Interpreters Unidos

Feb 9th Vlog

2012-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Feb 9th 2012

2012-02-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hola Gente

I decided to try and start posting videos instead of articles. My counter part, Arlene will still be posting articles etc. I just thought I would add some videos as well discussing different subjects. I am also going to post the info for the "Interpreting for Social Justice" workshops. Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4nEiro2qLY

A Workshop for Spoken and Sign Language Interpreters
Interpreters of all Levels, Languages, and Ages Welcome!

WHEN:
Friday, March 16th, 2012: 4:00-7:00pm (Registration begins at 3:30pm)
Saturday, March 17th, 2012: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday, March 18th, 2012: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Interpreting for Social Justice is an introduction to interpretation with a foundation in principals of equity and inclusion.
The workshop includes:
Skill Building in Consecutive & Simultaneous Interpretation
Ethical Issues and the Interpreter's Role
Language, Power, and Social Justice
Creating an Inclusive Multilingual Space
Facilitated By:
Roberto Tijerina, nationally recognized trainer in interpretation and language justice - an analysis and practice around language as a tool of power.

This workshop is bilingual in Spanish and English.

CEUs for Sign Language Interpreters: MARIE Center as part of the UNC-DO IT Center is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. This learning opportunity is offered for 1.9 CEUs in the general studies area at the some knowledge level.
COST:
$50.00 Registration Fee -- Scholarships Available!
Discounted fee made possible by support from the One Nation Foundation.
LOCATION:
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Auditorium, 300 N. San Antonio Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93110
A limited number of stipends will be available for travel/lodging costs for participants from North Santa Barbara County and Ventura County. Contact us for more info.
Please contact us to make a request for reasonable accommodation.

Two Additional Opportunities:
Creating Multilingual Space:
Graduates of the Effective Interpretation Skills workshop offered in Spring 2011 are invited to join the workshop on Sunday, March 18th, 2:00-5:00pm, for a special session about creating Multilingual Environments.

Facilitator Training Component:
Learn to facilitate workshops about multilingual space and language justice!
Open to graduates of this workshop and the Effective Interpretation Skills workshop offered in Spring 2011
Tuesday, March 20th, 4:00-7:00pm - Registration begins at 3:30pm
Location: 300 N. San Antonio Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93110

How to Register or Contact Us:
Space is limited! The deadline for registration is March 12th. Please reserve your space by contacting:
Alena Marie, Project Manager
amarie@just-communities.org
(805) 259-6190

Run-off voting live! / ¡segunda votación activa!

2011-12-21T14:46:00.001-08:00

All Mano a Mano members should log in at www.manoamano-unidos.org and they will immediately see the option to vote in the two run-offs. Cast your vote today before it's too late!
Todo miembro de Mano a Mano debe de ingresar al www.manoamano-unidos.org y aparecerá inmediatamente la opción para votar en las dos carreras que terminaron en empate. ¡Vote hoy antes que de sea demasiado tarde!

Mathew Call, B.S., NIC, Ed:K-12
Secretary, Mano a Mano
www.manoamano-unidos.org

Hey, come and check out Alto Arizona!

2011-12-19T13:55:00.001-08:00

Hey,

I just joined the Alto Arizona campaign against hate! Along with millions of people across the country I am opposing the new racist law in Arizona (SB 1070) and standing on the right side of history.

Please go to http://www.altoarizona.com, sign-up to become a supporter, and send a message to Obama to intervene in Arizona before this hateful legislation spreads to other states.

Would you join me on in standing with the people of Arizona? It is an easy way to show your solidarity and you don't even have to pay for stamps to send your message to the President!

***Today is it! ¡Hoy es!

2011-12-15T11:06:00.001-08:00

Today is the last day to vote in the Mano a Mano elections! You have until midnight eastern time.

¡Hoy es el último día para votar en las elecciones de Mano a Mano! Tiene hasta la medianoche, hora del este.

Mathew Call, B.S., NIC, Ed:K-12
Secretary, Mano a Mano
www.manoamano-unidos.org

last chance to vote! ¡última oportunidad de votar!

2011-12-11T22:05:00.001-08:00

Greetings, Mano a Mano members,

Some of you have already registered on our new website www.manoamano-unidos.org and voted. Thank you! However, some of you who registered have not yet voted, and many of you have not registered yet. You'll only have to register once and you must register before being able to cast your vote. The last day to vote is this Thursday, 15 December so don't put it off any longer! If for any reason you did not receive the recent emails I sent out, let me know so I can address the problem. Thanks.

Saludos miembros de Mano a Mano,

Algunos de ustedes ya se registraron en nuestro nuevo sitio web www.manoamano-unidos.org y votaron. ¡Gracias! Sin embargo algunos de los que registraron aun no han votado, y muchos de ustedes todavía no se han registrado. Es algo que tendrán que hacer una sola vez, y es necesario registrar primero antes de poder votar. El último día para votar es este jueves, 15 de diciembre ¡así que ya no demore más¡ Si por alguna razón usted no recibió mis correspondencias recientes, que me lo haga saber para corregir el problema. Gracias.

Mathew Call, B.S., NIC, Ed:K-12

Secretary, Mano a Mano
www.manoamano-unidos.org

Have you voted in the Mano a Mano National Board elections?

2011-12-07T11:03:00.001-08:00

Dear Mano a Mano member,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the opening of the voting period for Board elections. We currently have the following positions up for re-election:

Vice-President

Treasurer

Region III Representative

Region V Representative

Member at Large #2

Translation Chair

In the attached document you will see the slate of candidates. You should have already received instructions about how to login to the members-only area. Please contact our Secretary, Mathew Call, at secretary@manoamano-unidos.org if you have not received those instructions or if you have any questions.

The voting period will close on December 15 at 11:59pm. Please cast your votes before that time!

I would also like to thank those who helped tremendously to prepare us for the voting.

Molly Sheridan and Marina Martinez graciously served as the nominations committee. They worked tirelessly to create a slate of candidates from which our members could choose, they confirmed with nominees that they would be willing to serve, and they collected bios from all candidates so that each member would be able to make an informed decision.

Mathew Call spent many hours ensuring that each member has access to the new members-only area of the Mano a Mano website. That process required various manual tasks because it is the first time that we will be taking advantage of this system with our new website. We anticipate that this process will be much more automatic in the future.

I want to thank each of you for your patience with this process. The process required more time than I anticipated, but hopefully all the work will be worth the wait.

Best,

David

David Quinto-Pozos, PhD

President, Mano a Mano

president@manoamano-unidos.org

Interpreting in a Spanish Language Class

2011-09-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thought of the day comes from a colleague. Steve Nail says it best. When we interpret Spanish classes, the SOURCE language we are most representing is that of the instructor. Therefore, our Spanish ability needs to approximate the instructor’s level, not the students.

Remembering Richard E. Chavez

2011-07-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

Remembering Richard Chavez
Nov. 12, 1929 - July 27, 2011

richard2

BAKERSFIELD, CA- Today, the civil rights community mourns the loss of long-time farmworker advocate and civil rights activist Richard Estrada Chavez. He passed away yesterday in Bakersfield, California. Richard was 81.

A member of the board for the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Richard was also Dolores Huerta's partner and the father of 10 children including DHF Executive Director Camila Chavez. The foundation will greatly miss Richard's leadership and dedication to the movement.

Richard Chavez Biography:

Richard Estrada Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona. His family was forced into migrant farm work when they lost their farm during the "Great Depression". As a child, he worked, alongside his family, in the fields, sporadically attending various schools. As an adult, he established a career as a carpenter and began his work in community service. He helped to establish the Self-Help Housing Enterprise and served as president of his local Community Service Organization.

In 1966 Richard gave up the security of his carpentry job and joined his brother, Cesar E. Chavez as a full-time volunteer and organizer for the United Farm Workers, fighting for farm worker rights.In his long career with the United Farm Workers, Richard has served in many capacities. He served on the executive board as third Vice-President which he served for three terms.

For a time, he was in charge of contract negotiations and administrating collective-bargaining agreements. In the 70's he worked on the UFW's successful grape and lettuce boycotts which resulted in the passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act. He also served as Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Farm Worker Fund, providing primary health care clinics for farm workers. He was the second Director of the National Farm Workers Service Center conceived to serve and meet the social service and health needs of farm workers.

As a skilled carpenter and building contractor, Mr. Chavez designed, remodeled, and built, many of the UFW offices, clinics and service centers. He served on the board of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation and the National Farm Worker Service Center. He retired in Keene, California, where he continued to support the farmworker movement through his involvement with the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

Thank you for keeping Richard's family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.

Dolores Huerta Foundation
www.doloreshuerta.org
661-322-3033

Recording of Mano a Mano Opening Ceremony

2011-07-24T22:17:00.001-07:00

Well the first ever combined Mano a Mano/RID conference has come to and end. It's quite incredible how far we've come! But we still got plenty a ways to go! Below is the link to watch the video of the opening ceremony.

Ha llegado a su fin el primer congreso combinado de Mano a Many/RID. ¡Es increíble todo lo que hemos logrado! Pero aún nos falta bastante que hacer. Abajo se encuentra el enlace/vínculo para mirar el video de la ceremonia de apertura.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16076097

Mathew Call

"Growing Globally" a Xicano's perspective.

2011-07-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting here following the RID conference from home through twitter, facebook, emails and text as if it was the big social event for interpreters almost hoping to catch the pictures on TMZ or the Perez Hilton website. I could not make it this year but it didn’t stop me from knowing the details of what is happening with RID. I kept seeing the videos on facebook that RID was posting and asking different interpreters what “Growing Globally” meant to them, which was the theme of this years conference. So I began to think what that meant to me, and it quickly brought me back to the experience I had from the beginning of my career as an interpreter.

I remember learning about the Deaf community during my ITP (interpreter training program) and feeling as if it was almost different to the experience I had with the Deaf Community. See, during that time I had become friends with mostly Deaf Latin@s. It just happened that I met friends who were Deaf or hearing folks who were involved with the Deaf community but they were all from my neighborhood. That’s right, good old Norwalk! The good old neighborhood where carne asada fries were a common food, along with Tacos, menudo, Lumpia, longanisa and a refreshing boba drink (or my personal favortie “Peach snow bubble with coconut jelly....interpret that!). Northgate market was the new “Disneyland” of all Mexican markets with their special ceviche bar, deli sections that sold chilles rellenos, carne con chile, tamales and more heavenly goodness, but somehow I think I missed that part of class that showed me the signs to all those foods. Suddenly what I was being told at school was not matching up with what I saw and knew. I slowly picked up the signs for tamales, tacos, sushi and even the new signs for Mexico and Guatemala, almost like a secret language being slowly and carefully passed down somehow surviving through the “indigenous” circles of Southern California. I learned and signed the way I needed to at school but knew that my reality was different and knew that interpreting in SoCal would be the same.

So I came in to the interpreting profession very naive thinking I would quickly feel at home, but I had a rude awakening just like my ITP program. How would this self identified Queer Xicano Activist find his place in all of this? I stumbled, I fell but I would stand up until I found those people that would make me feel at home. I started meeting great people at work and slowly almost out of the wood works all these interpreters who understood social consciousness began popping up. We slowly began connecting and suddenly not feeling so alone. I remember going to the first trilingual workshop in California and seeing Arlene Narvaez present. OMG it’s true, there she was a beautiful Chicana standing there and explaining about the Latino Community in the context of the ASL interpreting field. Wow! Suddenly my experiences werematching up with what I was being taught and with what I believed. I would go to interpret Dr. appts and realize that the models I learned during my ITP were not matching up. The families I was interpreting for had their whole family with them to help them make a decision and I don’t remember “So you want to be an interpreter?” book explain what to do then. But here I am, in this workshop and finally these questions are being answered.

As the years have passed I have come to see more and more change happen in regards to social consciousness. It was the Mano a Mano conference video that you can see four interpreters standing next to each other beautifully interpreting in to four different Sign Languages while Angela Roth was speaking in Spanish. I sat there and understood that suddenly we were finally beginning to meet the needs of our consumers, our gente and our Raza. See, I understood that equal access meant access for ALL regardless of their gender, social class, race, sexuality, immigration status, language or language modality. As interpreters we are there to facilitate and help interpret so that ALL voices are being seen and heard.

Last Year I attended the Deaf Latino Conference in Chicago. That was a trip that just strengthen my passion for the Deaf and the Deaf Latino community. It was there that I met Deaf Activist of Color whose presentations included quotes from Queer Chicana Writers like Gloria Anzaldua and spoke of privilege, audism, sexism, racism and so on. I myself had the wonderful experience of sitting at a table where all of us were trying to communicate by using all the languages including Mexican Sign Language, Salvadorian Sign Language, Brittish Sign Language and American Sign Language all working together to understand each other but still appreciating each language and culture. It is there that I met Radical Deaf Xicanas like Elena who in time has help me understand more about the Deaf community, privilege and even myself. This is the community I work with and completely love. I strongly recommend interpreters to attend these conferences and support the community. I must remind hearing interpreters that these spaces are safe spaces created by the Deaf community in order to empower themselves. It’s important we go in and learn but allow the community to take the stage and not us hearing people.

The Deaf and Interpreting community is a diverse one and it seems that we are finally understanding that we need to educate ourselves in order to serve a more diverse population. We are also starting to recognize privilege and the affect that our privilege has on others. It has been improving thanks to conferences like the Deaf Latino Conference, Deaf People of Color Conference and Deaf folks that have paved the way to open dialogue for a more inclusive history and education of both the Deaf community and the interpreting field. This is what I think “Growing Globally” means. This year Mano a Mano was no longer separate from the rest of the RID conference. RID is moving towards the right direction in regards to this but it requires us to keep moving forward and pushing the subjects. Thanks for the Deaf community for pushing and creating spaces and language for those not being seen or heard. Thanks to the interpreters who are movers and shakers that have put themselves on the line discussing subjects that puts them in uncomfortable situations ,but you do it because you know you have to. It’s because of that, that we have been able to “grow globally”. Let’s continue to grow together. Obviously our communities have so many layers and and communities within those, so let’s continue to educate and advocate and make everyone seen and heard.

* Oh yeah and the picture above is a bunch of us with Dolores Huerta signing “Si Se Puede” in Mexican Sign Language cause’ that’s how we roll! :)

Si Se Puede!

Gilberto Partida

Mano a Mano is now on Twitter!

2011-07-14T12:37:00.001-07:00

Three days until Mano a Mano's opening ceremony & reception @ RID! Sun, 7/17, 7:30pm EST. Stay connected for updated info! @InterpretesMano

¡Faltan tres días para la ceremonia de apertura RID/Mano a Mano! Domingo, 17 de julio, 7:30pm hora del este. ¡Mantente conectado para estar al corriente con todo! @InterpretesMano

There's also a link on our new website: www.manoamano-unidos.org

También hay un enlace (vínculo) en nuestro nuevo sitio: www.manoamano-unidos.org

Mathew Call, B.S., NIC, Ed:K-12
ASL/Spanish/English Interpreter & Translator
Sacramento, California

Looking for Trilinguals to Dialogue on Camera at RID

2011-07-13T16:08:00.001-07:00

Do you wonder what it's like to be on reality TV with cameras following you?

During RID conference week, WRIEC is looking for at least two trilingual interpreters to sit and dialogue about the work of a trilingual interpreter on camera. Not quite reality, but almost!

Spread the word and if you and someone you know are interested, please email me!

Arlene

arlene_narvaez@hotmail.com

Memorial Service for Gary Sanderson

2011-06-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

CSUN Family & Friends,

We announce with deep sorrow that Gary Sanderson, 57, passed away on May 12, 2011. Gary was respected and loved by so many. Gary practically grew up at CSUN, having been around campus while his dad, Dr. Robert (Sandie) Sanderson was a student in the National Leadership Training Program. Gary attended CSUN as a student, and later worked at CSUN as an interpreter and outreach coordinator. He served as an interim director of the CSUN National Center on Deafness for 2 years. His career at CSUN, on the behalf of the Deaf and ASL Users community, spanned 38 years. He retired from CSUN two years ago, due to health complications.

