Kate Shearer
Senior Practitioner interpreter and coach whose work brings psychosynthesis, self-awareness and professional sustainability into interpreting practice.
The Together Conference 2026
Pick It Up,
Pass It On
13–14 June 2026 · Online
The Together Conference 2026 brought sign language interpreters, translators, educators, researchers and other professionals together online on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2026.
Under the theme Pick It Up, Pass It On, the conference explored what professionals learn from communities, colleagues, research and experience, and what knowledge, values and ways of working they choose to pass on.
The live programme was followed by an Extended Conference programme for Enhanced Access attendees. The wider conference also included poster contributions and support from professional and community partners.
Live conference programme
Two days of shared learning
Saturday 13 June 2026
09:27–10:27KeynoteFrom Subpersonalities to Sign Production: The Inner Landscape of InterpretingKate Shearer
A psychosynthesis perspective on the internal roles that shape interpreters’ choices, boundaries and professional presence.
10:29–10:59SnapshotThe interpreter’s nook – a site for reflection, discussion, and developmentMagnhild Røed Michalsen and Hilde Henrud
The story of Tolkehjørnet, an interpreter-led Norwegian platform for shared reflection, professional discussion and development.
11:15–12:00PresentationInterpreters as meaning-makers. Community interpreting through the lens of translanguaging.Dr Russell Aldersson
How interpreters use language, gesture, objects, images, space and interaction to support meaning-making in community settings.
12:02–12:47PresentationWhat Signapse have learnt about Sign Language through our AI research.Dr Ben Saunders
A critical look at what AI-generated sign language reveals about signed languages, where the technology shows promise and where caution is needed.
13:30–14:15PresentationFrom Skill to Self: Picking Up Confidence and Passing It On in Interpreting PracticeNene Ekufu
Reflective frameworks and practical tools for confidence, professional identity, resilience and sustainable practice.
14:17–14:47SnapshotStarting with Equality, diversity and inclusion and how this fits within our profession.Layne James Whittaker
Research-informed reflection on equality, diversity and inclusion training and shared responsibility across the profession.
15:00–15:45PresentationPassing on perceptions of the impact of Domestic Violence on communication in Deaf-Hearing families and implications for Sign Language InterpretersProfessor Jemina Napier
Research with Deaf mothers and professionals, considering safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and communication in Deaf-hearing families.
Sunday 14 June 2026
09:17–10:17KeynoteWhat Did They Say? When it's OK not to know! Managing communication with Deaf people with dementia and their familiesDr Emma Ferguson-Coleman
Communication, uncertainty, emotional load and practical strategies when interpreting with Deaf people living with dementia and their families.
10:19–10:49SnapshotBridging Voices, Building Futures: Lessons from Rwanda’s Interpreting CommunityMUSABYIMANA Joseph and Dr Ndagijimana Ibrahim
Lessons from Rwanda on mentorship, peer support, advocacy and building resilient professional networks.
11:05–11:50PresentationEmbodying the Work: Intersectionality, Lived Experience, and Intention in Performance InterpretingAdam Price and Jacqui Beckford
Performance interpreting as an embodied, creative and ethically situated practice shaped by identity, collaboration and intention.
11:52–12:37PresentationSocial Value in Action: What International Models Teach Us About Building Fair, Community-Led Interpreting SystemsJen Bird
International models that centre Deaf people, support interpreters and embed social value in commissioning and service delivery.
13:20–14:05PresentationPassing it on as we’re hitting our stride: New research challenging the oft-cited “20-Minute Rule”Dr Robyn Dean
New research examining attention, processing and cognitive flexibility during sustained interpreting tasks.
14:07–14:37SnapshotThree Interpreters Walk into the Fringe: Collaboration, Comedy, and CPDCatherine King, Donna Jewell and Katy Smillie-Wilcox
A collaborative professional-learning experience developed through interpreting stand-up comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
14:50–15:35PresentationLet's Get AMPED and Revamp Growth For Novice InterpretersJeanette Nicholson, Liz McClounie and James Etheridge
A six-month competency-based mentorship programme supporting novice interpreters through guided learning, practice and community engagement.
People and perspectives
2026 presenters
The live and Extended Conference programmes brought together practitioners, researchers, educators and professional leaders from several countries.
Magnhild Røed Michalsen & Hilde Henrud
Interpreters, educators and co-founders of Tolkehjørnet, a platform for reflection, discussion and shared professional learning.
Dr Russell Aldersson
Interpreter, researcher and educator whose work explores community interpreting, meaning-making and translanguaging.
