Years later I was delighted to find Dr Marina was also a fabulous interpreter, trainer and mentor.

One of my favorite memories of Marina is sitting during workshops and knitting. She was pleased to wear the infra red system and trust the voice interpreters to do their work. It also taught all of us there was no shame in using an interpreter for whatever reason we chose.

The best lesson I ever learned from Marina was to let things go. When a job was done, I had twenty minutes or three kleenexes to weep and wail over it. Then it ws time to move on, learn what was worth keeping and get on with things.

I have lost touch with her since I moved to the middle of the country, but I think of her every time I attend a workshop or have a bad day. My life is truly the better for knowing her.

If you would like to see a sample of her research, here is a link to a PDF at RID.org that she and Gary Sanderson put together. I hope you enjoy it, I did.

The idea actually came from the recent OKRID Come Together 8 conference held here in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  During the conference, attendees had the opportunity to write memories of the best advice they were given or advice they would pass on to the next generation of interpreters.

It was such a great idea, I though to spread it around.

So I will be sharing information about several people that have blessed me with their insight and wisdom over the years.  Some of them may not know how much they meant to me, but maybe they will see these and realize they made such a difference.

The first on my list, regretfully, is no longer with us.  Before he fell ill, I did have the chance to tell him how much I treasured him and that provides me with some consolation.

I am writing about Gary Sanderson.

He was the supervisor of interpreters at California State University Northridge the year I graduated from Los Angeles Pierce College and so he was the first to accept my burgeoning skills and give me a chance as an interpreter.  My fondest memory is of him, coffee cup in one hand, other hand signing away as he regaled us with ideas for better seating, better lighting, how to handle difficult situations and any other logistical help we needed.

He always had time to talk.  When I went through my divorce, he listened.  When I doubted my skills, he showed me what I could do. When my temper flared, he made me laugh.

He was more than an interpreting mentor - he taught me not to take life too seriously and definitely don't take it too personally.

While the world is a little dimmer with him gone, I hope all people who ever worked with him carry a little of his laughter and his manner out to share with others.

And then we never lose him.

Have you got a mentor you would like to honor?  Email me at mhuber@accenton.net and I will be happy to post it for you.

See you next week.

My first impulse was to send marketing material to every college and university I could find that had a disability services department. Of course, that's every public college and university in the United States, right? Since I have no idea how well my speech-to-text proposal would be received, I thought it made sense to cast as wide a net as possible in the hopes that one or two or even three schools were interested in my services. I know how many hours I need to work at the rate I expect to charge in order to make ends meet, so I have a solid goal for client numbers.

Then I realized - what if more schools are interested in services than I have time for? What if they all need services at the same time of the day? How do I choose who to work with and how can I fathom turning someone away when I'm just starting out?

I need to rethink my strategy. Maybe a more targeted marketing campaign would be a good idea. Start smaller and work my way up... It's hard to think of losing potential clients that might have been gained through a blanket marketing campaign, but maybe I would be better able to handle a smaller group of respondents instead of putting myself in a position that might overwhelm me.

Ugh. This is a choice that is not easy to make. Risk missing out on business or risk being in over my head. How to choose?

For example:

If a college already has a contract with a captionist who normally works in the classroom, what do they do if that captionist calls in sick at the last minute? With a contracted remote captionist available, they could simply make a quick phone call, make sure the student has a laptop, and provide service in a pinch.

Another thought:

A college has two students taking classes back to back. It would be impossible for a captionist to physically travel from one of the classes to the other class in time to provide services to both students. A remote captionist could log in from anywhere and provide services for both clients because there is no travel time involved.

Also:

Two schools in the same area need captionists. There aren't enough captionists available to physically attend classes at both school locations. A single captionist working remotely could cover both campuses without having to charge for mileage or travel time.

Do you have any ideas of ways remote captioning could improve a school's support of Deaf/HoH students in the classroom?

It's pretty amazing. I've run some tests, and Skype will allow me to share my screen with my C-Print program so that the person on the other end of the connection can view what I'm typing. Imagine! A student with a netbook perched on the edge of the desk following along with the speech-to-text translation without having to deal with an extra person in the room. Accessibility offices with dozens of service providers available from all over the nation instead of a handful of local providers.

There are some drawbacks, of course. Each student would need to be equipped with a laptop, netbook, or computer so that they could see the speech-to-text during class. The service provider will not be able to use visual aids that the classroom is seeing. Small groups or field trips could be a challenge. The student would also need to be fluent in English and preferably be comfortable speaking for themselves.

I'm also aware of the many types of speech-to-text technologies being used in the classroom already. All of them have their benefits and drawbacks, and I plan to discuss them all in greater detail in another post.

Today I'm just blown away by the possibilities. Students could become free from geographical limits and receive the support they need to complete a degree at any school. The service doesn't have to be limited to real-time classroom settings, either. The possibilities are astounding.

What do you think? Would remote speech-to-text services through a C-print or Typewell or CART provider work for you or your students? Have you ever seen it done? Do you or does your agency offer speech-to-text services to the Deaf/HoH?

If you're interested in the idea, check back again next week. I plan to use this blog to document my exploration and hopefully my entrance into the business of providing real-time or consecutive speech-to-text services for students across the nation.

Have you ever worked with someone who didn't seem to understand the boundaries of social interaction? How did you handle the problem?  Educating the consumer is always a big part of being an interpreter, but what do you do if your client doesn't understand things like time lag?

Everyone who has worked for a few years has a horror story. Tell us about yours - without spilling anything confidential like name, place, or other incriminating evidence.

What it means in conversation: The football savvy among you may realize that NOBODY plays football on Monday mornings. This term describes all of the people who watch the NFL play football on Sunday and spend all day Monday explaining what they would have done differently to win the games. A Monday morning quarterback has all the right answers the day after the answers would have been helpful. The term has been broadened to refer to anyone who comes up with a great solution after it is too late to make a difference.

What it means in conversation: Hopelessly pursuing something that has already failed. When you're beating a dead horse, you're rehashing an argument or revisiting an idea that has no chance of working. It wastes your time and the time of the people you are talking to. It's called beating a dead horse because you can't hurt a horse that's already dead any more than you can accomplish whatever it is you're still trying to do.

What it means in conversation: You're stuck. There are no good options or solutions left to solve your situation, so you're left choosing between the lesser of two evils. The rock won't move, and the hard place isn't yielding either. This expression is a little more folksy, but it can be used any time there is a difficult choice that must be made and can't be put off any longer.

What it means in conversation: According to Hoyle means strictly by the rules. Hoyle was a famous playing card manufacturer who also wrote the definitive guide to playing several different card games. If you play something "According to Hoyle," it means that you are following Hoyle's rules precisely.

The phrase has been extended to include any situation where someone follows the rules. The phrase can be used to describe someone who is an honest businessperson or trustworthy.