Advanced Interpreting Strategies for Deaf Blind Consumers
Presenter: Jennifer Briggs, M.A., DI, ASLTA, Deaf-Blind
Specialist and Kathy Zarate
LEVEL: Intermediate. [DB] This workshop will focus on strategies and techniques for interpreting for deafblind consumers. Deaf-Blind consumers use a wide range of communication modes. Deaf-Blind consumers, who have close or low-vision, will not be able to get information from distance. Those Deaf-Blind consumers, who have reduced peripheral fields of vision, only can get information from a small visual space. And there are Deaf-Blind consumers who may not have any vision at all. Participants will learn more how to prepare to work with different Deaf-Blind consumers. By participating hand-on activities, participants will learn linguistics modifications for tactile; close or low vision; and restricted field communication. They will also increase skills and develop strategies in interpreting for the Deaf-Blind consumers. This workshop is open to both Deaf and Hearing participants. The attendees will gain the insight mainly through group discussion and tactile interpreting.

Analytical Feedback: Deepening Your Skills
Presenter: Ari-Asha Castalia, BS, CI/CT
LEVEL: Advanced/Teaching. [CE] Many interpreters have had exposure in training settings to the concept and process of non-evaluative or analytical feedback. This workshop is designed for trainers, supervisors and mentors to consider their own use of identifying zones of proximal development with fellow interpreters and in using this type of feedback in settings where they work. The experiential practice that will be provided is designed to deepen non-evaluative feedback skills via hands-on practice with fellow attendees. This workshop is geared toward advanced practitioners and trainers and assumes prior knowledge and at least some previous hands-on experience using this method.

CPC – U & NIC Interview
Presenter: Helen Faith (Shiemke) Jones, MA, NIC-Advanced and Tammie L Carmichael
LEVEL: Introductory. [NIC] This six hour (2 part) workshop will focus on reviewing the NAD RID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC) and then preparing interpreters for the Interview portion of the NIC exam. Participants will cover (part 1) a basic overview of the CPC its history and application in real life. The interview portion (part 2) will include a “how to” approach to prepare interpreters. The lecture will include a review of the process and exercises in using powerful speech to communicate their responses. The presentation will utilize Power Point, handouts and a hands-on / mind on mock interview activity.

Education of the Deaf: Mediated by Interpreters.
Theory and Application
Presenter: Patricia Lessard
LEVEL: Wednesday, Advanced. Friday, Intermediate. [ED] The key to an effective mainstream education where an interpreter is provided lies in the qualifications of the interpreter. This workshop proposes to explore the components of the signed language one must acquire/learn in order to become fluent (bi-lingual); therefore qualified to function as an educational interpreter. This presentation intends to give a brief overview of the history of mainstream education, minimum qualifications of interpreters, problem areas in interpreter training, and also to pose a number of questions as well as encourage discussion about the challenge of training individuals who will eventually work with deaf students in a myriad of educational environments. [ED]

Ethical Decision-Making and Decision-Explaining
for Deaf Interpreters
Presenter: Julie Simon, Ph.D., CI/CT and Nigel Howard
LEVEL: Intermediate. [CDI] This workshop will use case studies to allow Deaf interpreters opportunity to understand ethical decision making and the ramifications of these decisions on their team interpreters and their consumers. The discussion will include focus on how issues of status and culture affect interpreters’ work and their relationships with others. Working in dyads or triads, participants will discuss and analyze specific situations and practice explaining their decisions using the Rubric for the NIC Interview Exam. This session, conducted in ASL, is geared toward Deaf interpreters who have prior DI training and experience. Certification is not required.

Foreign Sign Language
Presenter: Buck Rogers
LEVEL: Intermediate. [CE] The Foreign Sign Language workshop not only distinguishes International Sign from the language the foreign Deaf people use as they interact, but also highlights the major influence of two sign languages that have become central to sign languages across the European continent, Asia, Africa and the Americas: French Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language. Key comparisons will exemplify the prevalence of the two central languages in many sign languages in the New World from Argentina to French Canada as well as across the Old World. Many regional signs in ASL as well as common signs in other sign languages will be revealed through comparison and contrast. Evolution of sign languages and etymology will also be studied. Light shed on universal linguistics and culture will foster a better understanding of the norm of sign languages in around the world.

Intralingual Skills Development
Presenter: Julie Simon, Ph.D., CI/CT
LEVEL: Intermediate. [CE] Many sign language interpreters are non-native users of American Sign Language and often spend much of their education and training on improving their ASL skills. Less attention is often given to improving their English skills or, in the case of trilingual interpreters, their Spanish skills. Having well-developed and well-controlled intralingual (knowledge and skills within a language) skills is a pre-curser to developing interlingual (knowledge and skills Across languages) skills. This session will provide participants with an opportunity to develop their intralingual skills in English and American Sign Language through individual and small-group activities with focus on memory skills development and comprehension, and explore ways to improve their fluency in each of these languages. In addition, this session will provide an overview of language acquisition and learning theories and allow participants to explore their own language acquisition processes.

