Introducing Cover Versions in Kenyan Sign Language (KSL)

Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) is a very expressive language. Songs in sign language are therefore equally expressive and many times are more expressive than their purely vocal versions. I was first introduces to this concept while a student and intern interpreter at DOOR Africa then located in Limuru, Kenya.

Since then I have interpreted hundred of songs in private and in public for various audiences. On many occasions I have been encouraged to make these into video formats and make a compilation for the songs - I must admit that I have overthought the idea and many times procrastinated the initialization of this idea. I have wanted to have a crew and do perfect videos, make money while entertaining using signed songs. The perfectionist in me, wanted perfect videos and broadcast quality......Besides I have had my own personal insecurities of how I would be judged or criticized and compared with other performers or put on the spotlight. 

Over the years I have had dreams of playlists, mixx tapes/crates of the perfect start and how it will all unfold - I have a liking towards Bongo flavor, R&B and Gospel songs however I have been stretched over the years to interpret Rock, Reggae and even local songs. I may not do all the songs I have wanted since time and space may over take them BUT I am starting.....rough.....raw and spontaneous as they come.

 

My dear friends who have enjoyed the interpreted songs in my home, church, conferences and clubs I have valued and taken to heart the nudge to make videos and materialize this idea. I am mostly grateful to my friends Faith and Buddy Eldridge to whom I am eternally grateful for their support and push to do these videos in the past few months. There have been other contributors to this Eva my friend and neighbor in Langata, Silvia, Grace, Liz, Raphael, Gideon, and Peninah for sharing the stage at various events and interpreting together, the mentees and mentors from KSLIA for your encouragement and positive comments for making this dream alive.

The cover versions will take various forms and shapes - keep watching and reading here for more....

Looking forward to your comments

Ni Mungu Pekee

Only God

peace

Long Break is Over - Back to Blogging

What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat,’…. And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come. – Maya Angelou

I am comforted that I am not alone in going on a hiatus.....coming back...here are some of the ideas I would like to change in the upcoming blogs.

1. more topical blog topics 
2. video blogs 
3. accessibility issues 

I promise it will not be typing only but writing.

Welcome

follow me on Twitter = @owitie

  

Fake Interpreter Lessons for Interpreters and their Clients

One Professor Graham Turner summarizes the lessons perfectly here and I would love for my Kenyan audience to read and learn some lessons that would help our own situations. I have added my own observations in italics for contextualization. 

As the world said goodbye to former South African president Nelson Mandela at the Dec. 9 memorial service, attention turned to the sign language interpreter, who was incoherently signing at the event. Immediately there was uproar from the South African Deaf and Interpreter community. Quickly the #FakeInterpreter was all over the internet with many making jokes about it, others criticizing, admonishing while other bowed in shame due to the embarrassment the episode stirred across the globe. 

It’s pretty clear that we haven’t seen the last of this story. But what is its real significance? Here are ten lessons for the world from The Tale of the Fake Interpreter.

1. Using a sign language fluently is not something one can do just by waving one’s hands around. Sign languages are grammatically-structured, rule-governed systems like all other natural human languages. You can’t produce meaningful signing off the cuff and – equally importantly – you can’t understand it spontaneously just by looking. To get the message across the signer has to be appropriately dress especially if they are on camera, the lighting, background and colors matter a lot to the recipients. The facial expressions, the body movements, hand formations (handforms, handshapes) do carry meaning too. 

2. If you can’t sign, but require interpreting, you need reliable processes to help you identify effective provision. Interpreting isn’t a game: it should be run on a professional basis. This time, we saw a spectacular insult to the world’s Deaf people: but no-one died. Worldwide, every day, the result of inadequate interpreting leads to poor schooling, imprisonment, unemployment and health disparities; inaccurate information. This has led to stereotyping in Kenya, recently I was shocked when a senior politician in reference to the Deaf said "...what will they bring to our party? they take long to express themselves.." The same can be said about the Kenyan schooling system that labels the Deaf as slow learners, under achievers thus relegating the Deaf to vocational training rather than empowering them to be the best that they can be.This must stop. 

