STUDY 4 - International Sign Conference Interpreters As A Community Of Practice

Spring 2023

In this study I explore the concept of IS conference interpreters as a Community of Practice (COP). For this I used new data from the 2019 global survey of IS conference interpreters as well as follow-up interviews with selected survey respondents. In this fourth study I present a model of interpreter competences as well as a learning path of becoming an IS conference interpreter.

Forthcoming as:
Wit, Maya de, Onno Crasborn & Jemina Napier. forthcoming. “International Sign conference interpreters as a Community of Practice.” [Manuscript submitted on 13 June 2022 to Meta Translator’s Journal, accepted 14 July 2023].

Summary

The results of my first three studies suggest that there is a need to establish a formal training program for International Sign (IS) conference interpreters to acquire the interpreting techniques and knowledge of professional practices, especially those that matter in the context of international organizations. This training program could also be a step toward meeting the high demand for IS conference interpreters. In study three I developed a content outline of such a training program. However, for a training program to be successful it is essential to identify the specific conference interpreters’ competences (Liu 2009). For this fourth study I used a mixed method (Hale and Napier 2013), taking further data from my global survey and the individual interviews, and using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006) to identify the competences and knowledge of practices that interpreters should acquire. In this fourth article I present the result in a model of interpreter competence.

Overall, the study shows that becoming an IS conference interpreter is considered to be challenging. Learning IS requires the interpreter’s dedication and perseverance. Other than with a national sign language, the interpreter must seek unconventional paths to acquire the necessary IS interpreting skills in which they are highly depending on the moral and active support of experienced interpreters.

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PhD research by Maya de Wit