Introduction to Deaf-Blind Interpreting
Presenter: Jennifer Briggs, M.A., DI, ASLTA, Deaf-Blind Specialist and Kathy Zarate
LEVEL: Introductory. [DB] This Workshop is an introduction for both deaf and hearing interpreters. Deaf-blind consumers use a wide range of communication modes. Participants will learn how to prepare to work with deaf-blind consumers. We will cover different types of deaf-blind interpreting and seating arrangements. Participants will learn how to adapt ASL and facial expressions for tactile and restricted field communication. We will discuss differences between the roles of the deaf-blind interpreter and the support services provider (SSP).

Laulima* and the Basic Orientation Workshop for Judiciary Interpreters in Hawai‘i: Collaboration across Institutions, Languages, Cultures and Practice

*Laulima-cooperation, joint action; group of people working together; community food patch; to work together; cooperate. Literal-many hands.

Presenters: Jan L. Fried, CI/CT and Martin K. Hiraga, CI/CT
LEVEL: Advanced. [LGL] This presentation describes a project that embraces the Hawaiian value of Laulima-many hands or a group working together. It is a well-known fact that there are not enough qualified interpreters to work in the Judiciary. Those Sign and spoken language interpreters who do work in court often have different levels of skills, knowledge and experience. Therefore, the Basic Orientation Workshop (BOW) was intended and developed to provide interpreters with the same set of tools and foundation of information to begin their studies and ultimately become qualified to interpret effectively in court. Join us as we explore the collaboration between the spoken and sign language interpreters in Hawai‘i that lead to the BOW, how we addressed and embraced our different perspectives, the lessons learned, and the resulting product and model of cooperation.

Mentoring: Strategies for Creating Moments of Clarity
Presenter: Cindy Farnham, RID Certified , Master Mentor
LEVEL: Advanced. [M] This workshop is designed for working mentors. Interpreters interested in becoming mentors will benefit as well. The presenter will offer suggestions, solutions, and resources to utilize when the mentor and/or interpreter identifies barriers during the mentoring process. Examples of topics to be discussed will include where to find resources, how to use resources, how to help the interpreter who is dealing with processing issues, getting past the learning obstacles that interpreters face during the mentoring and professional development process, and more

The NCIEC Interpreter Recruitment Initiative:
We Want You!
Presenter: C.M. Hall, Ed.M
LEVEL: Advanced/Teaching. [R] Where do you recruit people into the interpreting profession? As our shared profession grows, we expect over the next ten years to lose over 2600 interpreters who will retire or just make a different career choice. Over that same period of time, we expect to graduate approximately 2000 students from all the nation's IEP's. This discrepancy is staggering and invites us to think differently about our recruitment of those who would be suited to our profession. Bring your skills as a speaker and enthusiasm for our profession and participate in our Training of Recruiters workshop. This workshop is aimed at how we can best reach out and train workshop participants to become community recruiters promoting our interpreting profession in diverse communities. The interpreting profession desperately needs your help! To cultivate interpreters in your community, your church, your areas of involvement, we would like to supplement what you are already doing to market to the talent within your community.

New Boundaries: Deaf Physicians and Interpreters
Presenter: Chris Moreland and Todd Agan, BSI, CI/CT, BEI IV
LEVEL: Introductory. [MED] With the advent of reasonable accommodations and technology, the healthcare professions have seen an influx of deaf applicants who are now becoming practicing professionals. Along with this trend has arisen the need for interpreters with experience and interest in the medical field. Our presentation will discuss many of the aspects of a successful team of deaf physicians and interpreters, with the common goal of maximizing patient care and one another’s education. Training and practicing as a physician entails its own cultural, social, and technical approaches which likewise influence the nature of such a team.

Preparing for the New Wave of Health Care:
Interpreting Medical Genetics
Presenter: Loriel Dutton, Yoko Kobayashi, LeeElle Tullis
LEVEL: Introductory. [MED] If medical interpreting isn't complicated enough, the new trend of incorporating genetics into traditional medicine ("personalized medicine") promises to increase the complexity of medical interpreting. In this workshop we will explore how genetics and genetic counseling differs from conventional medical interviews, how interpreters in hospital settings will be faced with the increasing use of genetic information, and how to interpret information such as family histories and genetic inheritance patterns. This crash course in genetics will help you unravel things like DNA structure, autosomal recessive inheritance, and genetic carrier status in both ASL and English.

