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Download the draft report on sign language interpreter training programmes >>>here

efsli Trainers' Seminar 2012 website

Download the report about efsliT 2010 >>>here.

13 September 2012: efsli Deaf Interpreter working seminar, Austria

14 - 16 September 2012: efsli AGM & Conference, Austria

17 - 19 September 2012: efsli Trainers' Seminar, Graz, Austria

27 & 28 February 2013: efsli Working Seminar III, Dublin, Ireland

Trainers

efsli Trainers’ Seminar 2012

17 - 19 September 2012

The Department of Translation Studies at the University of Graz is honoured to host the efsli Trainers’ Seminar from 17-19 September 2012: Sign Language Interpreter Training: An Integrated Approach.

The efsli Trainers’ Seminar aims at establishing an exchange of information for all professionals involved in sign language interpreter training, and initiating a discussion process on new and innovative approaches to the training of sign language interpreters. As the Department of Translation Studies at the University of Graz is a training institution for both spoken and signed language interpreters offering courses for community, conference, liaison, and court interpreting, the Seminar will focus on the question of mutual benefits in curriculum planning and teaching methodology: an integrated approach.

The symposium will provide plenary papers as well as workshops on a selected set of topics.

Registration

Registration for the efsli Trainers' seminar in Graz is now open.

To register, please follow this link: http://itat2.uni-graz.at/pub/formular/efsli-reg/

Call for papers

Experts who might be interested in giving a plenary paper or leading a workshop at the Seminar are invited to submit a suggestion for a topic (title and 200-300 word abstract). Proposals should be sent by 31 January 2012 to: itat@uni-graz.at (Subject: efsli Seminar).
Registration for participation will start in February 2012.

Download call for papers

Languages

The working languages during the seminar are English and International Sign. Participants are welcome to bring their own working interpreters. Please do not forget to provide their names to efsli. Extra costs will apply. Further information: Lourdes Calle, lourdes.calle @ efsli.org.

Nadja Grbic
Acting Head of Department
http://www.uni-graz.at/itat/

efsli Trainers' Seminar 2010

29 - 30 October in Helsinki, Finland

‘Mission Impossible? Sign to Voice Interpreting’

The efsli trainers’ seminar was hosted by Diak University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. The efsli trainers’ seminars are held every two year and they are unique events for trainers across Europe to meet and exchange training developments.

Participants
Nearly 50 trainers, interpreters, and researchers from across Europe: Belgium (Flanders), Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, UK.

Topic
The topic of the seminar was “Voicing – a mission impossible?”. Feedback from consumers seems to be the same across Europe: interpreters seem to cope (well ) with voice to sign interpreting but their skills in sign to voice interpreting leave a lot to be desired. In the seminar the presenters and participants aimed to find new approaches to train interpreters in sign to voice. Involving the following subjects:

Why do interpreters struggle with sign to voice interpreting?
Do we create this struggle in our interpreter training programmes?
What skills do we need to teach students to be successful sign to voice interpreters?
How can we change the current state of affairs or can we?
What kind of means and methods can we apply to better teach voicing?
What kind of tools can we offer our students to work on their voicing skills during and after their education?

Presenters
Keynote speaker Beppie van den Bogaerde, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, gave in her keynote presentation an overview of the research and findings up till date and put questions forward to the audience. The other presenters were from educational programmes from Norway, Belgium (Flanders), and Finland. The one and a half day programme consisted of plenary presentations and interactive workshops.

efsli representation
Marinella Salami, head of the efsli training department, and Maya de Wit, efsli president, held a presentation on the possibilities of future cooperation between all the educational programmes in Europe.

Best practices
Prior to the seminar the hosting institution Diak held a survey collecting all best practices from across Europe on the seminar’s topic. These results were also presented during the seminar to inform the participants of the current status in Europe.
Summary of keys to success:

First the language, then interpreting
Good, experiences, professional trainer team
Include deaf trainers widely
Enough resources
Work life connections
Keep up with the latest research
Exercise, practicum, real life situations, role play

Conclusion
At the end of the seminar the following recommendations were proposed and approved by the participants:
Research:

Creating an overview of good practices by starting collaborative research and sharing these results
Survey of participating programmes across Europe
Encourage research by collaborative projects
Investigate the possibility of EU funding for further seminars and projects

Training materials:

Not language teaching from the start of the programme, but language immersion
Using a theoretical model as inspiration to practice
Exchange and develop training material
Exchange knowledge and skills

Sharing and exchanging:

Establishing an online sharing point for trainers: investigate if this is possible within the efsli website

Future seminar:

More workshops: interactive, smaller groups
Send material to participants prior to the workshop in order to do benefit most during the seminar
More time for discussions