CISLI had a brilliant ‘Summer Camp’ last night for upcoming interpreting students studying in the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin.
Presentations were given on:
In the video above, you can meet five of our new interpreters-to-be waiting on their exam results… Good luck, guys! 😀
NEW DATE CONFIRMED!
Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with CISLI have confirmed a new date for the “Palliative Care for Interpreters” session, delivered by Regina McQuillan:
Sat May 26th 11am – 1pm
SLIS_IRIS offices
*Free for CISLI members*
Limited spaces! Email cislitraining@gmail.com.
“Interpreting in workplace settings”
April 22nd 10am – 4pm
ISL interpreters will be provided. It’s a free event not to be missed!
This is a very limited event with only 16 places so reserve your place by emailing cislitraining@gmail.com before the 16th of April to avoid disappointment!
Dear Members,
Our proposed General Meeting in Dublin, originally announced for the 6th / 7th April, has been postponed.
The new dates are now:
Please note: members do not have to attend both meetings – this is simply to facilitate as many people as possible to attend and give their views.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the upcoming CISLI Strategy, 2019-2022. We will be emailing a draft version of this document to all members very soon.
We’d appreciate letting us know at cisli.ireland@gmail.com if you can attend, and if so, which day (or both!)
Regards
Committee, CISLI
We are greatly saddened at the news of the passing of one of our founder members and long-standing colleagues in the interpreting profession, Evelyn Conroy (née Nolan).
Evelyn was a hugely talented, inspirational and energetic practitioner and trainer. She was one of the graduates of the very first university-level training course for sign language interpreters in Ireland, organised by the Irish Deaf Society, Trinity College Dublin and Bristol University, and one of the pioneers of the ISL / English interpreting profession. She was a former Chairperson of the Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (IASLI) and later, a member of the steering committee established in 2010 to oversee the establishment of a new professional body, which became CISLI.
A Dublin native, Evelyn relocated to Galway and with her husband Martin Conroy, established the Conroy School of ISL, which became the Centre for Sign Language Studies in 2001. CSL offered an interpreter booking service, ISL classes, and Signature Level 6 and 7 qualifications in ISL and interpreting. The ISL Interpreting agency now continues the work of CSL’s interpreter booking services, run by Evelyn’s sister Susan McCormack.
Evelyn offered CPD and training to practitioners in a wide range of topics over the years, including legal, medical and religious interpreting, translation and cultural aspects, and was a published author on sociolinguistics of signed languages. With Patrick Matthews and the Cork Deaf Association, she set up a weekend pre-interpreting course in Cork in 2002 for aspiring interpreters and other interested persons, which many current interpreters will have fond memories of attending.
Evelyn was a well-known and well-loved figure in the Deaf community, particularly in local area of Galway, and a trailblazer in the field – certainly in terms of CSL’s work in the west of Ireland. She was supportive and approachable, and a mentor to many interpreters and students. A tremendously reflective practitioner, she loved the challenge of making bold new ideas into reality. She was also a warm and funny woman who brought that warmth into everything she did. Those of us who knew her were hugely saddened to hear of her illness and inspired by her courage and energy in fighting it.
We send our sympathies to her husband Martin, her three girls, her sister Susan, her family and friends, and all who knew her.
Rest in Peace.
The Centre for Deaf Studies in collaboration with CISLI will host a talk on ‘Palliative Care’ for interpreters, delivered by Regina Mc Quillian.
Free entry for CISLI members (join here!).
Date: Saturday March 3rd, from 11am – 1pm.
Location: Sign Language Interpreting Service, Deaf Village Ireland, Ratoath Rd, Cabra, Dublin 7
Click Here for our Facebook event page for the training.
Dr Regina McQuillan is a palliative medicine consultant at St Francis Hospice and Beaumont Hospital. St Francis Hospice is the specialist palliative care service for North Dublin. The catchment population is 580,000 and last year they provided care for 1,600 people with life-limiting illnesses. Most of this care is provided in people’s homes. Regina is interested in social inclusion and providing care for disadvantaged groups and has done work to support caring for people with limited English proficiency, travellers, homeless people and also people who are deaf, or who have acquired hearing loss.
The Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters want to echo the congratulations and good wishes that have been seen over the last few days as the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill approaches the final stages in the Dáil and Seanad before passing into law.
The Irish Deaf Society (and particularly Dr John Bosco Conama and Lianne Quigley) have put unstinting, passionate work into this campaign over the decades, and the passage of the Bill is testimony to that work. The last few years have seen an acceleration of this work and its coming to fruition, with the establishment of their cross-community steering group and engagement with Senator Mark Daly. This is a Deaf-led piece of legislation that begins to address the needs and desires of the Deaf community as regards its language, Irish Sign Language. Huge thanks are also due to Senator Mark Daly for his initial sponsoring of the Bill, his parliamentary know-how, passion, and dedication to the process over the last few years.
CISLI, as a partner organisation to the IDS and as the professional body with expertise on interpreting, have been very privileged to be involved in this process and to sit at the negotiating table on several occasions in the lead-up to this moment. We have worked hard to ensure that the views and concerns of practitioners have been heard at that table, and that developments have been communicated back to our members. We are pleased at the major steps forward taken in the legislation towards a national framework within which ISL / English interpreting will operate. We know that the interpreting community will benefit hugely from the Bill, also, and we appreciate the steps taken by all involved to assist in our gradual professionalisation. This will do so much to promote interpreting as a career choice, and hopefully will go towards addressing some of the issues around supply of interpreters. Above all, this Bill guarantees access for Deaf citizens to essential statutory services through quality, professional ISL / English interpretation.
We thank CISLI representatives who have represented us in this process. Particular thanks go to the interpreters who worked tirelessly at the various meetings, briefings, and negotiations in the lead up to this historic moment. We extend our thanks also to supporters such as Prof Lorraine Leeson and the staff of the Centre for Deaf Studies, Willie White in the Kerry Deaf Resource Centre, the Cork Deaf Club (especially Graham O’Shea), John Stewart and Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS), the Cork Deaf Association, Andrew Geary, DeafHear, and all others who were involved.
It’s an amazing time to be involved in the Deaf community. We are once again grateful to the Deaf community for allowing us to be involved so intimately with you all in our work and our lives, sharing your wonderful, beautiful language with us, and giving us the gift of working with ISL in our professional careers.
ENDS
Our Policy and Strategy Committee has recently regrouped and set ourselves a task for 2018: to draft a three-year Strategic Plan for the organisation, in consultation with members and the main Committee.
We will begin work in January, creating a draft that will be accessible to all members. We hope to use the upcoming Dublin General Meeting to further consult and amend the document, before we finalise it prior to the AGM in the summertime.
Once the membership has approved the Strategy, it will become the guide for the organisation in its dealings with external bodies and in its internal focus.
More info very soon!
Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters 