NAJIT Academy Webinar: Unringing the Bell: can interpreters unknow what they already know?

Unringing the Bell: can interpreters unknow what they already know?

This is an interactive webinar with three presenters, two ASL interpreters--Austin Andrews and Carie Barrett--and one spoken language interpreter--Janis Palma--, who will explore the different roles and functions of sign and spoken language interpreters in legal settings, and the concept of "bleed", or how prior knowledge from an interpreting event may or may not interfere with a subsequent interpreting event. The webinar will include breakout sessions in which attendees will explore the concepts addressed by the presenters: (1) how are sign and spoken language interpreter functions the same or different in legal settings? (2) Should interpreters have different functions and therefore compartmentalized access to information in each case, or not? (3) Does prior knowledge of facts in a case affect how the working memory of an interpreter processes and renders the SL message? Presenters will use empirical observations as well as legal frameworks and research components to present the arguments in favor and against long standing practices for sign and spoken language interpreters, for the purpose of initiating a conversation that helps us learn about and from each other.