3. Without proper training, screening and regulation, people can and will take advantage. Even in countries like the UK, where sign language interpreting has become increasingly professionalised since the 1980s, smooth operators (who can talk the talk but not sign the sign) are legion. If you can’t sign, they may appear wholly plausible and be wholly bogus. Don’t guess and you won’t be fooled. So far we in Kenya are lagging behind, we have several Sign Language trainers though it is done in a non professional coordinated way - this is despite the schooling system having Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) as a school subject and examined topic there exists a KSL curriculum, KSL exam for both primary school and O' level - these are good developments but there needs to be more efforts towards standardization of how KSL is taught and examined, a proper training system for interpreters - currently there is no proper training program for interpreters. Second to this there needs to be a screening and regulatory body for the interpreters. This development will bring about the desired professionalism so much required in this field.

4. This episode is just the high-visibility version of the con-men who pretend to be poor Deaf people in order to extort money by begging on the streets.It’s an age-old phenomenon in a new guise, taking advantage of public authorities’ need to present a politically correct face. They think they’ll get away with it because no-one who can do anything about it will notice or complain. The worst is as they say in Swahili "Asiye funzwa na mamake hufunzwa na ulimwengu"  - He who is not schooled by the mother will be schooled by the world - negative publicity not good for anyone's career.

5. They’re right: hearing people can’t tell they’re lying, and Deaf people’s complaints – about this and anything else – are too often ignored. This, too, must end. Here in Kenya we had Deaf people complain about the parliamentary proceedings interpreter. It took a while, several letters, face-to-face meetings and a collaborative effort between the KNAD, Interpreters, National broadcaster and parliament officials to resolve the issue. Today we have at least four fluent signers on the screen. As you read this there are murmurs and complaints about the KTN News interpretation. 

Hang on, though: that’s only five lessons?!

Here are five more: but beware – these are conclusions some will find easy to reach, but which should be resisted.

6. ‘Always trust Deaf people to tell you who is a good interpreter.’ Not so fast. Deaf people know fluent signing when they see it and they know who they respect and trust – and these are vital. But when it comes to recognising that someone is appropriately representing meaning, you have to be able to access both languages. You can’t tell whether output matches input unless both are available to you. 

7. ‘There’s too much to lose in booking the wrong interpreter, so let’s stop using them.’ For all the risks – and they’re very real – the life prospects of Deaf people have plainly been enhanced via good interpreting services. The Deaf Finnish leader, Liisa Kauppinen, received the 2013 United Nations Human Rights Award Prize on the day of Mandela’s memorial service: her achievements would have been impossible without top-notch interpreting. But crucially, quality counts – cosmetic interpreting that’s just for show is destructive.

8. ‘Sign language interpreters cannot be trusted’. Untrue: but not everyone who claims to be an interpreter should be taken seriously. What matters is having robust and reliable ways of distinguishing the real diamonds from the plastic forgeries.

9. ‘After this outcry, public awareness and recognition of sign languages is assured.’ Hang on! Don’t start getting complacent just yet. The sudden global focus presents a real opportunity to push home the demand for change, and to raise standards everywhere: but it won’t happen by itself. Here in Scotland, a British Sign Language Bill is due to go to Parliament in 2014 – all Scots who value signing should put their shoulders to the wheel and keep on pushing. The same is true worldwide. Here in Kenya we got our Kenyan Sign Language recognized by the new Constitution, we are yet to finalize the Language Policy...this outcry should be our stepping stone to even a stronger advocacy for greater involvement, greater participation of the Deaf Kenyans in their own affairs and those that improve the quality of life. 

