The CISLI Training Sub-Committee are delighted to bring you our new training calendar. We have been busy planning events following the June to June calendar. See below for dates to put in your diaries so far:
Tuesday 19th September 2017: A Practical Guide to Self Employment : Panel Discussion
Thursday 30th November 2017: Information Evening, Topic TBC
Saturday 27th January 2017: “The Big One” CISLI CPD Training Day Limerick (Joint Day provided by CISLI and SLIS)
Sunday 22nd April 2017: Workshop, Topic TBC
In addition to this, we will be working closely with CDS, SLIS, and other CPD providers to make sure that everyone has the dates as far in advance as possible and we will be sharing them with you also on our calendar.
The calendar can be accessed here (no need for Gmail or Google accounts – anyone can see it). Click on the top right hand tab “Agenda” and search for more dates if you want to see a list view.
We think this calendar, (which will be available on Facebook, Twitter and the website soon) will be a valuable shared resource for all interpreters. We will do our best to keep it as up to date as possible, but with limited time and resources this will be tough. If you come across any events or anything that you think other interpreters would be interested in please pop us an email and we will add it in to the calendar.
Each event will be advertised individually too so keep an eye out for more information coming really soon!
IDS Chief Executive Eddie Redmond, IDS Chairperson LianneQuigley, CISLI Chairperson Cormac Leonard
CISLI were fortunate to be able to reaffirm their partnership with Ireland’s national Deaf representative body, the Irish Deaf Society, this week in a meeting with their CEO and Chairperson.
Several issues were discussed in relation to CISLI-IDS cooperation, including the announcement that Wendy Murray has been appointed as one of the new IDS representatives, with another to be decided very soon.
At this crucial time for the ISL Bill, CISLI reaffirmed its support for the Bill and the IDS. Both organisation pledged to communicate and coordinate even more effectively in future for the mutual benefit of the Deaf community and ISL / English interpreters.
The 2011 Joint Statement of IDS and CISLI will be revisited and used as a basis for future partnership. In this, we hope to mirror other levels of partnership in the Deaf world – at global level between WFD and WASLI, and at European level between the EUD and EFSLI.
While our AGM today was productive, we have decided to postpone voting and discussion on our two proposed Motions.
it was raised during the AGM whether it would be appropriate to discuss and vote on such motions, particularly Motion 2 (relating to the Board of Evaluators of Interpreting), without IDS representatives being present.
As CISLI is currently without IDS representation, and had been due to meet IDS to discuss same, it has been decided that an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will be held, after meeting with the IDS to clarify this and other matters, and after one CISLI Committee meeting has been held.
We will keep members informed of developments and the date of the upcoming EGM. Thank you for your patience and support.
We had a very productive meeting in relation to the ISL Bill, and following the meeting, a short Briefing Note was produced for use in the campaign and in lobbying local TDs and Senators. We would ask that CISLI members and interpreters use this briefing note and communicate with Senators (especially Fine Gael, Labour and Independents) and ask them to support the ISL Bill! A list of senators can be found here.
We will continue to fight for ISL recognition alongside our partner organisations, under the direction of the campaign leader the Irish Deaf Society, and will feed back whenever we can! Please help out by contacting your local and national political representatives!
CISLI’s Training Sub-Committee asked Cormac Leonard to present on his PhD research in a talk entitled “Interpreters and Deaf People in Irish Courts, 1816 – 1924” last night. Following this presentation, our General Meeting was held, where several points were discussed and agreed. In particular there was a need identified for interpreters to discuss and understand the contents and implications of the ISL Bill. Much momentum and enthusiasm was generated, and we even got some new volunteers for our Sub-Committees!
Thanks to all who attended. Thanks also to the Centre for Deaf Studies for use of the room, and to Lisa Harvey for photos.
We would like to thank Tracey Daly and Aoife Blake for joining our Training Sub-Committee! Members of this sub-Committee are now: (as of 6th March 2017)
UPATE: A reply to CISLI’s statement that came from Ross Browne in Facebook:
Hi. I read the article and it was never my intention the undermine. Accents are common place in comedy, from local to worldwide and are not racist unless the intent or joke itself is racist. I’ve been speaking to a lot of people over the past two days both deaf and interpreters who saw the funny side. By playing different characters my view is comedy should be inclusive and it is as long as the joke isn’t aimed at the people you are portraying. The target was Enda. I’d love to offer in any way to help highlight the struggles to get ISL mote recognised by the government and would gladly do anything I can to help.
CISLI’s response to Ross Browne:
Dear Ross. Many thanks for your willingness to engage with CISLI, interpreters and Deaf people as a result of the discussions over the last few days. It is encouraging to see your interest in the status of ISL and the difficulties Deaf people face as a result of its non-recognition. We are always here if you need to clarify anything on this front. It is especially welcome that you intend to have a professional interpreter at your next show – we are sure Deaf audience members will love it. We are happy to point the way to bodies like the Irish Deaf Society, who will be able to provide you with information and awareness about Deaf people and their culture. We do appreciate your response and thank you for your prompt and polite manner in talking to us.
PRESS RELEASE
It is with a mixture of disappointment, and faint amusement, that the Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters (CISLI) greets the latest ‘fake interpreter’ episode – this time, comedian Ross Browne ‘interpreting’ for Enda Kenny at a conference in Cork, performing rude gestures in his direction.
It has been made clear that Ross Browne was not, of course, booked to interpret for this event, and did not purport to. CISLI understands the premise of using platforms such as these for purposes of social and political activism. However, it is disheartening to see this tactic used in such a way as to undermine professional sign language interpreters, Deaf people, and Irish Sign Language.
CISLI gets the joke, but this does not remove the offence felt by both professional interpreters and Deaf people. Regardless of the intention of the stunt, the message was delivered by poking fun at sign language. Presumably, in his comedy act, Ross Browne would not perform stereotypical accents of ethnic minorities. One wonders as to why the same form of ridicule is propagated against Deaf people – regardless of intent. ISL is a complex, rich, beautiful and historical language of the Deaf community in Ireland. It deserves better than the easy mockery of a viral prank. We hope the progress of the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016, currently before the Seanad, will not be affected by this comedic dig at the language of Deaf people.
The blatant impersonation of a working interpreter in this case also mocks the emerging profession of sign language interpreting, and possibly casts doubt on our status as professional, impartial language experts. It draws attention to the lack of regulation in our profession. Questions must be asked about the sheer length of time it took for organisers to notice a clearly unqualified person pretending to be an interpreter. This is compounded by the fact that, according to the Cork Deaf Club, a professional interpreter was actually requested for the event by Deaf people – and this request was not fulfilled. Yet this exclusion and marginalisation was not the news story that emerged from the event.
One positive note is that people are talking again about the importance of registration for interpreters, a subject dear to the hearts of ISL professionals. We look forward to the day when Irish Sign Language, along with the Deaf community who live and breathe life into it, and the professionals who provide access through it, are equally respected. We hope that in time, stunts like Browne’s will be considered beneath any performer.
A slightly belated Happy New Year from the CISLI Committee! We hope you had a relaxing holiday period and that the New Year isn’t too busy so far!
January has already seen very encouraging moves on the Irish Sign Language Bill, moving to Committee stage in the Seanad very soon, with the IDS asking Deaf people to send submissions. We have also been urging CISLI members to give us feedback and their own thoughts on the Bill’s provisions on interpreting services. This is a landmark piece of potential legislation, and will affect every interpreter if it is passed.
To this end, we met with the IDS, SLIS, and the Centre for Deaf Studies on 20 January, and we began to explore the common ground the four organisations have on recognition of ISL and other related issues. CISLI was careful to stress the need for
strong interpreter representation in decision-making at any interpreter registration body proposed
the importance of assessment of interpreters for higher-level domains being included eventually into any registration programme
We also made clear that the issues go beyond just having a large enough pool of interpreters. How interpreting work is procured, supplied, structured, allocated and paid for, are also vital components of a stable interpreting profession, and cannot be ignored in the event of any recognition of ISL.
Our Chairperson also met with John Stewart of SLIS on the 10th January to further discuss SLIS’ proposed Voluntary Registration for interpreters, as well as the CDS Report commissioned by SLIS and in relation to the registration processes for interpreters in other countries. CISLI have been clear in pointing out the need for any such registration to function across all agencies, for registrants to be members of professional associations like CISLI, and other key points.
These are rapid developments on interpreter registration, by well-funded bodies with far above the operational capacity of CISLI. This means that the future of the currently defunct Board of Evaluators of Interpreting (BEI) project may need to be considered carefully by CISLI. However, CISLI’s core principles attached to that project will remain at the heart of the organisation, even if the concrete form in which those principles eventually take shape may not be the exact body we previously envisaged. These principles include:
partnership with the Irish Deaf Society in any new interpreting policy ventures
assessment for higher level interpreting domains
full consultation with interpreters before any new registration or licensing system is begun
the importance of structured professional mentoring for new interpreters
a robust and transparent mechanism for handling grievances in relation to interpreting assignments
international cooperation and following documented best practice
an active and constructive relationship with the Centre for Deaf Studies
We are currently developing a CISLI Strategy, an important document that will set out our core beliefs, aims and objectives for the short and medium term. More on this as it develops.
We have been shocked – but not entirely surprised – at the results of recent research into the income of interpreters. Seeing the average full-time income of a sign language interpreter just marginally above the average starting salary of an Irish graduate is sobering. This reflects not just the lack of value society places on professional interpreting, but also the lack of value they place in Irish Sign Language, and indeed, communication between Deaf and hearing people. If we cannot provide a stable, well-paid career for sign language professionals – Deaf and hearing – how can we expect people to stay interpreters? CISLI will continue to campaign for those working as interpreters, and do our utmost to help increase retention of people in the field. We will seek improved working conditions on all fronts so that interpreters are motivated to stay in the profession as long as they can.
We would just like to take the opportunity to thank Senan Dunne, IDS representative, for his work with CISLI. He is stepping down from the position. Senan’s work for CISLI has been hugely valuable and he will be missed. We will let you know of the two new IDS reps on CISLI as soon as we can.