CSUN was the first university nationally to provide professional interpreter services for Deaf and hard of hearing college students. Gary was one of the early interpreters, whom other interpreters tried to emulate and whom students got to know and admire, over the decades. Gary is well known and loved by the community as an interpreter extraordinaire as well as an exemplary interpreter trainer, who excelled at entertaining the audiences while educating them with his wry stories and styles. Off campus, he was known nationally and internationally as "Mr. CSUN." His services were always in demand everywhere.

Gary has received awards and recognition from national organizations such as the Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, and others.

The family has asked that cards be sent to them in care of his life partner, Norman DeGroot at 1547 Murray Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

The memorial service for Gary will be Saturday afternoon, 1 – 4:30 pm, August 27, in the Northridge Center, USU, at CSUN. Updates will be shared on the NCOD website.

Gary's everlasting contributions and his years of loving dedication to the Deaf and ASL Users community and to the education of deaf and hard of hearing students and interpreters will be deeply missed.

Roz Rosen, Director

National Center on Deafness (NCOD)

Interpreter Job Opportunities in Bakersfield

2011-06-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

LINKS Sign Language & Interpreting Services has provided interpreting services to individual clients, organizations, and departmental agencies of City, County and State Governments; as well as hundreds of other private, nonprofit and public corporations. LINKS has proven experience in managing both small and large contracts. Our clients receive exceptional, professional service. We take pride in matching the most qualified nationally certified interpreter with the client-specific needs of each situation. Our services include:

American Sign Language (ASL)
Video Interpreting Services
Medical Interpreters
Spoken Language
Tactile Interpreting
Video Remote Interpreter (VRI)
Trilingual Services (Spanish, American Sign Language, and English)

Our interpreters are highly trained, experienced and well qualified in American Sign Language Interpreting and most spoken languages or hold one of the following certifications:

RID, NAD,NIC, EIPA, ESSE.
They all follow RID guidelines and standards, and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. We provide highly technical and professional interpreting services for corporate, medical, educational, governmental, entertainment, conventions, and religious organizations; whether in recreational settings or complex work environments.

Mission Statement: Connecting the deaf and hard-of-hearing community with the hearing

community, by providing professional, cost-effective services through highly skilled, dedicated interpreters who understand and meet the individual needs of each client

Since 1999 we have been headquartered in the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan area and a division of Goodwill SOLAC in Long Beach, California. 5

---
Chuck Scarpaci
Director of LiNKS
800 West Pacific Coast Hwy
Long Beach, CA 90806

(888) 742 0070 - Schedule a Sign Language Interpreter
(562) 331-0927 - After hours
(562) 436-5559 - FAX
(562) 590-8588 TTY/VIDEO
VIDEO IP 65.60.89.173
links@linksinterpreting.com
www.linksinterpreting.com

Five Acres and National Deaf Academy Workshops

2011-06-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

CEU’s for interpreters will only be provided through independent study: Please contact SCRID to apply for independent study and pay the CEU fee prior to the workshop. When they inform you what documents are needed from the conference for independent study contact Amy Kay at akay@5acres.org and she will provide you with the necessary information.

Reposting a letter from the Chair of Creative Writing at UCR

2011-06-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hola Gente

I am posting a letter that I read on facebook. I think it's essential that we all begin to understand what is going on with our education in California. Many of us are already or will be affected by these budget cuts in the future. It's time we stand up and fight for our right to education. Together we can make a difference. If any of you know any rallies or events in regards to this subject please let me know so I can post where it will be. Let's take our education back!

Si Se Puede!

Gilberto Partida

Letter from Tom Lutz, Chair of Creative Writing at UCR
by Andrew Bond on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 12:45am

Dear colleagues and students,

After a year and a half as Chair of the department, I am stepping down. Professor Andrew Winer will be taking my place, for which we should all be grateful.

As my last act as Chair, I would like to share with you my sense of the gravity of the situation we face. I spent most of my academic career doing what most of us do—teaching, writing, reading graduate applications and theses, having office hours, reading in my field, doing research. I didn’t pay much attention to the University and its administration. None of us have that luxury anymore. Budget cuts after budget cuts after budget cuts have left us all painfully aware of how the sausage is made, or not made.

Having served in administrative posts for most of the last five years, I have come to know the budget issues very well. We are now past the tipping point. We are on a rapid downhill slide that will have profound effects for our state, our families, our country, and our world.

In the space of less than a single lifetime, the University of California, Riverside went from being a small agricultural experiment station to being one of the top 100 universities in the world. An incredibly dense and elaborate web of specialists across all fields of scholarship, science, and the arts was developed, and it took enormous efforts by thousands of people over those years to make it happen. In less than the four years it used to take to graduate, it is being destroyed.

Our department is a great example of the breadth of vision and dogged effort that has made Riverside the exceptional place it has been. There are other creative writing programs in the country, but not a single one anywhere with the range across genres and fields, with the breadth of knowledge in world literatures, with the diversity of voices, methods, and styles that we have. And there is not another creative writing program anywhere—and certainly none with our caliber of professors—that is more truly dedicated to its pedagogical mission at every level. The faculty at Princeton is perhaps a bit more famous, but undergraduates there never meet them, much less have access to them in, before, and after class. I have now taught at every kind of school—fancy elite universities, small colleges, Big 10 universities, art schools, and universities abroad. I have never been part of a faculty this student-centered, this concerned about the educational experience and future prospects of its undergraduate and graduate students.