10. ‘It could never happen here.’ Sadly, whilst out-and-out frauds like this may be rare, any Deaf person can tell you that there are hordes of ‘unconsciously incompetent’ signers out there making a living by accepting interpreting work that is way beyond their capability. It’s true all around the globe. What’s worse, it happens under the noses of the authorities, who pay the bills without caring enough to take responsibility for standards. We must make them care. As you may recall during the March 2013 elections the Deaf in Kenya complained of the interpreter at the election tally center however the Electoral Commission did not respond favorably, currently there are moments when Deaf people have stopped an interpreter in the middle of a session or meeting due to quality issues....my question to KTN and the rest do you care enough to stop the injustice?  

Thamsanqa Dyantyi happens to be South African, but the issues he has highlighted are global. Nelson Mandela’s death has lit an unexpected spark: and as Mandela himself said, “The time is always ripe to do right”.

My thanks and appreciation to Professor Graham Turner who is the Chair of Translation & Interpreting Studies at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. He leads the team now running the first ever degree course in BSL in Scotland.

Read more: http://limpingchicken.com/2013/12/13/10-lessons-fake-terp/#comments
http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/saturday-night-live-nelson-mandela-memorial-sign-language-interpreter-watch-the-video-20131512#ixzz2ndidTubW
Follow us: @usweekly on Twitter | usweekly on Facebook

My two cents to KTN and Standard Media Group

My two cents to KTN and Standard Media Group

Feedback on the Sign Language News casting Initiative

First and foremost the initiative is commendable, it is a second time KTN has initiated an inclusive approach to its news programming. Signed News in the 1990s was a breath of fresh air for the Deaf community, in those days they had to wait for parliamentary debates and Joy Bringers on KBC to enjoy news in native Kenyan Sign Language. The past week has been a welcome relief, with news in Kenyan Sign Language at prime time; however there has been several issues come up over the week. According to both researchers and interpreters, interpreting for live TV broadcasts is almost unanimously regarded as more stressful than other forms of interpreting (Strolz 1997; Kurz 2002), the main reason being that interpreting for a mass audience entails a much bigger exposure in case of failure than the one felt in conventional conference settings.

This article will mention the issues and offer some steps to get us to the full accessibility cliché.

1. Now to the issue of KTN initiative, first the inner politics is that the interpreters stole the idea from some Deaf young people who wanted to approach the media houses including KTN. This is an ethical issue, it reflects on the conduct of the individual and taints the interpreters in and within the Deaf community. Interpreters are neutral non biase professional who serve as facilitators of communication between the hearing (speaking) and the Deaf. Interpreters do not work for, on behalf of the Deaf community, they work along side, with the Deaf – not helping or speaking for but as professionals. Be that as it may, the initiative is a bold step towards accessibility.
2. Selection and use of interpreters – it is a myth that there are few interpreters, qualified and ready to work on television. (here is a list of 100) There are interpreters all over Kenya, however they were trained, qualified – the key is to use the Deaf Kenyans themselves to validate, clarify and know who is best suited to interpret on television. There exists standards and criteria to select and eliminate those who can and can not offer the best services. The basic criteria would be judging individuals against Code of Ethics – this would eliminate at least half, then professional experience like number of hours worked under similar experiences, borrowing from other interpreters of Spanish or French and use those standards in the absence of signed language standards. (read how to work with interpreters)
3. The small box has reduced considerably in one week it has moved from a 6X6 to a mere 2X3 inches. If yu were to sit and look at that small box for an hour, your eyes will pain and you will be having a pounding headache. It is not standard to have the box that small – the argument as it has been over time even during the presidential debate was all for aesthetic reasons – too crowded, distraction or unclean just the graphics and producers not understanding the nature and characteristics of signed languages and the usage.
4. Continuation from the point above Signed Languages have a visual nature, it is often misunderstood that the Deaf are fully satisfied by seeing the hands only. The following are some features that make sign language different from the other languages.

• Facial Expression – frowns, lifted eye brows, puffed cheeks or slight grin or smile among other facial expressions are part of signed languages. They complete the sentences or add meaning to expressions. With a squeezed image on a caption or box all these attributes are lost. In turn you have a block of a human figure moving their hands yet their face is dark or hidden with lots and lots of meaningful expressions that the viewer is denied.
• Placement – the upper torso of the human form is the story board of any sign language user. It is the area where people, events and things are placed for sequence and easy locating or moving as the story unfolds. With a squeezed signing area it is difficult to place items of news in a logical and sequential order.
• Shoulder shifts – these are movements to differentiate speakers especially when you have multiple individuals talking or debating. Again with a squeezed screen space it is impossible to enjoy the flexibility and dynamism that signed languages have to offer.
• Movement – similar to placement, this feature of signed languages enable the users of signed languages the opportunity to showcase a story line and progression in a space that enable clarity.
• Handforms and Shapes – the foundation of all signed languages is the existence of forms and shapes these carry meaning much like the words that we speak. Proper lighting and color blend of background, clothes of the interpreters enable the viewers users of signed languages see the words and enjoy the news interpreted.

5. Worldwide there have been researches done to ascertain the interpreter burn out rates. These studies have shown that it is good to have interpreter change over after a 20 minute duration. This change over gives the interpreters. The human brain loses concentration after 15-20 minutes, this is true with interpreters too. The interpretation process takes a lot in the mind and body of an interpreter as they process, take in and give information relayed to them in a second or third language. These breaks allow the interpreter to give their best, allowing them to give a better more accurate, culturally and linguistically correct interpretation of the information they are receiving. Interpreters worldwide work in pairs and as teams this is for the issues above and for health purposes.
6. Quality control and assurance is a vital component. Most of the issues that come up about interpreters are issues of quality that could be addressed by training and capacity building. When a mechanism exists that offers checks and balances it develops the interpreter and increases their accuracy in service provision. A feedback platform would capture the same, but more importantly a way to deal with the feedback so that it is meaningful and beneficial first to the concerned interpreters and then to the Deaf community via a selected representation that has clear scope and engagement.
7. Continuous growth and development of interpreters. If any professional stops learning, they stop growing and they die professionally. Seek to engage institutions that would build interpreters comprehension of English, Kiswahili and their working language Kenyan Sign Language.
8. For greater integration and inclusion, a program by the Deaf for the Deaf would be a natural development as a follow up to the interpreted newscasts. This will empower the Deaf community especially young children learning sign language and also change the perception of the general public who view the Deaf as objects of initiatives rather than fellow human beings with gifts, skills and talents that can be shared.

Deaf consumers of interpreting services have become more informed and are demanding higher quality interpreting services that meet their individual needs. In considering the need for a new job profile, “media translators/interpreters”, Kurz (1990: 173) suggests, following Laine (1985: 212), that “the media require a new breed of interpreter: a hybrid – someone who is a successful translator, interpreter, and editor, all in one” and this profile should include “flexibility, speed, a wide general knowledge and a complete lack of fear or embarrassment”.

interpreter’s performance in live television interpreting: quality, visibility and exposure

interpreter’s performance in live television interpreting:

quality, visibility and exposure

Live television interpreting has increased in recent years and is commonly seen as one of the most difficult and stressing forms of interpreting. However, both the actual difficulty and stress involved highly depend on the physical and technical conditions the interpreter has to face in every particular situation. The main goal of the article is to examine the salient variables: visibility and exposure since they will determine the quality standards achievable in each particular case, and the quality of the interpreter’s performance and awareness of all actors involved in the process shall be raised with regard to their relevance.

Looking back in history we trace the origins of television interpreting to the early 1990s. Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation KBC was the first to have sign language interpreters for various programs including – Joy Bringers, Parliamentary Live Broadcasts, Kiswahili Kitukuzwe and other UNDP sponsored talk shows such as Agenda Kenya which have been shown on various networks. KTN at this time brought the program News in Sign Language which had a news wrap up and a segment on learning sign language. All these initiatives were earlier preparations for things to come.

Two decades later a lot has changed, Kenyan Sign Language has been entrenched in the Constitution of Kenya, many Deaf Kenyans through social media and travels are in contact with each other and with other Deaf citizens across the globe. Earlier attempts by the Persons With Disabilities Act 2003/5 never gave solution to the issues of inclusion and integration. This Act is currently being amended and will soon be tabled in parliament for a clearer more decisive actionable items. With these changes a few things remain unchanged and we will visit those late in this article. The push for access to news and information within the Deaf community in Kenya has over the years taken various forms and shapes.

KBC the national broadcaster has been largely looked at as the pioneer to language access for the marginalized and the unreached populations. The vernacular stations or services have been loved and associated with it. Sign language has been a frontier KBC has not shied away from. It has continually brought the language to Kenyans albeit the slow and uncoordinated effort to reach the Deaf in Kenya. With these developments several precedence have been made by the newscasters without consultations with the Deaf communities. The caption or small box is one such issue, the second being the in-coordinate recruitment of interpreters and lack of involvement of key sign language users or professionals.

In February 2013 all media stations in Kenya come together, to for the first time bring all presidential aspirants on one platform and engage them in a dialogue. Prior to this event, the Kenya National Association of the Deaf – KNAD wrote several letters to the Ministry of Information, the media houses and to the Media Council urging them to consider honoring the provisions the Constitution of Kenya, the Persons with Disabilities Act 2003/5 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which Kenya ratified in 2005. The Ministry of Information's permanent secretary then Dr. Bitange Ndemo agreed to meet with the Deaf leaders from KNAD, though these meetings yielded very little since the media house owners didn't have a legal framework to force them into a binding agreement to offer accessibility to the Deaf either by interpreters or captioning. This lead the Deaf community holding a protest march early February 2013 just before the Presidential Debate. This protest marched to three main buildings – the Ministry of Information, KTN and the Nation Media offices. Prior to this the Nation Media Group were taken to court by CRADLE challenging their refusal to make their programs accessible to persons who are Deaf. The Nation Media Group has since appealed the decision – it is still pending in court. It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds.

As we talk about the behind the scenes of what has been happening in the last couple of months. We have had a rise and rise of demand for television stations to appeal to audiences. The programming has seen several changes and additions. Since I am no media analyst I will stick to my area of expertise and talk about the sign language on television. Firstly, we look at KBC and the parliamentary interpretations service. When it began it had one 'Interpreter' signing for a whole day – Wednesday thru Friday. The 'interpreter' then didn't think about his service, quality or other customer service. The 'interpreter' due to exhaustion would end up in a incoherent spur of gestures, unclear signs and even often into explanations of what was going on rather than interpreting.

KNAD collected comments, recommendations and suggestions from the Deaf community in Kenya. They then wrote letters of complaints to KBC, Parliament and Ministry of Information. What followed was a series of meetings that lead to having at least three or four interpreters working with clear terms of reference and accountability. The situation there has been somewhat better – not perfect but the engagement has been fruitful – many Deaf Kenyans are able to enjoy access to parliamentary debates. The not so perfect issues with KBC has been the question the principle on which KBC believes that parliamentary proceedings are important to be interpreted while other news items do not deserve the same service – KNAD has been in discussions with KBC over this and maybe now that KTN began news interpretation it might be the next in line.

UNDP's Agenda Kenya has had a share of criticism on its use of interpreters. Their main issues have been use of interpreters who do not know, do not care to learn the sign language and the ability to use it in various settings/fields. The issues here were mainly clarity and ethical consideration on issues of dress, language and level of discourse. When approached, they quickly rectified the situation by calling on the Deaf to verify and help the interpreter become more clearer and able to deliver interpretation that was of professional standard. 

It would be disastrous not to mention the issues surrounding the presidential debate interpretation. Just after the protest by the Deaf on Nairobi streets (See more here) the Deaf and Interpreters who participated learnt that there was a group of interpreters who had privately negotiated to interpret the debate with the media houses, using personal contacts they had secured the deal while not involving the prime clients to be served the Deaf. However the debate went on, the media houses never settled the issue not remunerated the interpreters that replaced their counterparts. The Standard Media Group was the custodian of the FORD Foundation fund for the presidential debate. They gave several promises to KNAD and the interpreters up to date there has not been a conclusion to the matter.

