Reflecting on Ayesha Gavin’s session about cultural competency, bias and inclusive professional practice You are in a workplace where most of the staff are hearing. You are talking to another hearing person before the Deaf person you have been booked to work with arrives. Do you sign while you speak? Perhaps you decide there is no need because the Deaf person is not yet in the room. When they enter but remain on the other side of the room, do your hands come up then? What hap

Reflecting on Anna Teitt and Dr Sharon Grigsby-Hill’s session about emotional transference, trauma stewardship and interpreter education Content note: This article discusses trauma, emotional distress, burnout, discrimination and the effect of difficult professional experiences. Please read it at a time and in a way that feels manageable for you. An interpreter educator is preparing students for the emotional realities of professional practice. They explain how interpreters m

Reflecting on Adam Price and Jacqui Beckford’s session about embodiment, identity and intention in performance interpreting An interpreter stands at the side of a stage while a performance unfolds several metres away. The actors move, react to one another and use the whole space. The lighting changes, music builds and the audience responds together. The interpreter produces an accurate translation, but remains facing forwards in a fixed position. The Deaf audience must contin

Reflecting on Layne James Whittaker’s research into equality, diversity and inclusion within the profession Equality, diversity and inclusion are often discussed as though they concern a particular group of people. Someone may hear “EDI” and assume the conversation belongs mainly to people who have experienced racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia or another form of discrimination. Others may see it as an organisational requirement, a training module to complete or somethi