Three years ago I was offered a job at USC, which is much closer to my house, more prestigious as an academic address, and was offering me more money. UCR worked hard and did the best it could to match the salary and I stayed. I stayed because I wanted to be part of this project, I wanted to teach a student body that is over 85% first-generation college students, that comes not from the richest families in California but some of the poorest, a group of students that have a much greater likelihood than not of coming from immigrant families and from families that speak more than English. I wanted to remain part of one of the greatest democratic experiments in history, and certainly one of the few greatest experiments in public education in the history of the human race, the University of California.

If I got that offer today, though, I’m not sure I could turn it down, and in fact, many people are not turning down outside offers these days. There are people who have taught here for more than twenty years considering going somewhere else, somewhere the future is a bit more certain. These are people who are the best in their field—you don’t get such offers unless someone thinks you are among the best in your field—and UCR, and the educational experience at UCR, is diminished each time this happens, each time one of the best of our best leaves for a better job. We can’t blame them—they have kids of their own to put through college, they have research projects that require funding, they know that to teach the most complex subjects effectively, they need to run seminars with 15 students sitting around the table, not 150.

The budget cuts of recent years and the ones we know for certain are coming next year mean a gross deterioration of our school. Those faculty who leave for better jobs are not being replaced. Many of you know Yvonne Howard, who has been the chief administrator for our department since it was founded. This year her job was unceremoniously terminated. Staff people and faculty who retire are not being replaced. Next year students at UCR will have trouble getting the classes they need, and many of the classes they get will be crowded beyond responsible limits. Departments are being forced to abandon optimal class-size limits for classes two, three, and five times that size. The library has virtually stopped buying books. We are on a race to become a mediocre university at best, and if the $500 million of proposed cuts to UC turn into a billion dollars, as they are now discussing in Sacramento, we will be over. The billion dollar cut translates into thousands of classes across the system. It means creative writing workshops with 50 students. It means we will cease to be a real university, and will simply become another community-college-level institution. Then, maybe, after a few years, with tuition at $25,000 or $30,000 a year, we can begin the slow build back into a real university.

Why is this happening? Political demagoguery and corruption. Thirty years ago UC received 9% of the state budget and prisons 3%. Now UC gets 3% and the prison-industrial complex gets 9%. The legislature is taking the money that should be used to educate the best of its citizens and using it enrich the people who make a profit from the imprisoning the poorest. The percentage of the cost of higher education provided by the state has been cut in half, cut in half again, and is on the verge of getting cut in half a third time. The people in the legislature understand the value of public higher education—the vast majority of them have degrees from our state system, and many of them have multiple degrees—all made possible by the legislators who preceded them and had more courage. They do not protect the University for a very simple reason: because they risk a flow of conservative attacks and Tea Party racism if they stick up for anything that is directly devoted to the commonweal.

In my darkest moments, I think the monied interests working against reasonable taxation are doing so because they consciously, actively seek to make sure we do not have an informed, educated citizenry, the better to extract our collective labor and wealth unimpeded. But such intentionality isn’t necessary. Simple, short-sighted, grab-it-now, bottom-line greed explains their destruction of our culture, without recourse to any dystopian conspiracies.

The only thing that has a chance of turning this devastation around is student activism. We in higher education cannot spend millions of dollars on campaign contributions the way the prison profiteers or the medical and insurance and aerospace industries do, so we need to find other ways to provide a political counterweight. We need to make our voices heard. For you students, your own self-interest should be the catalyst, as you will, no matter what happens this year, have trouble finding the classes you need, much less than the ones you want, and the chance you will graduate in a reasonable amount of time is already gone. But you should also think of what this means for your families, your neighbors, your friends, your own kids when they come of age. And think what it means if California reduces its higher education budget to the levels of Missouri or West Virginia—we will become like those places. Because of its education system, a system that, until just a few years ago, has always been considered the best in the country, California has been among the most innovative and significant literary and cultural centers in the country, and because of this education system, too, California has been the economic powerhouse it has been—1000 research and development companies a year are formed out of the UC system, for instance, and four UC inventions a week are presented to the patent office. We had the best educational system because we were willing to pay for it, and our expenditures were among the highest in the nation, too. In a few short years we have dropped into the middle in state spending, and we are fast falling even farther. Only a political movement strong enough to buck the corporate money determining our tax policy can change this downward spiral. Only you can make that happen.

We have been told, from the top, not to expect a return to ‘the glory days.’ This year was not the glory days. This year we already have discussion sections that are not discussions, fewer classes, an exploded faculty:student ratio; we are very far from the glory days. Now that either 500 million or 1 billion more dollars are getting yanked out of the system, your favorite lecturer will be gone. The class you wanted won’t exist anymore. Your student advisor will have 800 or 1000 students to advise instead of the 300 we all agreed was an absolute maximum two short years ago. This is the end of quality. And why? Because a few very wealthy people are protecting their wealth from taxes, taxes considered reasonable not only everywhere else in the developed world, but considered reasonable in America until the last 20 years.

I hope you get angry. I hope you get active. Call and write your legislators, get out in the streets, take back your university, don’t let yourselves be the last people to have even this chance.

Tom Lutz

Professor and Chair, Department of Creative Writing

In Remembrance of Gary R. Sanderson

2011-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

We are very sad to announce that Gary Sanderson has passed away. Gary has been essential to the development of the Sign Language interpreting field. His contributions have been amazing and I know that he will be missed greatly. I personally know interpreters who were inspired and influenced by the great achievements that Gary Sanderson accomplished during his lifetime. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. Thank you Gary for contributing so much to the community, both Deaf and hearing. Below is a quick bio that I was able to find of Gary Sanderson.