My two cents to KTN and Standard Media Group

First and foremost the initiative is commendable, it is a second time KTN has initiated an inclusive approach to its news programming. Signed News in the 1990s was a breath of fresh air for the Deaf community, in those days they had to wait for parliamentary debates and Joy Bringers on KBC to enjoy news in native Kenyan Sign Language. The past week has been a welcome relief, with news in Kenyan Sign Language at prime time; however there has been several issues come up over the week. According to both researchers and interpreters, interpreting for live TV broadcasts is almost unanimously regarded as more stressful than other forms of interpreting (Strolz 1997; Kurz 2002), the main reason being that interpreting for a mass audience entails a much bigger exposure in case of failure than the one felt in conventional conference settings.

This article will mention the issues and offer some steps to get us to the full accessibility cliché.

1. Now to the issue of KTN initiative, first the inner politics is that the interpreters stole the idea from some Deaf young people who wanted to approach the media houses including KTN. This is an ethical issue, it reflects on the conduct of the individual and taints the interpreters in and within the Deaf community. Interpreters are neutral non biase professional who serve as facilitators of communication between the hearing (speaking) and the Deaf. Interpreters do not work for, on behalf of the Deaf community, they work along side, with the Deaf – not helping or speaking for but as professionals. Be that as it may, the initiative is a bold step towards accessibility.
2. Selection and use of interpreters – it is a myth that there are few interpreters, qualified and ready to work on television. (here is a list of 100) There are interpreters all over Kenya, however they were trained, qualified – the key is to use the Deaf Kenyans themselves to validate, clarify and know who is best suited to interpret on television. There exists standards and criteria to select and eliminate those who can and can not offer the best services. The basic criteria would be judging individuals against Code of Ethics – this would eliminate at least half, then professional experience like number of hours worked under similar experiences, borrowing from other interpreters of Spanish or French and use those standards in the absence of signed language standards. (read how to work with interpreters)
3. The small box has reduced considerably in one week it has moved from a 6X6 to a mere 2X3 inches. If yu were to sit and look at that small box for an hour, your eyes will pain and you will be having a pounding headache. It is not standard to have the box that small – the argument as it has been over time even during the presidential debate was all for aesthetic reasons – too crowded, distraction or unclean just the graphics and producers not understanding the nature and characteristics of signed languages and the usage.
4. Continuation from the point above Signed Languages have a visual nature, it is often misunderstood that the Deaf are fully satisfied by seeing the hands only. The following are some features that make sign language different from the other languages.

• Facial Expression – frowns, lifted eye brows, puffed cheeks or slight grin or smile among other facial expressions are part of signed languages. They complete the sentences or add meaning to expressions. With a squeezed image on a caption or box all these attributes are lost. In turn you have a block of a human figure moving their hands yet their face is dark or hidden with lots and lots of meaningful expressions that the viewer is denied.
• Placement – the upper torso of the human form is the story board of any sign language user. It is the area where people, events and things are placed for sequence and easy locating or moving as the story unfolds. With a squeezed signing area it is difficult to place items of news in a logical and sequential order.
• Shoulder shifts – these are movements to differentiate speakers especially when you have multiple individuals talking or debating. Again with a squeezed screen space it is impossible to enjoy the flexibility and dynamism that signed languages have to offer.
• Movement – similar to placement, this feature of signed languages enable the users of signed languages the opportunity to showcase a story line and progression in a space that enable clarity.
• Handforms and Shapes – the foundation of all signed languages is the existence of forms and shapes these carry meaning much like the words that we speak. Proper lighting and color blend of background, clothes of the interpreters enable the viewers users of signed languages see the words and enjoy the news interpreted.