The Professional Path: Tools and Skills for the Journey
Presenter: Ari-Asha Castalia BS, CI/CT and Ric Owen, BFA, MFA, CI/CT
LEVEL: Introductory. [PG] Once you’ve completed course work and fieldwork, there remains other learning and expertise important to meeting your professional goals. This workshop explores the dynamics of how relationship to self and others (colleagues, consumers, referral agencies, and employers), influences our ability to be successful, ethical and fulfilled professionals. Participants will be exposed to innovative exercises and learn specific strategies to use in recognizing choices as well as aiding their decision making and interpersonal communication processes within the field of interpreting. (This workshop is designed for students and practitioners with less than five years of experience, although all are welcome.)

Rhetorical Legal Argument for Interpreters
Presenter: Carla Mathers
LEVEL: Advanced/Must Qualify to Attend. [LGL/SP] This seminar will provide a review of the roles taken by court interpreters including a discussion of logical reasoning by which interpreters can convince administrators, courts and lawyers to hire the appropriate complement of interpreters for a given assignment. The seminar will critically examine the case law, statutory, and ethical basis for various roles and decisions interpreters make. * This 2-Day Advanced Legal Workshop is limited to participants who have taken an introductory course in Court Interpreting within the past 10 years. The course must have been at least 20 contact hours. Hearing interpreters must be nationally certified at a generalist level. If your state does not recognize RID/NAD certification, contact the 2008 RID Region V Conference Chair for options. There is no current certification requirement for Deaf interpreters, though they must have taken an introductory course. THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL AS OF 8/10/2008.

Schooled in Discretion: Empowerment Tools for the K-12 Interpreter
Presenter: Lynette Reep, CI/CT
LEVEL: Intermediate. [ED] “No one at my school is qualified to evaluate me.” “I am not encouraged to participate in the IEP process.” “No one here really ‘gets’ what I do.” Sound familiar? K-12 interpreters: Isn’t it time you had more say in your work environment? Commonsense dictates that it takes a strong and well supported workforce to provide optimal services for students and schools—and after all, isn’t that what we’re all striving to achieve? In this session you will hone your negotiating skills, practice making astute job decisions, begin to build a network of colleagues and mentors, develop specific strategies for winning the support and understanding of teachers and administrators in your workplace, and develop a personal plan for increased effectiveness. Challenging topics are broached in a safe atmosphere with ample opportunity to practice new skills-- and to laugh. While all are encouraged to participate fully, taking the time to listen and to observe is also valued. Come join us!

Show What You Know
Presenter: Sharon Neumann Solow, M.A., CSC, SC:L
LEVEL: Intermediate. [PG] Interpreters can do so much more than they sometimes believe they can. Interpreters can build confidence by increasing their awareness of their strengths and by developing genuine confidence. Oneself is often the only thing that stands in the way of success. Often people know much more than they are confident they know. Interpreters sometimes avoid moving ahead in their work because of fear and insecurity when they actually have the skills necessary. They are sometimes unable to separate themselves from their work and sometimes fail to realistically take stock of themselves. Several strategies will be addressed. These include: 1) deliberate communication and terminology, 2) self talk, 3) dealing with resistance, and 4) emotional and physical techniques. This session provides tools for interpreters to become healthier in their self-view and opportunities to examine their confidence and strengths to reach a new level of comfort in their work that will carry them through easy and more difficult situations.

Sign Language and Spoken Language Interpreters and Translators: Learning and Working Together
Presenter: Julie Simon, Ph.D., CI/CT and Julie Johnson,
LEVEL: Intermediate. [CE] This presentation will focus on similarities and differences between signed language and spoken language interpreters and translators. The presentation will focus on issues such as prestige and status, culture, translation, and professional preparation as they pertain to both groups. Discussion will also focus on strategies for ways we can work together to provide the best possible services to our consumers.

Spoken and Signed Language Prosody
Presenter: Dr. Brenda Nicodemus, CI/CT, NIC-Advanced
LEVEL: Intermediate. [PG] The word “prosody” is being used with increasing frequency by interpreters, but what does it really mean? Prosody is a rich system of linguistic features that both shapes the organization of discourse and enhances our ability to process human language. The use of prosody is universal to all languages, spoken and signed. In spoken languages, prosody is characterized by intricate patterns of intonation, stress and rhythm. In signed languages, prosody has been observed and described in the use of facial expressions, eye blinks, body leans, head nods, and velocity of sign movement. Interpreters are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of prosody on their work. Current performance evaluations are assessing the presence of prosodic cues in interpretation. In this presentation we will compare the prosodic systems of spoken and signed languages, discuss the functions of prosody in language, and report findings of a research project that analyzed the use of prosody by highly experienced interpreters in their ASL interpretations.