Peace and love,

Gilberto Partida

Gary R. Sanderson

Gary R. Sanderson works at California State University, Northridge in the
National Center on Deafness as the Administrative Staff Interpreter. He is the
former Associate Director of the Western Region Outreach Center & Consortia,
a federal contract that served postsecondary institutions in 16 western states. He
served three terms as the President of the Southern California Chapter of the
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. He has served on the national Registry of
Interpreters for the Deaf Board of Directors as the Region Five Representative.
He has written articles, speaks nationally, and appeared in videos on Repetitive
Motion Injuries and Educational Interpreting, and was instrumental in the
establishment of the Special Interest Group in RID for Educational Interpreters
(EdITOR) serving as its first chair. Editor awarded Gary its Outstanding Service
to the Organization and to the Profession Award in 1991.

He has co-authored two papers on issues of power, language, and gender in
interpretation with Dr. Marina McIntire. In 1998 he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Award for a lifetime of service to the field of
interpretation by Region V of RID. He is the co-chair of the NAD-RID
National Council on Interpreting which is implementing the new national
interpreter certification exam for sign language interpreters. In 1999 he was
awarded one of the first Judie Husted Awards for dedication and commitment to
the field of sign language interpretation by RID. In 2003 he was awarded the
RID President’s Award for service to the field of Interpreting.

Latin@s Sordos; INVITES YOU TO COLLEGE SESSION (Los Angeles)

2011-05-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Strategies in Trilingual Interpreting for Deaf Latinos in Chicago

2011-05-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Strategies in Trilingual Interpreting for Deaf Latinos

Chicago, Illinois * Saturday & Sunday

– September 10th & 11th - 2011

Alicia Soto
Fri: 7:00p -
9:00p "Social Event" - (on-your-own) T.B.A. - Info to be emailed before event
Julie Râzuri
Sat: 9:00a -
12:00p "Resources for the Trilingual Interpreter" 3 hrs. RID PS CEU
Sat: 1:00p - 4:00p
"Texas Trilingual Certification Testing Components" 3 hrs. RID PS CEU
Juan Bernal
Sun: 9:00a -
11:00a "Mexican Sign Language (LSM)" 2 hrs. RID PS CEU
Sun: 11:00a -
12:00p "Trilingual Interpreting using a Deaf Interpreter" 1 hrs. RID PS CEU
Melva Flores
Sun: 1:00p - 4:00p
"Interpreting for Deaf Latinos: Cultural Dilemmas" 3 hrs. RID PS CEU

Mexican Sign Language (LSM)
(Presented: ASL – Interpreted: Spanish)
As more and more Deaf Latinos populate the United States, there is a growing demand for
trilingual interpreters to become familiar with LSM,
Lengua de Señas Mexicana. Trilingual
interpreters, ASL interpreters, and those working with Deaf Latinos should become familiar
with LSM signs to help in the understanding and interpreting process. During this two hour
workshop, participants will learn approximately 50 commonly used LSM signs. A sign used in
one region of Mexico may not be the signed used in another region. Participants will engage
in practice of LSM sign to formulate sentences.

Trilingual Interpreting with a Deaf Interpreter
(Presented: ASL – Interpreted: Spanish)
This one hour session will demonstrate proper ways for an interpreter to work with a D.I. or
C.D.I.
(Certified) Deaf Interpreter. Often times, the deaf client may use high visual language,
gesture, home signs or sign language from another country. A DI/CDI familiar with that
country's sign language, heavy ASL, or minimal language is crucial for providing the best
interpretation possible. Participants will see scenarios demonstrated using a deaf model and
trilingual interpreter.

Interpreting for Deaf Latinos: Cultural Dilemmas
(Presented: English – Interpreted: ASL)
This workshop will focus on the cultural differences between American, Deaf Latino and
Latino/Hispanic. In order to be an effective interpreter you must be Bilingual (Spanish/English)
Bicultural (American/Latino/Hispanic) or Trilingual (ASL/English/Spanish) and Tricultural
(American/Deaf Latino/Latino/Hispanic). A discussion of common interpreting scenarios in
which is it necessary to be culturally aware of the dynamics of each culture, in order to
eliminate or diminish any misunderstandings or false interpretations, will be presented. How
to appropriately intervene an interpreting situation, with out over stepping your interpreter
role, due to these cultural differences will be discussed. Which includes cultural mediation
when necessary. This workshop will focus on common misinterpretations made due to cultural
differences. Tips will be given to participants to help determine, as an interpreter, if the
message is being render faithfully through the spoken/signed interpretation and the cultural
implications. All examples will be supported by giving examples of the Registry of Interpreters
Code of Ethics.

Resources for the Trilingual Interpreter
(Presented: English - Interpreted: ASL)
This presentation on Resources for the Trilingual Interpreter is ideal for interpreters who
already have at least a conversational understanding of spoken Spanish. Primarily this
workshop will be presented in English though Spanish and ASL will be used throughout. This
workshop would include discussion on varied Spanish words/phrases for a concept and how
they might differ among countries or regions. Participants will engage in specific exercises on
colloquiums and regionalisms. Participants are welcome to bring any monolingual or bilingual
dictionaries of their choosing. Participants will leave with website addresses and book titles
that will further aid them in varied country colloquiums/regionalisms.