5. Worldwide there have been researches done to ascertain the interpreter burn out rates. These studies have shown that it is good to have interpreter change over after a 20 minute duration. This change over gives the interpreters. The human brain loses concentration after 15-20 minutes, this is true with interpreters too. The interpretation process takes a lot in the mind and body of an interpreter as they process, take in and give information relayed to them in a second or third language. These breaks allow the interpreter to give their best, allowing them to give a better more accurate, culturally and linguistically correct interpretation of the information they are receiving. Interpreters worldwide work in pairs and as teams this is for the issues above and for health purposes.
6. Quality control and assurance is a vital component. Most of the issues that come up about interpreters are issues of quality that could be addressed by training and capacity building. When a mechanism exists that offers checks and balances it develops the interpreter and increases their accuracy in service provision. A feedback platform would capture the same, but more importantly a way to deal with the feedback so that it is meaningful and beneficial first to the concerned interpreters and then to the Deaf community via a selected representation that has clear scope and engagement.
7. Continuous growth and development of interpreters. If any professional stops learning, they stop growing and they die professionally. Seek to engage institutions that would build interpreters comprehension of English, Kiswahili and their working language Kenyan Sign Language.
8. For greater integration and inclusion, a program by the Deaf for the Deaf would be a natural development as a follow up to the interpreted newscasts. This will empower the Deaf community especially young children learning sign language and also change the perception of the general public who view the Deaf as objects of initiatives rather than fellow human beings with gifts, skills and talents that can be shared.

Deaf consumers of interpreting services have become more informed and are demanding higher quality interpreting services that meet their individual needs. In considering the need for a new job profile, “media translators/interpreters”, Kurz (1990: 173) suggests, following Laine (1985: 212), that “the media require a new breed of interpreter: a hybrid – someone who is a successful translator, interpreter, and editor, all in one” and this profile should include “flexibility, speed, a wide general knowledge and a complete lack of fear or embarrassment”.

Word to my Fellow Interpreters on Television Interpreting

There are constant references to the problems faced by TV interpreters, regardless of the label employed by the scholar in question (problems,challenges, working conditions, drawbacks), and this generates a lengthy list of elements that should be taken into consideration by prospective interpreters before embarking themselves upon such a venture; to the point that, according to Mack (2001: 130), the job of TV interpreters is “extremely risky and stressful”. Firstly, those aspects where the interpreter may find at least some (even if slight) room to manoeuvre, that is, where different degrees of response will be seen depending on the interpreter’s ability to cope with such conditions. This still makes it possible to find professionals that are (again even if slightly) more suitable for the job.

Amongst these requirements we may find: maximum coordination when voicing or matching speech with culturally relevant and linguistically accurate signs; matching signing skills to those of TV professionals; meeting high expectations on the part of the viewers, who see interpretation as part of the product they are watching; having to cope with typical TV time management, since things happen at a very high speed; additional stress if failure, due to media exposure; interpreting late at night or on short notice, therefore, not having time to prepare the assignments; having to deal with a large number of topics, a variety of formats and structures, numerous participants and various viewpoints; not having time to get used to a particular accent or speaking style; having to meet different and high expectations from both the participants, the audience and the employers. The more reason to choose your assignments carefully and be ready to be criticized harshly at that.

Refrences

óscar Jiménez Serrano Backstage conditions and interpreter’s performance ...University of Granada, Spain

AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conferénce) (2004) “Media interpreting – A different sort of world”, Technical and Health Committee <http://www.aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/article91.htm>.

Amato A. (2002) “Interpreting legal discourse on TV: Clinton’s deposition with the Grand Jury”, in G. Garzone / P. Mead / M. Viezzi (eds) Perspectives on Interpreting, Bologna, CLUEB, 268-290.

Dal Fovo E. (2011) “Simultaneous interpretation on television – Coping with coherence. A corpus-based study on topical coherence in simultaneous interpretation on television: the question/answer group”. Second International Conference on Interpreting Quality, Almuñécar, Granada (Spain), March 24-26 2011, <http://ecis.ugr.es/granada_2011_abstracts.pdf>.