Dr Ben Saunders
Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Signapse, researching AI-generated sign language and ethical, Deaf-led technology development.
Nene Ekufu
Interpreter, trainer and coach focused on confidence, identity, emotional resilience and sustainable professional practice.
Layne James Whittaker
Registered sign language interpreter and occupational psychology graduate with a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion.
Professor Jemina Napier
Professor of Intercultural Communication and long-standing interpreter and researcher in interpreting, access and sensitive contexts.
Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman
Researcher whose work centres Deaf people living with dementia, their carers and the communication professionals who support them.
MUSABYIMANA Joseph & Dr Ndagijimana Ibrahim
Professional leaders sharing experience of mentorship, advocacy and interpreter-community development in Rwanda.
Adam Price & Jacqui Beckford
Performance interpreters and educators exploring embodiment, lived experience, collaboration and ethical creative practice.
Jen Bird
Interpreter and Churchill Fellow researching fair, community-led interpreting systems and social value.
Dr Robyn Dean
Interpreter, researcher and educator whose work examines decision-making, demand-control theory and interpreter practice.
Catherine King, Donna Jewell & Katy Smillie-Wilcox
Three interpreters who developed a collaborative, non-hierarchical CPD experience through work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Jeanette Nicholson, Liz McClounie & James Etheridge
The team behind a competency-based mentorship programme supporting novice interpreters through learning, practice and community engagement.
Tom Mould
Interpreter and educator presenting a practical, critical introduction to AI tools and the future of the profession.
Anna Teitt & Dr Sharon Grigsby Hill
Interpreter educators examining secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma and reflexive research in interpreter education.
Mark Aplin & Phillip Power
Signly contributors addressing evidence, standards, Deaf leadership and accountability in sign language AI.
Ayesha Gavin
Interpreter and trainer exploring cultural competency, bias and reflective professional learning.
Enhanced Access programme
Extended Conference
Four additional contributions followed the live conference programme.
United KingdomPresenting language: English
Artificial Intelligence and Interpreting: Tools, Risks and the Future of the Profession
Tom Mould
A practical introduction to AI tools, their professional uses and risks, and recent developments in automated sign language interpreting.
USAPresenting language: English
Secondary Traumatic Stress, Vicarious Trauma and Reflexivity in Interpreter Education
Anna Teitt and Dr Sharon Grigsby Hill
Research and reflective practice concerning secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma and the emotional impact of interpreter education.
United KingdomPresenting language: BSL / English / IS
Sign Language AI: Trustworthy Roadmap or Accident Waiting to Happen?
Mark Aplin and Phillip Power
A Deaf-led call for scrutiny, evidence, standards and clear accountability in the development of AI sign language technology.
United KingdomPresenting language: BSL / English
Cultural Competency in Interpreting and Translation: Recognising Bias, Building Awareness and Passing It On
Ayesha Gavin
Cultural awareness, bias and practical ways to recognise and address cultural incompetence in interpreting and translation.
Shared research and practice
Poster Contributions
Seven confirmed poster contributions formed part of the wider 2026 conference record. Full descriptions are included in the downloadable archive.
United States
Pick Up Powerful Interpreting: Build Your Skills in 5 Steps - and Pass It On!
Sharon Neumann SolowGreece
Delivering Justice: Challenges for Sign Language Interpreters in Police VRS Calls in Greece
Rozalia Founta and Dr Robert SkinnerItaly
Learning by doing and through Deaf feedback: a guided tour interpreting internship
Gabriella ArditaFrance
Pick it up, break it down, pass it on: making research accessible for interpreters
Dr Aurélia NGGUnited Kingdom
To remove, refer or reflect: Real life strategies for handling multiple source texts.
Deborah CoxUnited Kingdom
In it for the long haul? Building a long-term career.
Helen FullerUnited Kingdom
Making the Most of Your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Liz SmithHistorical supporters
2026 partners
Headline Partner
Convo
Lead Partner
Signly
Lead Partner
Heritage Interpreting
Lead Partner
Deaf Student Solutions
Lead Partner
Asign Inc.
Priority Partner
Interpreting Tax Limited
Professional Partner
The Ohio Chapter of Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf (OCRID)
Community Partner
Signalise Co-op
Community Partner
Interpreters of Colour Network
Community Partner
Queen’s University Belfast
Nominated Charity Partner
Deaf Cancer Support
Conference gallery
2026 in pictures
A photographic record from the online conference and the people who made it happen.