Enjoy this informative recorded webinar!

Location: Your home or office (online)

RID CEUs: 0.2 PS (2 hours)

Cost: $30

Language: English

             *This workshop will be offered in ASL on May 4, 2024

Workshop Description:

Politics! (Don’t be afraid.) The Interpreting Politics Series introduces interpreters to the language of American politics, with democracy and Democrats, the republic and Republicans, the election and the electoral college, constituents, primaries, the commander-in-chief, and of course, gerrymandering. In this session, we focus on THE CONGRESS, reviewing its constitutional powers, the roles of senators and representatives, how a bill becomes — or doesn’t become — a law, and much more. There are no super-secret signs for these concepts that you just never learned; these workshops teach the meaning of political terms, and together, we discuss how we might interpret them into American Sign Language. Other sessions include THE PRESIDENT, THE COURT AND THE CONSTITUTION, and PARTIES AND IDEOLOGY.

Educational Objectives:

The goal of this workshop is to prepare interpreters for the challenging language that appears in discussions of the United States Congress. At the Conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the structure of the United States Congress, based on the Constitution, tradition, and rules.
• Compare the powers and responsibilities of the House of Representatives and the Senate
• Define the roles of senators and representatives
• Interpret 20 key political terms
• List the steps outlining how a bill becomes — or doesn’t become — a law.
• Recognize the challenges of interpreting for the idiom of politics, and develop strategies

Presenter Bio:

Alek Lev

Alek Lev is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter (NIC-Master, CI, CT), a director, actor, and writer, and a political organizer. He has interpreted for three presidents, two Broadway shows, and one Beatle. Over the last twenty years, he has worked freelance in New York and Los Angeles, has taught translation at California State University at Northridge, and has presented CEU workshops to interpreters all around the country. Alek graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wesleyan University with a BA in Theater and English. 

Alek trained at The National Theatre of the Deaf’s Professional Theatre School, and stage managed, interpreted, and performed on to tour with their children’s theater, The Little Theatre of the Deaf. In Los Angeles, he has worked with Deaf West Theatre, appearing in Romeo and Juliet and Flowers for Algernon, directing their Much Ado About Nothing workshop, and rehearsal interpreting for Spring Awakening, At Home at the Zoo, and American Buffalo. In 2023, Alek co-directed Victory Hall Opera’s Orpheus and Erica, a new opera performed by Deaf actors and hearing singers.

Alek wrote, directed, edited, and produced WHAT?,  a silent, black-and-white silent feature film which tells the story of a Deaf man struggling for respect in Hollywood. The investors were Deaf, the executive producers were Deaf, the cinematographer was Deaf, as was most of the cast. Also the caterer. The film was accepted to 24 film festival across 9 countries, winning 20 awards, including 4 for Best Picture, 4 for Best Actor, 3 for Best Director, and 3 Audience Awards. Then in November of 2023, Alek directed No Plans This Weekend, an entirely improvised feature comedy, currently in post-production.

As a podcast producer, Alek has created four series: Private Joke: The Official How I Met Your Mother Podcast, Talking Buster Keaton, Meeting Tom Cruise, and his current work, Arts Educators Save the World. This latest show brings together successful artists in conversation with their mentors; Season One launched with Lin-Manuel Miranda (’02) and Season Two concluded with Bradley Whitford (’81).

Alek also worked on several presidential campaigns, functioning as a campaign surrogate, congressional district team coordinator, city-wide training director, precinct captain organizer, and special project assistant to the State and Field Directors. He also ran - alas, unsuccessfully - to join his local community council.

His workshops for ASL interpreters include: A History of the English Language (And Why Interpreters Should Care); Acting Tools for Terps: A Crash Course in Sounding Human; The Language of Film: Interpreting for and about Film Production; Caffeinated Classifiers: Coffee, Espresso, and Other Reasons for Living; and the Interpreting Politics series, which includes The Congress; The President; The Courts and the Constitution; and Political Parties and Ideology.

Born and raised in New York City, Alek now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two children, and espresso machine. Check out all the goodies at www.AlekLev.com.