Interpreter's Workshop with Tim Curry
This unique (sometimes funny, sometimes serious) podcast focuses on supporting signed language interpreters in the European countries by creating a place with advice, tips, ideas, feelings and people to come together. Interpreter's Workshop with Tim Curry deals with the fact that many countries do not have education for sign language interpreters. Here we talk to sign language interpreters, teachers, and researchers, to look at the real issues and share ideas for improvement from many countries. Signed language interpreters usually work alone or in small teams. This can create a feeling of uncertainty about our work, our skills and our roles. Here is the place to connect and find certainty. Let me know what you need at https://interpretersworkshop.com/contact/ and TRANSCRIPTS here: https://interpretersworkshop.com/transcripts
Interpreter's Workshop with Tim Curry
IW 188: InterpreTip-10: Be You
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One tip, ten minutes.
One tip in ten minutes for a quick listen.
You are you. Know you. Be you. That's all you can be. So... be.
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Thanks for listening. I'll see you next week.
Take care now.
IW 188: InterpreTip-10: Be You
[ROCK INTRO MUSIC STARTS]
00:00:02 Tim
Good morning, good evening, good afternoon. Wherever you are, this is the Interpreter's Workshop podcast. I'm Tim Curry, your host. Here we talk everything sign language interpreting the ins, the outs, the ups, the downs, the sideways of interpreting. If you're a student, a new interpreter, experienced interpreter, this is the place for you. If you want to know more, go to interpretersworkshop.com.
00:00:28 Tim
Let's start talking... interpreting.
[ROCK INTRO MUSIC ENDS]
00:00:35 Tim [ONLY TIM SPEAKS IN THIS EPISODE]
And now, InterpreTip-10 minutes or less.
00:00:39
Let's see if I can do it.
00:00:40
I'll give you one tip and only one tip in under 10 minutes.
00:00:45
Can we do it?
00:00:47
Well, let's challenge ourselves to speak less and mean more.
00:00:52
Can we do that?
00:00:53
I think I can.
00:00:55
All right, let's go.
00:00:57
The one tip we should all take to heart is: be ourselves.
00:01:01
Be you.
00:01:02
Some may say, be authentic.
00:01:05
Clearly, we can say it's all about you.
00:01:09
Your work, your interpretation is coming from you.
00:01:14
It's how you perceive the world, how you perceive what people mean when they say certain things.
00:01:21
What they say means something different to you than the next interpreter.
00:01:28
So, we must embrace that.
00:01:30
Be comfortable with the fact that all of the ethical decisions, all of the practical decisions, what signs you use, what emphasis you might put at different parts of the interpretation, all come from your perspective, from your world lens.
00:01:50
So do that.
00:01:52
Be you.
00:01:52
Accept it.
00:01:55
Have more confidence in “yours”.
00:01:59
Because we all know that your perspective is going to change over time.
00:02:04
The more experience you get, the more knowledge you gain, the more practice you work, the better your perspective is going to be towards understanding and handling these situations.
00:02:20
As we learn new subjects, new concepts, new variations in signed languages, we grow and we perceive things differently.
00:02:31
So, who you are changes as well.
00:02:34
Your idea of how to follow a code of ethics or conduct or ethical decisions, all of those change over time because we become more “fluent” in different viewpoints, and therefore we can understand someone else's viewpoint a little bit better from their perspective, which means we can then put that into our interpretation more accurately, more consciously.
00:03:06
So, start by being you.
00:03:08
Try not to copy what other people sign.
00:03:12
Learn from it.
00:03:14
See how they do it and why they do it and ask those questions.
00:03:18
Take notes.
00:03:20
Think about it.
00:03:21
Ask why is it different than my own interpretations?
00:03:26
Why does it impress on me that it is different?
00:03:30
Is there something in your perspective that you haven't thought of or noticed before?
00:03:36
All of that analytical, critical thinking helps us change and improve and develop our own skills mentally, cognitively, practically, however you want to think of them.
00:03:49
It helps us develop who we are as interpreters.
00:03:55
And personally, because we can't leave the situation.
00:04:00
We can't put someone else there when we are there.
00:04:05
So be you.
00:04:06
Be authentic.
00:04:08
Do the best that you can do.
00:04:11
And own it whenever you make a mistake.
00:04:15
And I know own it is kind of a strange way of saying it.
00:04:19
It's not really clear.
00:04:22
What I mean by that is, know that you've made a mistake, accept that fact, and fix it accordingly.
00:04:30
Take the responsibility for making a mistake or for your decisions, even when the consequences didn't turn out exactly the way you thought they would.
00:04:41
Take that responsibility.
00:04:42
Say, yes, I did that for various reasons, but now I know a better way.
00:04:48
It's not that we were wrong in a negative way.
00:04:53
It is only that we made what we thought was the best decision in that moment and we found out that there are better ways.
00:05:01
But we couldn't have made those “better way decisions” without making that mistake first.
00:05:09
That's how we learn a better way.
00:05:11
That's how we realize what is a better way.
00:05:15
So, start where you are.
00:05:17
That's where we learn.
00:05:19
That's how we really connect understanding to practice, by knowing what level you are at right now, what skill level you're at, what decision-making skill level you're at.
00:05:36
Know you, be authentic and accept who you are now so that you can then attach new understanding to it.
00:05:46
You can't go from knowing third grade mathematics to understanding quantum physics or engineering mathematics in one day.
00:05:57
You have to be able to connect the dots from point A to point Q.
00:06:03
All of those dots must be connected to get the understanding thoroughly.
00:06:09
So, start where you are, know where you are, know your limits, and build from there.
00:06:16
Start with the confidence level that you have.
00:06:19
Be confident.
00:06:21
“I am here and I'm doing my best.”
00:06:24
“And gosh darn it, people like me.” [referencing Saturday Night Live]
00:06:26
If you don't get that reference, that's okay.
00:06:29
It's an American TV show from way back when.
00:06:34
If you do get it, laugh.
00:06:36
I am.
00:06:38
So that's the tip for today.
00:06:40
10 minutes or less.
00:06:41
Be you.
00:06:42
Quite an easy thought for all of us.
00:06:46
It's a new year.
00:06:47
We're in the second month.
00:06:49
Go out and be you.
00:06:52
So, until next time, keep calm.
00:06:55
Keep interpreting you as you know.
00:06:58
I'll see you next week.
00:07:00
Take care now.
[SHORT TRANSITION MUSIC]
[ROCK EXIT MUSIC STARTS]
00:07:06
I hope you enjoyed this shorter version of InterpreTips, but I need a favor from you.
00:07:12
You know the algorithms are crazy.
00:07:15
In fact, the word itself is rather hard to get your mouth around.
00:07:20
“Algorithm.”
00:07:21
Just go to Spotify or Apple Podcasts and rate and review and share with your colleagues.
00:07:29
When you write and review it, it helps my algorithm for the podcast to get it out to more interpreters.
00:07:37
Do this small part for me, and I really appreciate it.
00:07:41
Thank you.
[ROCK EXIT MUSIC ENDS AT 00:08:16]
