Blog Archives
Update on my thesis on VL in ASL
I am working on my master’s thesis on vague language (VL) in American Sign Language (ASL). As far as I know, not much has been published about vagueness in ASL and nothing has been published about “VL” in ASL aside from my article in the RID Views. For my thesis, I’m doing a literature review of what has been written about VL in world languages and vagueness in ASL— even if the topic of the publication wasn’t “vagueness” per se. After a review of the literature, I will contribute a description of at least one aspect VL in ASL. My goal is to help ASL-English interpreters recognize VL and interpret it faithfully to serve the communication goals of deaf and hearing consumers.
If you know of any literature about VL in ASL—or any type of vagueness in ASL—please comment here or contact me. Thanks!
Workshops in Yuma cancelled due to low registration
Unfortunately, not enough people registered for the workshops I was going to present in Yuma, Arizona in October, so the workshops had to be cancelled. I hope whatever led to the low registration this time is remedied in the future, and I look forward to presenting to those who registered as well as those who wanted to but were unable to do so at this time.
Keep watching here for details about future workshops!
Upcoming workshops:
- September 24, 2011, Virginia Beach, VA: Vague Language
- October 15, 2011, Milwaukee, WI: Vague Language
Recent workshops:
- August 20, 2011, Honolulu, HI: Vague Language
- August 12, 2011, Monmouth, OR: Vague Language
For more information about the workshops I offer, take a gander at my Interpreting Workshops page.
Prompt for comments
Have you ever had a speaking engagement cancelled or have you ever had to cancel one as a planner? Or perhaps a college class? Do you have any ideas about getting sufficient registration to avoid cancellation?
LAST CALL for October workshops in Yuma
If you’ve been planning to register for the workshops I’m presenting in Yuma, you need to register today so they don’t get canceled. Vague Language is Oct 1st and Genre Recognition is October 2nd. Both workshops will be held at the Southwest Regional Co-op, 1047 S 4th Ave Yuma AZ 85364. Saturday is 9a-4p and Saturday is 8a–3p, both with a one–hour lunch break. I hope to see people from both California and Arizona since Yuma is on the state line. Please pass the word so these workshops are a successful venture for the sponsor, Arizona RID, and reach the greatest number of people possible.
Please register right now.
Daniel is a very dynamic presenter!
Daniel Greene, BA, CI & CT, NIC Master, has been brought out to present his Vague Language (VL) workshop in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Hawaii, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. He has presented on VL locally as well as at state and national conferences. Nationally known for his feature article “Just What They Said: Interpreting Intentionally Vague Language” in the RID Views Spring 2011 edition, Daniel is furthering his research of vague language in the Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies program through Western Oregon University.
Loved, loved, loved Daniel’s passion for his work and wanting colleagues to improve and expand knowledge.
Daniel’s Genre Recognition workshop has been well received at the local, state, and national level. In addition to presenting several times at the Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative, he also presented on Genre Recognition at the Arizona RID State Conference in Phoenix, Arizona and at the RID Region V Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Daniel is an active member of the Conference of Interpreter Trainers and loved attending the 2006 conference in San Diego and the 2010 conference in San Antonio.
I really enjoyed this workshop and how Daniel presented it. I feel like I learned a lot on the topic and that it will help me in my interpreting. I loved the open participation.
Workshops Descriptions
- Just What They Said: Interpreting Intentionally Vague Language
- As Interpreters, we tend to be very direct about delivering the message, but what if our consumers intend to “beat around the bush”? How do you interpret such messages without being blunt? Participants will study and explore the use of vague language (VL) in both English and ASL, the communicative purposes of VL, the importance of retaining ambiguity when conveying vague messages from one language to another, the benefits of leaving language vague instead of interrupting to request clarification, and specific strategies for conveying VL in both ASL and English. As a result of deeper interpreting studies, this workshop is constantly evolving, discovering increasingly unique and intriguing perspectives on sociolinguistic interpreting models and ethics.
- Knowing What They’re Going To Say Before They Say It: Using Genre Recognition To Improve Predictive Skills
- Ever miss a joke while interpreting or realize that a story was a cautionary tale only after the fact? We interpreters can become so focused on the words that we miss the point. An interpreter who grasps the speaker’s goal and the “type” of story that is being told or the “kind” of conversation that is taking place has a better shot at delivering a cohesive message. This workshop introduces attendees to genre theory and teaches the skill of genre recognition. Attendees will be guided in the recognition of generic elements of discourse and will be empowered to enhance their predictive skills, thus increasing their self-confidence and composure while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of their interpretations.
What kind of slideshow presentations do you like?
I have seen and read various commentaries about slideshow presentations (PowerPoint, Keynote, watchamacallit…). Some people can’t get enough and some people can’t get too little. In the feedback I’ve gotten on the interpreting workshops I present, I’ve gotten everything from:
Loved how daniel validated participants questions and comments by responding to individuals. He used examples from a variety of settings which was helpful. Powerpoint was great.
to:
It was not a particularly involved workshop (last year it seemed there was more participation) and was very powerpoint heavy. I could have skipped and snagged a copy of the P.P.T. notes. =(
Now, I know “there’s always someone” (you can’t please everyone), and most of my participants rate my presentations highly on “Audiovisual and supplementary study materials were an asset to this activity,” but I take all feedback into account. Recently I previewed a PowerPoint presentation to prep for an interpreting assignment, and it got me to thinking about how much or how little a slideshow presentation can tell you about an actual presentation— and how much it should.
Most of the people I present to want me to give them handouts of my presentation, and when I change my presentations at the last minute to include things that aren’t on the handouts—or I offer to send a list of references (works cited)—most people give me their email addresses so I can send them the latest and fullest. But the idea that someone could “snag a copy of the P.P.T. notes” and perceive that they got the workshop is not a pleasing one. My presentation is much more dynamic than my slideshow, and the participation makes it even more so.
But, if someone thinks it’s all in the handouts, does that mean I’m putting too much of my presentation on the slideshow? I know there will always be people who think if they’ve seen the photos, they don’t have to go to the country; if they’re heard the album, they don’t have to go to the concert; if they’ve read the book, they don’t have to go see the author speak. And I think they’re wrong! I also know from feedback I’ve gotten that most people would be frustrated if the slideshow didn’t help them follow and take notes on the lecture. Yet… I wonder if I should pare down my slideshow.
What do you think? Should a slideshow be skeletal or fleshy? How do you perceive a workshop vis-à-vis the handouts? I would love to hear your comments.
New Vague Language (VL) workshop dates scheduled
I’m happy to say that a couple more of the people who read my article on Vague Language in the RID Views contacted me about coming out to their cities to present my vague language workshop. The two dates I recently added are September 24 in Virginia Beach, VA and October 15 in Milwaukee, WI.
Other Vague Language workshop dates include August 12 in Monmouth, OR; August 20 in Honolulu, HI; October 1 in Yuma, AZ; and November 10, 2012 in Minneapolis / St. Paul.
For all details, including times, locations, etc., see my calendar.
If you would like me to present my Vague Language workshop or any of my interpreting workshops in your city, please contact me.