Tech for Terps: Using Technology to Improve Your Interpreting Experiences
Presenter: Suzanne Ehrlich, Ed.D., CI, NAD IV
LEVEL: Intermediate. [PG] As technology continues to impact the interpreting profession, many interpreters may not know of the many opportunities to further their knowledge and education through technology. Come learn about technology and the many ways to get the most out of your experience. Areas that will be discussed include: basic internet searches and maximizing your searches, resources for vocabulary building, technology resources and hardware that can optimize you learning experiences

Deafhood: Re-discover Deaf Humanity
Presenter: David Eberwein, Genie Gertz, Ella Mae Lentz
LEVEL: Advanced. [PG/PD/CE] The presentation is largely based on Dr. Paddy Ladd’s book, “Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood”. What is “Deafhood?” What is “colonialism” and how does it apply to the Deaf world? We will explore terms that are creating a buzz among the Deaf community such as audism, linguicism, and eugenics. The 1970s through the early 1990s have brought out ASL with recognition of its value in our education, identity, well-being, usage in formal and artistic settings (poetry, storytelling, and video productions.) However, the new developments in the 2000s by misguided professionals have caused Deaf people in the name of Deafhood to speak out. We will discuss some hopes and challenges of preserving, practicing, and respecting ASL for our posterity. In addition, we will discuss the critical examination of Deaf identity. How do Deaf people progress through the stages, as they gradually understand what it means to be Deaf. This workshop will address the following areas: past and present Deaf activism, social/political strategies, comparing political activism with social welfare, differences between “serving all” and “doing everything”, and developing a consensus approach to Deaf politics. This workshop hopes to offer a possible roadmap toward the vibrant, active, and unified Deaf community.

Warning: Explicit Content! Managing Profanity in English Discourse
Presenter: Kelly Murphy
LEVEL: Introductory. [PG] It is amazing how much damage four little letters can do. Profanity as a function of language has often been overlooked and not considered “real” language, (Jay, 2000) however interpreters do not have the luxury of dismissing this emotional component. Due to its potential for miscommunication and emotional harm, professionals should have educated and informed strategies for managing these utterances and be able to articulate the decision rationale. Professionals will benefit from education about profanity, its linguistic function, history and current use in English. From our collective experiences, we can re-examine situations we have faced in the past and use those to plan for the future. Interpreters will significantly benefit from further education, collaborative discussion, and practice in a safe environment - to ready themselves the next time they face those four little letters.

What Am I Doing Here?!”: Exploring the Art of Discretion
Presenter: Lynette Reep, CI/CT
LEVEL: Intermediate. [PG] This fast-paced, interactive workshop is designed for anyone who has ever regretted accepting a job—AND for those who have seen colleagues get in over their heads and wondered whether-- and how-- to intervene. In a supportive environment Deaf and hearing interpreters at all levels will role-play responses to realistic job dilemmas. The use of small group role plays and “fishbowl” activities create opportunities for first-hand experience in responding to such challenges, while detailed handouts drive discussions and provide guidance. Participants will develop self-awareness and ethical decision-making skills, while honing effective negotiation strategies. In addition they can expect to laugh, play hard, and enjoy the challenge of thinking on their feet, all with the support of their colleagues and a skilled workshop leader.

Where Are We Going With This? Processing and Conveying Intent in K-12 Settings
Presenter: Cindy Farnham, RID Certified , Master Mentor
LEVEL: Advanced. [ED] The majority of the skill domains evaluated by educational interpreting assessments are tied directly to the intent of the teacher. Knowing when to use ASL features (fingerspelling, use of space, affect, and more) rely on knowing what the teacher’s goal is at all times. Many interpreters focus heavily on conveying all of the content and miss cues that would help them know when to use ASL features to convey intent. The presenter will share a variety of techniques that teachers use and how to recognize the goal of the teacher based on the use of different teaching strategies. Participants will review video of classroom lectures, practice recognizing and conveying teacher intent, and review model interpretations for each lecture.

Medical Interpreting: What No One Ever Tells You
Presenter: Todd Agan, BSI, CI/CT, BEI IV
LEVEL: Introductory. [MED] Ever wonder why we are usually never given accurate or specific information about patient appointments? Are you curious about what HIPAA is and what it does? What do you need to know if a nurse tells you that the patient is “on precautions”? How do I interpret the question, “Do you have an advance directive or living will?”? This workshop will improve your understanding of this information and more, both as consumers of healthcare as well as professionals.

The Principle Pyramid: Laws, Ethics, and Morals
Presenter: Todd Agan, BSI, CI/CT, BEI IV
LEVEL: Introductory. [PG] This workshop will address the differences between laws, ethics, and morals; to who each of these applies, and penalties for violation. This session will then culminate with a discussion of various vignette-style ethical quandaries, and moral, legal, and ethical options that interpreters have. This process will be demonstrated to be an integral part of an ethical interpreter’s mental schema when faced with difficult situations on assignments, as well as serve as a tool to prepare interpreters to sit for the NIC