (Balkans); Isabel Rey (Latin America and Caribbean); Liz Mendoza (North America); Igor Bondarenko & Anna Komarova (Transcaucasia & Central Asia); Christopher Stone (Europe); Held AlShowaier (Arab Region Contact Person).

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WASLI VOLUNTEERS Deaf Interpreter Advisor: Nigel Howard Membership Coordinator: Heather Shores Social Media Coordinator: Suzanne Ehrlich Written Translation Coordinator: vacant IS Translation Coordinator: Steven Surrency Web: Patrick Wiche & Patrick Galasso Newsletter Editor: José Ednilson Souza Junior and Liz Mendonza Fund Development Committee: Chris Grooms & Bibi Dalacey-Mould Educational Video Modules: Simone Scholl

CONTACT US WASLI Office 7/211 Wellington Street Collingwood Victoria 3066 Australia

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