Silent Weekend at Western Oregon University

On behalf of the ASL/English Interpreting Program at Western Oregon University, the Oregon Department of Education’s Educational Interpreter Subcommittee, the Regional Resource Center on Deafness, the Oregon Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and the Western Region Interpreter Education Center, we would like to invite you to join us for Western Oregon University’s Silent Weekend, August 14-16, 2009 in Monmouth, Oregon. This weekend is for Deaf and hearing students, interpreters, interpreter educators, and ASL instructors. Visit www.wou.edu

Saturday, August 15th, 9:00am-12:00pm

Expanding Your Balloon: ASL Strategies - Brenda Aron

This workshop will provide participants an opportunity to learn 7 American Sign Language contextualizing and expansion strategies that are commonly used in American Sign Language and will provide clear messages for ASL signers. Participants will have the opportunity to observe, analyze ASL signers and then apply the concepts from pictures and English texts to ASL, utilizing expansion techniques.

Pay Yourself First: How to Establish Yourself as a Freelance Interpreter - Jill Baker
This workshop will explore the implications of being incorporated vs. working as a self-employed interpreter. Examine ways to save for retirement. Explore the tax benefits of Deferred Compensation, retirement plans, 503(b) accounts, and Roth IRA’s.

Discourse Mapping in Educational Settings - Elisa Maroney

Discourse features and discourse mapping will be reviewed, demonstrated, and practiced. Educational discourse in ASL and English will be analyzed using discourse mapping techniques for preparation and hypothesis testing, and application to production issues related to spatial organization.

English Idioms and Conceptual Accuracy - Kathryn Montoya

Participants will analyze several commonly (and some not so commonly) used idioms and decide the best and most accurate way to convey the meaning of the idiom in ASL. Participants will learn why conceptual accuracy is extremely important and without it the meaning can be completely lost.

Interpreting Pronouns: ASL to English - Tamara Moxham

This workshop examines interpreting techniques addressing the function of pronoun use in ASL and English, focusing on word choices in English when the gender is not clear in ASL.

Interpreting Foreign Language Instruction - Steve Nail

This professional development workshop identifies the unique demands and challenges inherent in interpreting foreign language classroom instruction and discusses the skills needed to meet these demands and challenges. The workshop emphasizes understanding the goals of the student and the teacher in order to customize the interpreting approach to support these goals. Using the philosophies of Popular Education, Andragogy and The Collaborative Learning Environment, this learner-driven, facilitated workshop focuses on transferring skills the interpreter already has to new content areas and identifying knowledge gaps that need to be filled before undertaking these unique and challenging assignments

Signs Have Parts….and Much More! - Carl Schroeder

American Sign Language (ASL) is a rule-governed language which can be said to be broken into five language components: phonology, semantics, syntax, discourse, and pragmatics. This workshop shall focus on linguistic networks of all components of ASL, starting with the underlying structure--the lexicon--undergoing linguistic regulations and applications before arriving at the surface structure--the utterance. Participants will examine each language component and then synthesize the linguistic procedures of all components in good, clear ASL.

Saturday, August 15th, 1:30-4:30pm

Disability Paradigms 101 for Interpreters - Steve Nail

This workshop/professional discussion (previously titled “Interpreter Plus: A Discussion of the Issues Facing Interpreters with Disabilities”) defines the differences between the Medical/Rehabilitative view of disability and the Socio-Ecological Model of (capitol D) Disability. Through interactive group discussion with interpreters, Deaf and hearing stakeholders, and Disability Studies scholars, this workshop seeks to illuminate the influences that the hegemonic Medical/Rehabilitative paradigm has on the profession of interpreting and how such influences affect our work, and also seeks to create more physical, attitudinal, and cultural access for Disabled interpreters in our field by recognizing Disability as a social identity and defining the need for culturally appropriate representation in the interpreter population.

Fingerspelling & Numbers: Improve your Accuracy - Kathryn Montoya

Participants will gain an understanding as to the extreme importance of accurate fingerspelling. The Fingerspelling/Numbers Workbook will be used to teach techniques to improve both receptive and expressive fingerspelling skills. Participants will also learn techniques to allow students to use numbers in every situation accurately and effectively, both receptively and expressively.

British Sign Language: Posh or Rubbish? - Brad Houck

BSL is one of many sign languages throughout the world. Learning another foreign sign language augments the awareness of our own sign language and how it compares or differs with other languages, particularly in countries where English is the dominant language. Approximately 100-150 signs, along with fingerspelling and numbers, will be taught in this 3 hour course along with exercises in basic communication in a challenging and fun manner. Historical and cultural developments of BSL will also be examined. Posh or rubbish? You decide!!

Prosodic Features in ASL Discourse - Elisa Maroney

In this workshop, participants will investigate prosody, its definition and prosodic features in American Sign Language and in spoken English. Specifically, participants will identify prosodic features in child ASL and teacher’s English. Participants will practice ASL to English from child ASL source material and English to ASL with teacher talk as the source. They will discuss the application of prosody to the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA).

Sign What You Mean, Mean What You Sign - Brenda Aron

ASL is a conceptual language. The translation of English phrases such as “My nose is running”, “There is a run in my stocking”, “He is running at the mouth” do not all use the same signs. This workshop is designed for those who wish to learn how to apply correct ASL concepts in translating from English into ASL. This workshop will consist of a selected list of 12 most commonly used multiple meaning words.

Interpreting K-12 Math - Paul Glaser

This workshop will help interpreters interpret mathematics signs and practice with signs in number systems, basic math, algebra, graphs, geometry, statistics, calculus, and math symbols

Sunday, August 16th, 9:00-11am

What Are Those X@!$%& Signs? - Brenda Aron

There are a great many ASL expressions that do not always have equivalent English words in translation however these are frequently used expressions by ASL signers. This workshop introduces participants to those expressions, their meaning and how these are used in context. This workshop covers 55 ASL expressions.

Developing Your Tool Box: Prepping for that Gig - Susie Friberg and Jill Baker

Various strategies and hands-on practice will be taught to assist beginning interpreters in prepping for an assignment in the community and post-secondary settings. Interpreters will be presented with various scenarios to practice finding information for an assignment. This will allow students to ascertain information for an actual assignment.

Preparing for the EIPA Performance Test - Elisa Maroney

This workshop will provide participants with resources on preparing for the EIPA performance test.

Fingerspelling & Numbers: Workbook Curriculum - Kathryn Montoya

Participants will gain an understanding as to the extreme importance of accurate fingerspelling. The Workbook will be demonstrated and used to show instructors how to work with their students to improve both their receptive and expressive fingerspelling skills. Participants will also learn techniques to allow students to use numbers in every situation accurately and effectively both receptively and expressively.

Introduction to Demand-Control Schema - Amanda Smith

This workshop will focus on introducing the demand-control schema constructs to working interpreters and pre-professionals. Once establishing the basics, the participants will be led through various activities that will apply the schema to their everyday work whether that be interpreting, developing interpreting skills, or mentoring.