Journal Entries

1. Education: Biology:
a. The setting of the interpretation was a classroom in the AAB building at
Salt Lake Community College. It was on the 3rd floor in an open-spaced
room, kind of like the one we use for interpreting classes.
b. I spoke with Julie Smith, the interpreter coordinator for SLCC. I believe
she works in the Disability Resource Center. I contacted her about a
week in a half to two weeks prior before I went to go observe. She had
to ask the interpreters if it was okay if a student comes and also ask
the Deaf client permission.
c. Julie Smith did all the collaborating for me. She was an awesome
contact and definitely knows how to organize things. Julie did give me
the name of the Deaf client, name of the interpreter I would be
watching, and what the subject was.
d. The thing that was unique about this setting/genre was it was a biology
class that you could tell these students wanted to go into biology as a
major. Another thing that was unique about my observation was the
scheduled interpreter had to drop out at the last minute. So trying to
figure out subs and if the interpreters need a team, we finally came up
with the control of 3 interpreters splitting between two classes. It was
interesting, but everything went smoothly. Another things that was
unique was that the teacher draw a lot of pictures and made sure the
students understood everything. Most teachers just lecture.
e. The most challenging thing working in this setting would be how
complicated biology is. Especially if it is a higher education class that is
for a students major, you are going to come upon some technical
jargon.

f.

The most enjoyable thing about this setting would be that the
interpreter would be learning the same time as the student. You would
get to learn new things that could help you at an assignment in the

future.
g. The interpreter that I observed had no prep time, since she was called
into to sub at the last minute. She said it was hard to sign some things
and to try and establish a relationship with the Deaf client. Some signs
that the normal interpreter used, she had no clue what those were.
h. This would be a very appropriate place for a student internship. The
student would be able to get a lot of hot seat time and be able to
observe other interpreters as well. The student would also get a wide
range of subjects to interpret in an educational setting.
2. Sorenson: VRS
a. The setting of this interpretation was VRS at Sorenson Communications
HQ.
b. I spoke with Katie Maxwell to organize everything for the observation.
c. Katie Maxwell did all the negotiating and collaborating for me. She
scheduled an interpreter for me to observe and just the time I needed.
The deaf person did not know that someone was observing the
interpreter because VRS is a little hard to notify the Deaf consumer.
d. The thing that is unique about VRS is that Deaf people are using VRS to
communicate with hearing people and it is a technological device that
has become very handy to the Deaf community. I think VRS is another
unique setting because the interpreter can have a wide range of calls
varying from 2 minutes to near an hour. You can also call a team right
away if you need a mental break or if the Deaf consumer asks for
another interpreter. The interpreter at VRS can also have down-time
between calls. The interpreter I observed had a book out I noticed
other interpreters around her had homework out or things they needed

to get done. VRS is a very unique setting that keeps interpreters on

their toes.
e. The most challenging part about working in this setting/genre would be
f.

keeping my emotions intact.

The most enjoyable thing about this setting would be that my job
would be new every day and it would be a new challenge for me to

take on.
g. The interpreter liked this kind of setting because in between calls, she
could have down-time and be able to get other things down at her
cubicle.
h. VRS would not be appropriate for an internship because the student
would not get a lot of interpreting time and it can be a very
complicated setting. Sorenson overall would be a good place to do an
internship for staff meetings, one-on-one meetings etc.
3. Community: Disability Resource Week
a. The genre/setting of this interpreter observation was community
interpreting at Salt Lake Community College.
b. Connie was the middle person between ourselves and the person in
charge of the event. It was put on by the Disability Resource Center,
which contacted Connie, and Connie told us about an opportunity to
either practice interpret or observe the two interpreters present.
c. Connie was the one to my understanding that did all the collaborating
with the DRC. The interpreters knew we were coming to observe and
we did get a chance to interview them after the event to see what
went well and what could have gone better.
d. The unique thing about community interpreting is that you can get a
wide range of topics. This particular setting was difficult because it was
held in the AAB building at the college and with many people coming in
and coming out, it got a little cramped and difficult for the interpreters
to do their job. Students were also staring at the interpreters and

wouldnt pass by like normal people. This setting consisted of storytelling from a man who had become disabled from a car accident.
e. The most challenging part of this interpretation was that students were
coming in and out of the building so it was a little distracting to the
interpreters. Also, the speaker was really quiet and so it was hard for
f.

the interpreters to hear sometimes.

The most enjoyable part of this setting was that since it was more like
community interpreting, you have a wide range of topics that could be
discussed. This setting in particular though did have the uniqueness of

interpreting another persons personal story.

g. The interpreters in this setting didnt mind, but they did think some
things, already stated, were challenging.
h. Community interpreting would be hard for an internship because the
student interpreter might not get a lot of interpreting time.
4. Community Interpreting: Panel workshop
a. The genre/setting of this interpreting assignment was a panel
workshop at the Deaf Center. Tax experts, like Dawn Duran were
present and other Deaf people that had succeeded in starting up their
own business.
b. Connie was the middle person between the people in charge of the
event. They emailed her and she forward it to us.
c. Connie did all the negotiating. When we were interviewing the
interpreters after, they thought that they were interpreting for only 1
deaf person and not 10+ that were present. They were not expecting
any hearing people to be present.
d. The unique thing about this setting was that it was a presentation from
each of the presenters and then it opened it up to a panel. Another
unique thing about this setting was that 1 CDI was present, 2 copy
signers, and 2 interpreters that did voice to sign and sign to voice.

e. The most challenging part of this setting was by far setting up the
interpreters. Who would be voicing, signing, copy signing, all that stuff.
All the interpreters were trying to interpret at the same time and so
f.

that was a challenge.

The most enjoyable thing about this setting/genre was that a CDI was
present. The most enjoyable thing would again be the variety you

would get from community interpreting.

g. The interpreters did not like how many interpreters were present. They
also did not like that they did not have a lot of prep time before the
actual event. They did like having a team that they could count on.
h. Community interpreting, as already stated would not be the best for an
internship.