Tag: professionalism

  • Ever forget an assignment? Make it less likely with automatic agenda emails.

    I hate to admit it, but there have been those mortifying times when I’ve forgotten I had a job to get to. It’s easy to follow a schedule when it’s the same every day, but when you’re a community interpreter and your schedule changes every day, you might need a little help.

    Lately, some of the agencies I work for have started sending out automatic agenda reminders via email, such as “Here is your schedule for this week” or “Here is your schedule today.” These reminder emails are very helpful — so helpful I was about to ask an agency who doesn’t send them to send them. I rethought that, though, because I had forgotten a job with them that week and I didn’t want it to come across as, “Well, it would help if you sent me a reminder.” So I did some searching and found that I could set up my own email reminders in my Google calendar. Here’s how:

    In your Google calendar, go to Settings. Currently the way to do this is to click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the page. When in Settings, click the Calendars tab from the tabs toward the top left of the page (where you see General, Calendars, Mobile Setup, Labs). For your work calendar, look for the Notifications heading just right of the center of the Calendar line (where you see CALENDAR, SHOW IN LIST, NOTIFICATIONS, SHARING). Follow the Notifications link for your work calendar. Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says, “Daily agenda: Receive an email with your agenda every day at 5am in your current time zone.” Check the box next to Email and/or SMS, and you’re done! You will now get your very own agenda reminders at the crack of dawn.

    Go forth and serve thy Deaf and hearing consumers!

    P.S. I know not everyone uses Gmail or Google Apps, but maybe the calendaring program you use does this too. If not, maybe you should get with a program that does.

  • Webshop Wednesday – ‘Terps on film: Ethical or entertaining?

    Webshop Wednesday – ‘Terps on film: Ethical or entertaining?

    This Wednesday, July 25th, from 9a-noon Arizona Time (UTC-7:00), I am excited to open my workshop to participants on a Google+ Hangout. Interpreters on Google+ have asked me when I would be offering a workshop online, and this is the second time I am. This workshop costs $30 USD and offers .3 continuing education units (CEUs) through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Certificate Maintenance Program (RID CMP). CEUs are sponsored by the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (ACDHH). We will webcast from the Desert Valley’s Regional Co-op in Phoenix, Arizona. This workshop will be conducted in English and is designed for interpreters who interpret into or out of spoken English. (more…)

  • Webshop Wednesday – Fostering independence: How interpreters can get out of the way when consumers don’t need us

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    Google+ logo

    This Wednesday, July 4th, from 1–4 PM Arizona Time (same as PDT), I am excited to open my workshop to participants on a Google+ Hangout. Interpreters on Google+ have asked me when I would be offering a workshop online, and now I finally am. This workshop costs $30 USD and offers .3 continuing education units (CEUs) through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Certificate Maintenance Program (RID CMP). CEUs are sponsored by the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (ACDHH). We will webcast from the Desert Valley’s Regional Co-op in Phoenix, Arizona. The language for this workshop will be English. The onsite participants will be ASL/English interpreters yet the workshop is designed for interpreters of all languages. Also, although we will only be processing CEUs for RID members, anyone is welcome to join, and perhaps you can apply to your own programs for CEUs.

    Official PayPal SealHangouts can hold up to 10 participants. I and a few onsite participants will take two screens, so there is room for up to 8 online participants. To register, please download the registration form and follow the directions. Note that Fostering Independence is the only online workshop at this time, and be sure to include the email address you use for your Google+ account. When Amerigo receives your registration, she will acknowledge your enrollment and you may send $30 USD plus PayPal fees ($31.17, if my calculations are correct) to my verified PayPal account. I will then add you to a private circle and  invite you to join our Google+ Hangout at 1 PM Arizona Time on Wednesday.

    Workshop Description

    This workshop is held on Independence Day for a reason. The NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC), Tenet 4, Respect for Consumers, admonishes interpreters to “Facilitate communication access and equality, and support the full interaction and independence of consumers.” Supporting consumer interaction and independence demands that we get out of the way when consumers don’t need us to interpret for them. Various models of interpretation have viewed the interpreter-client relationship in different ways, but do not focus much on the client-client relationship. This workshop will review some well known and lesser-known models of the interpreter-client relationship, examine the “Rescue Triangle,” and introduce a model of interpretation that focuses on the client-client relationship. Participants will have ample time to reflect upon their own professional practice and see how they may be sometimes standing in the way of their clients’ relationships with each other; participants will be guided to identify ways in which they can get out of the way of client-client relationships and foster independence.

    (Don’t worry — there won’t be that many onsite participants this time!)

    Presenter Bio

    Daniel Greene, BA, NIC Master, has been studying and practicing the teaching of ethics and professional practice in the Masters of Arts in Interpreting Studies/Teaching program at Western Oregon University for the past year. Since 1990, he has interpreted the gamut of settings including business, conference, education (pre-school to post-doc), medical, performing arts and video. His love of arts and literature informs his work, and his passion for elevating the interpreting profession drives him to study lesser-known aspects of interpretation and teach interpreters new skills.

  • The Professional Interpreter: One Profession. One Real Profession.

    Who knew that while we western region RID interpreters are having a conference to ourselves in Honolulu, interpreters of all settings and languages are having a conference in Monterey? It amazes me how little I know of the wider world of interpreting, and I can only imagine that my fellow ASL-English interpreters are in the same boat.

    Rosado Professional Solutions's avatarThe Professional Interpreter

    Dear Colleagues,

    It seems to me that a week never goes by without a colleague telling me that he or she was misunderstood, humiliated, obstructed, or underpaid while doing his or her job.  Some of them react with anger, others with frustration, a few seem resigned, but a growing number of our fellow interpreters have been reacting to these real-life situations by taking action, doing something about it. Finally, interpreters finding a solution to this “never-ending” comedy of errors where the interpreter is often an unwilling character.

    As those of you who know me personally (and many others have figured out by reading this blog) know, I have always considered myself a professional at the same level as all those who we provide our services to:  Scientists, politicians, attorneys, diplomats, physicians, military officers, school principals; and I try to act that way when  I provide my interpretation services.  I feel…

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  • A new video for the teaching of ethics & professional practice

    My classmates and I in Western Oregon University’s Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies & Teaching created a scenario for the teaching of ethics and professional practice. In this scenario, (more…)