We have also had a busy year with our Sub-Committees. Take a look!
Occupational Health and Safety Sub-Committee: The Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Committee plan to draw up a Health & Safety Policy and to obtain an industry standard. From the past number of months, the subcommittee has gathered information from other established organizations around the world to identify what health and safety standards are present in other countries. Our research aims to see what are the standard practices for interpreters’ signing duration and what adequate breaks are provided. Incorporating all of this information the OHS committee will draw up a Health & Safety policy document on behalf of CISLI, to work towards developing an industry standard in Ireland with the hope that interpreting agencies in Ireland would abide by the same standards. Additionally, we are currently consulting with physical therapist Rory O’ Donnell who is assisting in researching repetitive strain injury (RSI). This will be combined with CISLI’s policy document. While this document is focus on interpreting standards, the importance of ‘eye breaks’ for Deaf people must also be taken into consideration. We are hoping to have the draft document ready in the coming month, which will be shared with the general public. Anthony Claffey
Training Sub-Committee: In the past 6 months, we have organised two events, one a workshop and the other an evening information session (followed by a social gathering). Both events were well attended by both active and associate members. As per our terms of reference the event in October was held outside of Dublin and was facilitated in the Deaf Centre in Limerick. The training was for Deaf and Hearing Interpreters and focused on how to best work together. Led by Teresa Lynch and Frankie Berry, participants (29 in total) were first introduced to Teresa’s thesis research and then the afternoon was spent in a very interactive role play scenario. Many people who work in roles not traditionally assumed to be Deaf Interpreting roles were invited to join us on the day and became associate members. They all realised that while they do not view themselves as Deaf Interpreters in their full time work they are indeed acting in an Interpreting capacity at times and would benefit from attending more training in the future. The feedback from the event overall was very positive, members felt that the introduction to Deafhood given by Teresa was fascinating and the afternoon role plays were beneficial for both the experienced and inexperienced alike.
The second event was held in the CDS in December. It was and quick fire information session with two presenters. We are hoping these information sessions will become a bi-monthly event. The aim is to update members on any relevant research or findings that are relevant to the profession. Again this event was very well attended (approx 25-30 attendees). Caroline McGrotty presented on her thesis research in relation to Deaf people’s experience of using and accessing interpreters in 3rd Level education. Dr John Bosco Conama then followed with a presentation on the ISL recognition bill and what it may mean for interpreters. Both presentations were well received and members felt the value in having these quick-fire information sessions to keep them up to date with developments in both our profession and the community we work with. Following on from that the CISLI committee organised a pre-Christmas / December social night which was also well attended.
At the end of 2016 beginning of 2017 unfortunately two of our committee had to step down. Cormac and Mary both gave us valuable insight and support as part of the team and they will be missed greatly. As the committee is now made up of 4 but only 2 being active members we are hoping to recruits one more person to join us and help us to shape a valuable 2017 for all the members. It is envisaged that we will have our next information evening in February followed by a training event in March which will coincide with the CISLI GM. We are currently consulting with members to ascertain their training needs and also their areas of interest for the evening sessions. Lisa Harvey
Grievance Procedure Research Sub-Committee: The CISLI committee identified a need to investigate the process of some type of complaint procedure and in order to accomplish that they asked for a research sub-committee to be set up. There are two CISLI committee members on the sub-committee (Pauline Mc Mahon and Frankie Berry), as well an active member (Lisa Harvey), and two outside consultants (Joanne Chester and Caroline Mc Grotty) on the sub-committee. The subcommittee is not there for setting up a complaints procedure but rather it is to investigate what is best practice worldwide, to correlate that information and to hand that back to the CISLI committee. In gathering that information, local (Irish), sign and spoken language agencies will be contacted and asked for their company’s grievance/complaints procedure. The sub-committee had their first meeting just before Christmas to set out a plan of action and to agree on Terms of Reference. The sub-committee will meet again in February/March 2017. All members of the committee work full time and are involved in many other projects and committees for both personal and connected to work. This will not be a quick process but is on the way. Pauline McMahon
We have a General Meeting for all CISLI members in Dublin on Thursday evening 23 March, and we hope to have a training event in Dublin that same week – possibly Saturday. Please watch this space. Keep an eye on your email, the CISLI Facebook page, our website, and the ISL interpreter WhatsApp group for more information!
Regards
_____________ Committee Council of Sign Language Interpreters
As part of CISLI’s Training Sub-Committee plans for 2017, please find below the link to a survey we would ask all interpreters to fill out.
The results of the first few questions will be compared to a similar survey carried out a few years ago by CISLI in order to track the changing landscape our profession.
The latter questions focus in on the Training Sub-Committee, and their promise to provide training and information seminars that are relevant and requested.
Your views are really important to us as we embark on our training and information session planning for 2017, so please take this opportunity to have your say.
The survey is only ten questions long so should only take a couple of minutes to complete, and is of course anonymous.
In addition to the survey we are also asking if any of you are willing to present at one of our information evenings or indeed facilitate one of the CPD workshops please feel free to contact me directly. (contact details below)
I look forward to gathering all the responses, and working with the rest of the committee to formulate a plan for the coming year.
Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters 