Course Schedule

Thursday, August 24
Tuesday, August 29

Giving a public presentation

Intepreting is a public activity; it’s done in the company of others. So we can prepare to stand up and bare our proverbial souls to one another in class, we’ll spend some time getting used to perfoming in a public manner.

Assignment August 29: Student/teacher contract due (due by 11:59 pm)

Thursday, January 8
Tuesday, January 13
Thursday, January 15

Contexting interpretive ‘work’ and de-personalizing feedback

One of the greatest struggles of the professional signed language interpreting field is the difficulty practitioners have in depersonalizing work product. Let’s break that cycle; interpreting evaluation is a scientific process concerned with gathering data and scrutizing equivalency of message from source to target, not adjectival commentary on the interpreter’s ‘goodness’ or ‘badness.’ Let’s do this.

Due 8 January: Student/teacher contract due (due by 11:59 pm)

Tuesday, January 13

Pre-assessment

Exam 13 January: Produce unrehearsed spoken language interpretation (source text in GoREACT class site; due by 11:59 pm)

Tuesday, January 20
Thursday, January 22
Tuesday, January 27
Thursday, January 29

Intralingual language development

Developing competent spoken English skills is something you’ve been working on for decades. Now let’s combine comprehension, context, and a little bit of brain muscle to create equivalency in an interpreting event.

Video 20 January: Video 1 (choose any from class text; submit in GoREACT)

Presentations 15, 20, 22, 27, 29 January: In-class impromptu presentation

Tuesday, February 3
Thursday, February 5
Tuesday, February 10
Thursday, February 12
Tuesday, February 17

Organization and analysis of an interpreted text

“Which road do I take?,” Alice asked.
“Where do you want to go?,” the Chesire Cat replied.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the Cat, “it doesn’t matter.”
(Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland)
Cognitive organization of a text can help interpreters mentally plan out (roadmap and signpost; Mindess, 2006) and know where the intent of a text or discourse is going.

Video 10 February: Video 2 (choose any from class text; submit in GoREACT)

Presentation 3, 5, 10, 12, 17 February: In-class impromptu presentation

Thursday, February 19
Tuesday, February 24
Thursday, February 26
Tuesday, March 3
Thursday, March 5

Attending and listening

We’ll focus on... well, focusing. Listening for intent and context is more than just looking for signs that are recognizable. Listening and attending includes both how interpreters access source materials but then also convert messages through comprehension.

Video 3 March: Video 3 (choose any from class text; submit in GoREACT)

Presentation 19, 24, 26 February; 5 March: In-class impromptu presentation

Tuesday, March 3

Midterm evaluation

Due Complete the midterm evaluation (due by 11:59 am)

TBD

Field trip

We’re planning to visit the local chapter of Toastmasters to see what public speaking practice looks like. Fulfills one of the Community Exposure assignments we’re doing this semester.

Tuesday, March 10
Thursday, March 12
Tuesday, March 17
Thursday, March 19
Tuesday, March 24

Managing memory issues in an interpretation

Human cognition is terribly unique and idiosyncratic and yet more understood now than every before. Understanding what the brain does during an interpreting event leads to better equivalent work product.

Video 24 March: Video 4 (choose any from class text; submit in GoREACT)

Presentation 5, 10, 12, 17, 19 March : In-class impromptu presentation

Thursday, March 26
Tuesday, March 31
Thursday, April 2
Tuesday, April 7
Thursday, April 9
Tuesday, April 14
Thursday, April 16
Tuesday, April 21

Constructing message and meaning

This section is intended to focus on the DNA and morphology of message. Colonomos’ work point interpreters towards understanding the complex modular parts of what people say, the context, demography, history and etymology: everything that frames and shapes an intended message.

Video 21 April: Video 5 (choose any from class text; submit in GoREACT)

Presentation 26, 31 March; 2, 14, 16, 21 April: In-class impromptu presentation

Friday, April 24

(Final) Post-assessment

Exam Produce unrehearsed spoken language interpretation (source text in GoREACT class site). Due by Friday, 24 April, 11:59 pm.