Texas Trilingual Certification Testing Components
(Presented: English – Interpreted: ASL)
This presentation on the Texas Trilingual Certification process is ideal for the first-time Texas
certification applicant or an individual who is seeking a better understanding of the testing
process. The goal of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive, user-friendly approach to
entering into the Texas testing system. Participants will receive information about eligibility
requirements for the Test of Spanish Proficiency and the Advance and Master performance
test. The participant will be given instructions on how to apply and associated fees. They will
be also directed to available resources and be given an abbreviated sample of the components
associated with the process.

* You must attend a workshop in it's entirety to earn the CEUs. No partial CEUs are granted.
* Attending all workshops is a total possible RID CEUs = 12 hours / 1.2 RID PS CEUs.

Location:
31 W. Ohio St.,
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 335-1996

attached pdf
.
-- Tim Mahoney, IL-I5,T5, NIC-Adv
-- Illinois RID - PDC, Egroup, CMP-Workshops - www.ilrid.org

__,_._,___

Racism at Gallaudet

2011-05-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hola Gente!

I am posting a great article that was written for the Buff and Blue by Elena Ruiz. Let's continue this dialogue about race relations and begin to create change at all educational institutions. I really encourage interpreters to read this as well and think about the impact of racism on our field and the Deaf Community as a whole. We have a lot of progress to be made but I truly believe we can accomplish a more inclusive environment for all.

Gilberto Partida

Gallaudet's hidden crisis: racism

Lately, I’ve been sensing a different sort of tension at Gallaudet.

Racism.

This word can evoke an array of images of appalling, stomach-turning incidents predating the Civil Rights Movement — separate drinking fountains, whites at the front of the bus; black people at the back, segregated schools, and so on. But I wonder how many of us are able to point out the inequality that’s happening right in front of us: the inequality that is still based on race and is under the ever-safe cover of colorblind racism.

Colorblind racism is the continued racism that denies its existence. Colorblind racism denies that racism exists because it is not the same racism that we can easily recognize like what went on before the Civil Rights era; it doesn’t want to discuss the racism that isn’t as obvious and shocking as “it used to be.” But anyone who takes a walk down 8th Street can see the obvious residential segregation that continues today — to give one example out of many. But we just don’t talk about it — and many of us just don’t want to.

By denying it, ignoring it, pushing it into the corner, racism continues to breathe and live on. Most of us don’t want to see it, at any cost. And sadly, obviously, Gallaudet is not immune to this. From what I see here on campus, racism is a dirty little secret that’s so often thrown out the window, swept under the rug, or suffocated into non-existence. So now I am lifting the rug.

Recently, while spending some time on Facebook, I came across a picture of some students on campus from Halloween 2010. This picture had a group of young, white deaf men with brown make-up all over their faces and necks to depict a team of black athletes. Or to put it more bluntly, a group of misguided young, white deaf men in blackface. Yes, blackface.

Scrolling down to the comments section, I was hoping to see posts that shared my disbelief and outrage. But all I saw were comments that cheered on the misguided young men and many “LOLs.” I didn’t see anyone brave enough to simply say, “This isn’t right.” No one mentioned the awful, racist history of blackface, and how it was a way to demean and oppress black people by using the cover of comedy and entertainment. Looking at the images, I was reminded of Frederick Douglass’s condemning description of blackface performers as “…the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied to them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow-citizens.”* I wonder why Douglass’s stark expression hasn’t been even remotely considered here, and how this neglect leads to scores of white college students approaching the act of applying brown paint lightly, as it is only for humorous value. Did they/we realize how they/we demean an entire group of people when we fail to recall such a horrid era of history?

After seeing that picture, I truly wonder how many of my deaf peers think about these questions, and if we deaf people of color have emotional, psychological, and physical safety on campus as I hoped we did. I often think to myself: “Why and how is white privilege everywhere here at Gallaudet? How can we, the deaf community, be a part of an oppressed minority, yet still commit horrifying acts that harm other oppressed communities?” It’s a contradiction that I struggle with daily, and I am beginning to see so much of it here on campus.

I’ve listened to countless accounts from students of color about their feelings of academic and social exclusion, and of being the painfully obvious, brown-skinned “token” for a variety of events and programs. Really, how many performances or panels have we gone to that predominantly consisted of all-white students/staff with maybe one person of color sitting on the outskirts? Imagine being welcomed into a group solely based on the bullshit “diversity” points the group thinks it’ll receive from the larger campus community. But that’s just tokenism and not promoting equitable representation. “Tokenism,” or adding in one lone person of color in any group to ensure that “diversity” is being upheld is a widespread trend at Gallaudet, with students, staff, and faculty being the victims of such a practice. If we think about it, it’s utterly debasing.

Yet I’ve seen many white students roll their eyes when we students of color want to express what we go through, chalking us up to being “negative” and/or “obsessive” about what we experience, making a final, dismissive sweep towards our pain. I’m tired of seeing my classmates say, “But there’s been so much progress with racism! It barely exists anymore like it used to, and back then it was really bad! So let’s not talk about it.” I don’t like being made out to seem hysterical and over-the-top in my struggle to express my experience and the experiences of other deaf people of color. I do not think we deserve that. And guess what? We need to talk about it.

