Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bucket List

Most people have a bucket list- a list of things to do before they die.  For the past few months, I feel that my career has taken a pause.  While options abound, I am not sure of my next step.  For the first time,  I am not working directly towards a goal.  Graduate from ITP- check. Get an interpreting job- check. Pass the NIC- check.  Complete my MA degree....add to bucket list.

I have been staying very active with my profession as a freelance interpreter and through my work with PCRID and RID.  Now, I am contemplating the next steps.  Admittedly, I love my work but am starting to feel burned out by the commuting and the hussle & bussle that is DC life.  My husband and I are planning to buy a house next spring/ summer, so now seems like an excellent time to evaluate my life priorities and professional goals.

My Bucket List:
-Achieve EIPA and/or OTC certification
-Complete my Masters degree (Obtaining Graduate Certificate in Ethics from George Mason University may be good first step.  I am currently considering Western Oregon University's MA program, however I cannot apply for program until 2013 because of how their program is designed.  It sounds very promising though...)
-Become an Interpreter Trainer
-Publish in the Journal of Interpretation
-Present workshop at VRID and/or PCRID conference
-Present workshop at regional or national conference
-Attend WASLI conference
-Attended Siena School in Italy
-Win lottery so I can complete bucket list ;-)


What is on your bucket list?

Thursday, October 6, 2011

AHA! Moments (and why it's not enough to go to workshops...)

As  I contemplate the ethics workshop that I want to develop (and potentially present at the VRID bi-annual conference), I started thinking about to one of those "AHA!" moments that I had last spring.

I was assigned to interpret a two hour training- alone.  While this is fairly standard policy with this particular interpreting agency, I feel that it goes against standard practice and puts me at risk for injury. In my initial email to coordination, especially considering my unfamiliarity with that particular government agency and Deaf consumer.  However, this is where I was proud of myself.  As I thought about this situation, I started too dig deeper and apply the demand-control schema. In a follow-up discussion with my supervisor, I was able to articulate my concerns about the main demand- working two hours alone- as well as the concurrent demands that I was facing.  Since this was a training, I was predicting a faster pace and dense information on top of the unfamiliar vocabulary and acronyms that are always present when working with a new consumer and/ or setting.  I also knew that I would be transliterating and voicing for this consumer.

While the resolution was not ideal, I was able to apply lessons learned from both the demand-control schema and "Sign Safely, Interpret Intelligently."  Perhaps, the biggest lesson that I have learned this year is self-advocacy- which has been a recurring theme at several workshops that I have attended.  That week was an interesting week, albeit a rough one.  It was the first time that I truely applied the demand-control schema to my work pro-actively, in real time, rather than retrospectively.  Later that week, I was faced with another dilemma when I woke up with excruciating shoulder pain.  Although I was scheduled for two on-call assignments, I called out sick last-minute.  As I told my husband, I felt silly calling out when I had on-calls, but unfortunately, you never know- I could have been sitting for four hours or interpreting for four hours.  While I have become a better self-advocate, I still need to work on taking care of myself.

At the end of the day, it is great to go to workshops to network and CEUs, but we also need to learn and apply those lessons learned on a  daily basis.  There will always be room for improvement and AHA! moments.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Food for thought: Is RID a certifying body or a professional organization?

Is RID a certifying body or a prefessional organization?

This was the question that the RID Board of Directors presented to the membership at the 2011 National Conference.  While I appreciated the forum as well as the format that allowed extensive audience participation, I was rather disappointed at the relatively small turnout.  The forum was held on the last day of the conference and concurrently with workshops that offered CEUs.  I suspect that the combination for these two factors hindered attendance despite much discussion in the field about the state of RID.

After introductions from the Board of Directors and National Office staff, they presented the RID Philosophy, Mission, and Goal Statements as well as an introduction to the forth-coming Diversity Statement.  The Diversity Council is working on the Diversity Statement, however it is undecided whether it should be a stand-alone statement

After concluding their presentations, the Board of Directors solicited member comments through a series of questions:

-Should RID mention certification in PMGD (Purpose, Mission, Goals, & Diversity Statement)?
-If you had three wishes for RID that could be incorporated in the PMGD statement, what would they be?
-Does the the PMG include room for formalized recognition of the various types of interpreting that occur?
-What do you value about being a member of RID?

Through the course of this discussion, I spoke twice.  Following the first questions, I expressed my concerns that RID was trying to be a certifying body and a professional organizational organization but unfortunately was not doing it well.  During my ITP, I was taught that RID certification was "end all and be all."  While I cannot imagine what it would look like to no longer have RID as the certifying body and professional organization, I am worried that at some point the states will step in and take contol of credentialing interpreters- and in my mind, that is not a step in the right direction.

As we discussed the PMGD statement and how to make the Diversity statement as inclusive as possible, particularly regarding the different modalities we work between (Spoken English, Spoken Spanish, ASL, Signed English, oral transliteration...), I suggested a term that I have repeatedly heard in our profession- "communication facilitators."  Admitedly, I was a little stunned that the next speaker immediately shot down and criticized my suggestion because "faciliate means easy and our job is not easy."  I did not have a chance to respond, however I was thinking about her comment.  Facilitate does mean "to make easy."  While our job is not easy, our job is to make communication easier for our consumers.

For me the most interesting discussion revolved around what we value about being a member of RID.  Our shared history, introspection, relationships, colleagues, unity, support, and networking were consistent themes, with members noting:
     "Iron sharpens iron."
     "As a united front, we have a voice."
     "...opportunity to let our voice shine through."
     "....being apart of something bigger than I am."

Of course the big question still remains: Are we a certifying body? Should we be a credentialing organization?

In time, as our organization grows and evolves, we will be able to answer that question.