Introduction to VRS Interpreting: A Curriculum Guide

Introduction to VRS Interpreting:

A Curriculum Guide

VRS Interpreting Institute

Copyright © 2017 VRS Interpreting Institute.

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ISBN: 978-1-4834-6627-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6628-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017902839

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Curriculum Designers:

• Daniel Maffia is a full-time lecturer with the Department of American Sign Language and English Interpreting Department’s Interpreter Education Program at National Technical Institute for the Deaf. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in American Sign Language/English interpreting from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2009. In 2010 he became certified, and in 2014 earned his master’s in interpreting studies with an emphasis in teaching interpreting from Western Oregon University. Previously Daniel served as a staff interpreter in the Department of Access Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Daniel continues interpreting in the video relay, community, and hospital settings. Daniel has shown his commitment to the field by serving on the board of directors for his local RID chapter. Daniel’s research interests relate to reflective practice and demand control schema. He continues to present workshops on the above-mentioned topics for interpreters nationally and internationally.

• Katie Maxwell is an adjunct professor at Salt Lake Community College’s Interpreter Training Program and a full-time VRS interpreter. Katie received bachelor’s degrees in both ASL/English interpreting and Deaf education from California State University, Fresno. Since graduation, Katie has eleven years of interpreting experience in settings such as video relay, community, and postsecondary education. In addition to interpreting, she works as a mentor with the VRS Interpreting Institute, serves on the board of the Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf and has spent several years as a Student Involvement Committee chair for her local RID chapter. In 2013, Katie earned her master’s of education degree from Utah Valley University, focusing on second language learning in adults. When not interpreting, Katie enjoys spending time skiing, hiking, camping, and dancing.

• Annette Miner is a faculty member at the VRS Interpreting Institute (VRSII) in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is currently working on her PhD in Interpretation, focusing on pedagogy and research at Gallaudet University. She has a master’s degree in psychology and an educational specialist degree from Western Michigan University. She has been interpreting for twenty-five years and teaching interpreting for almost fifteen years in various types of settings. She served for over fifteen years on the Board of the Conference of Interpreter Trainers as president, regional representative, and, most recently, as director of Research and Publications. She holds a certificate of interpretation and a certificate of transliteration from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, NAD/RID national interpreter certification (master level) and professional certification from the American Sign Language Teachers Association.

Acknowledgments:

• Thanks to Carolyn Ball, Emily Beech, Robyn Dean, Joellen DiGiovanni, Lynn Finton, Wayne Kennedy, Kim Kurz, Connie Spanton-Jex, Teddi von Pingel, and Chris Wakeland, without whose support this project would not have been possible.

• Thanks to Clint Behunin, Samond Bishara, Emmalee Christensen, Julio Enriquez, Brooke Grossinger, Suzi Holland, Rebecca Lundberg, Carol MacNicholl, Dan Mathis, Anita Nelson-Julander, Holly Nelson, Rosa Neumayr, Lisa Packer, Cory Packer, Sue Peebler, Lance Pickett, Andrea Scott, Emisha Sill, Steve Swain, Alvaro Trujillo, and Susie Wee, for their involvement in development of the VRS video vignettes.

• Thanks to Michael Bothel, Antonio Goodwin, Kathleen Holcombe, Barbara Mykle-Hotzon, Faith Powell, Gretchen Roman, Sammie Sheppard, Amanda Smith, Leia Sparks, Kellie Stewart, and the VRS Curriculum Infusion training participants for their feedback and curriculum contributions.

• Thanks to the Deaf community members, students, and video relay interpreters who were part of our pilot project.

Overview of the Curriculum

• The purpose of the Introduction to VRS Interpreting Curriculum is to expose interpreting students to the environment of the video relay service (VRS) and video remote interpreting (VRI) settings, including the inherent challenges and interpreting skills required in this type of work. The intent is to provide students with sufficient information and practical experience to be able to make an informed decision about future work in these settings. It is not designed as a training course for working in VRS or VRI settings, nor is it intended to imply to students that they will be prepared to work in these settings upon completion of the course.

• The curriculum was designed with flexibility in mind. It can be used in one-, two-, or three-credit-hour courses that meet for a variety of time blocks, and a variety of number of days per week. Lessons may also be used independently of the entire curriculum, although certain scaffolding components will be lost if used in this fashion. There is enough material in each lesson to satisfy a three-credit-hour course. Instructors teaching one- or two-credit-hour courses will have to make decisions about which activities to eliminate based on their time constraints.

The entire Introduction to VRS Interpreting Curriculum is in electronic format, accessible at the Introduction to VRS Interpreting Curriculum website (www.vrsii.com/vrscurriculum). The curriculum website contains the full curriculum in one document, which contains curriculum information and lesson plans with references to materials needed for each lesson. Downloadable lesson plans and all supporting documents, slide show presentations, and required readings are available on the website in lesson folders.

Each lesson folder contains:

■ lesson plan

■ slide show presentation(s)

■ materials needed (activity descriptions, quizzes, study guides, video links, etc.)

■ readings for that lesson

■ folder with readings for the next lesson

• When you access materials on the website, you will be asked to complete a form with your name and contact information. This information is for usage data, and will be used to send occasional e-mails asking for your experience with and feedback on the effectiveness of the curriculum. It will also be used to notify users of updates to the curriculum.

Acceptable use of the curriculum and videos

• Instructors using the Introduction to VRS Interpreting Curriculum are granted permission to download and use all materials for the purpose of teaching students about interpreting in VRS and VRI settings. It may not be used for individual profit-generating activities or to train students specifically for the purpose of working in VRS and VRI settings. Instructors are granted permission to modify presentation slides as needed; however, all modified presentations should include a notation that they were modified from the original versions provided with the curriculum.

• The VRS video vignettes included with the Introduction to VRS Interpreting Curriculum are designed for use within the context of the curriculum, as suggested in the lesson plans, or as the instructor sees fit. Vignettes are designed to be used for student practice during class time, although they may be assigned as homework in some cases. Please share the actual links or other access to the videos vignettes with discretion, and only when necessary with the purpose of preserving the instructional value of the videos within the Introduction to VRS Interpreting Curriculum.

Instructor Qualifications

• Ideally, the instructor of this course will be an experienced video relay interpreter and a trained, experienced instructor. In some cases, where the instructor is not an experienced VRS interpreter, it is suggested that at the very minimum, the instructor obtain permission from a local VRS call center manager or director to spend two to three hours observing VRS calls. In cases where instructors lack experience in specific lesson topics, it is recommended