Defining the Interpreter's Place in Interaction: Fundamentals of Role-Space

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Presented By: Robert G. Lee
Date/Time: March 25, 2023 9am-12pm MT
RID CEUs: 0.3 PS
Presentation Language: ASL

Workshop Description:

This workshop will provide an overview of the Role-Space model developed by Peter Llewellyn-Jones and Robert G. Lee. The core premise is that a ‘role’ is not something we have, rather is it something we do. The foundations of model, drawing upon theories from sociology, sociolinguistics, and conversational analysis, will be presented first. Then, an explanation of the role-space model by exploring the three interrelated dimensions of interpreter decision-making and behavior: interaction management, participant alignment and the presentation of self. The interaction between and amongst these axes forms the role-space that an interpreter occupies in an interaction. Case studies from both the interpreting literature as well as real world scenarios will be used to explore these dimensions. Participants will also have an opportunity to discuss and reflect on their own experiences and apply the role space model to interactions they have interpreted.

Workshop Objectives:

As a result of attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • review fundamental ideas that underpin all communicative interaction (including the various roles that all speakers/signers undertake during interactions)
  • describe a unified model of interpreter behavior that describes the space that interpreters occupy in a given interaction.
  • discuss how the model applies to interactions they have interpreted
  • review the implications of the model for:
    • Pedagogy, mentoring, and team interpreting;
    • Codes of Ethics/Practice/Conduct;
    • Interpreting in specialized settings (e.g. medical, mental health, legal).

            Presenter Bio:

            Robert G. Lee, MA, CI/CT has been interpreting, teaching, and researching for more than 30 years. He has worked as an interpreter both in private practice and as a staff interpreter in community, medical, mental health, and conference settings - primarily in North America and Europe, both in face-to-face and remote interactions. Robert is currently an Associate Academic Specialist in the ASL and Interpreting Education Program at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Previously, he was Senior Lecturer and Course Leader of the MA and Postgraduate Diploma in British Sign Language/English Interpreting at the University of Central Lancashire (UK). He has presented at conferences and workshops for spoken and signed language interpreters in North and South America and across Europe. Robert, in collaboration with Peter Llewellyn-Jones,  developed the role-space model of interpreting.

             


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