Following such discussions with my classmates, I’ve experienced professors who constantly redirect classroom discourse to audism as our primary, and even only, community struggle as deaf people. Many times, I have seen a professor reply to my attempts to discuss the deaf person of color’s experience by saying, “But really, deaf identity comes first… the deaf person experiences audism before all else.” But our struggles with audism do not automatically mean that all deaf people experience primarily audism. Just claiming audism does not grant the (oftentimes white) leaders of our community the right to rank which “-ism” should be first, second, or third, or so on in the daily struggles of all deaf people. We can’t rank audism as number one as a way to ignore the racism happening in our community.

When white deaf people wish to turn a blind eye to the racism that happens in our deaf community, they dismiss the painful experiences that many deaf people of color go through. By denying that such experiences happen, these experiences will continue to happen. And our deaf community will continue to be a broken one. I believe that it is shameful that we’re following the oppressive patterns of white, male, hearing society — the exact same thinking that creates our own oppression. Yes, it is a shameful irony.

We need to have the issue of racism in our community emerge at the forefront. I believe we can finally address racism, audism, sexism, ableism, and so on in each and every one of ourselves. I believe it is okay to challenge one another to look inside ourselves, see how we have committed acts of racism, or sexism, audism, and so forth. What if we didn’t? This can be uncomfortable for so many of us, but what about the daily struggle that many deaf people of color have to endure based on so many people’s unwillingness to confront our inner –isms? I encourage us to ask ourselves these questions:

-When I try to avoid topics about racism, am I trying to avoid being uncomfortable?

-Am I conscious about different forms of racism in history and in today’s society?

-What are some of the things I do and say that could contribute to racism?

-How can I be careful to not reject a person’s expression of pain based on their experienced racism?
(Note that these questions can be asked of ourselves about other –isms such as sexism, classism, audism, and so on.)

This will be a difficult journey for many of us, but a worthy one. Why? Because we will truly be unable to be free ourselves if we continue to allow others in our community not be free. Let us begin “…[a] revolution capable of healing our wounds. If we’re the ones who can imagine it, if we’re the ones who can dream about it, if we’re the ones who need it most, then no one else can do it. We’re the ones.”** * Douglass, Frederick. “The Hutchinson Family.—Hunkerism.”

In need of a trilingual staff interpreter at the New Mexico School for the Deaf

2011-05-03T22:21:00.001-07:00

Here's a job opening for a trilingual interpreter in New Mexico.

They are losing their person in June!

Arlene

Sarah Patterson

Lead Interpreter

New Mexico School for the Deaf

1060 Cerrillos Rd.

Santa Fe, NM 87505

(505) 476-6304 (voice)

(505) 216-2003, (VP)

Please consider the environment before printing this message.

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail, including all attachment(s) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and destroy all copies of this message.
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______________________________________________________________________

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail, including all attachment(s) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and destroy all copies of this message.
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______________________________________________________________________

Arlene Narváez, CI, CT

Region V Representative

Mano a Mano

region5@manoamano-unidos.org

www.manoamano-unidos.org

Have you registered for RID?

2011-05-01T22:31:00.001-07:00

The RID registration fee has increased! May 1st it will go up to $525 for regular members and $350 for students.

75% refundable is requested by June 15th.

Have you all registered?

Don't forget that there is a trilingual track being offered by RID in partnership with Mano a Mano.

Hope to see you all there.

Arlene

FW: ASL and Spanish Immersion Program Surveys

2011-04-12T19:26:00.001-07:00

can you put the word out on this survey?!

Are you interested in ASL and Spanish Immersion Programs in Puerto Rico?
Universidad del Turabo (University of Turabo) is planning an Immersion Program for signers. Please use this survey to tell program coordinators information that would be most helpful in order to plan the best program possible for the greatest number of people. An immersion program is an intensive, multi-day training that runs all day, everyday, with some social networking opportunities at lunchtime and in the evenings. This program would be for signers and sign language interpreters in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands who want to improve their ASL Skills and is also open to signers and sign language interpreters from the continental United States or the USVI who want to improve their spoken Spanish competence. Please complete the survey by May 31, 2011.
Survey in English:
http://www.asl.neu.edu/riec/projects_activities/regional_activities/immersion_program/

La Universidad del Turabo tiene previsto un programa de inmersión en lenguaje de señas. Por favor, use esta encuesta para ofrecerle a los coordinadores del programa información que será de gran ayuda para la planificación del evento y lograr la mayor participación de personas posible. Un programa de inmersión es un adiestramiento intensivo, de varios días que se lleva a cabo durante todo el día, todos los días, con algunas oportunidades de socializar a la hora del almuerzo y por la noche. Este programa sería para personas que usan el lenguaje de señas e intérpretes de Puerto Rico y de las Islas Vírgenes de los EE.UU. que quieran mejorar sus habilidades de ASL y también está abierto a las personas y los intérpretes del territorio continental de los Estados Unidos o de las Islas Vírgenes de los EE.UU. que desean mejorar su competencia en el uso español. Por favor complete la encuesta en o antes del 31 de mayo de 2011.
Survey in Spanish:
http://www.asl.neu.edu/riec/projects_activities/regional_activities/estudio_para/

--
Diana Doucette, M.Ed., CI, CT
Director, Regional Interpreter Education Center at Northeastern University
American Sign Language MS 0405 ME
Boston, MA 02115-5000

www.asl.neu.edu/riec

617.373.2463 Voice
857.366.4206 VP
617.373.3065 Fax
PR/Number #: H160A100004

To learn more about interpreting as a career, visit http://www.discoverinterpreting.com

NEWS Japan

2011-03-21T16:05:00.001-07:00