2024 Edu-Con Pre-Conference Skill Development Sessions

Daniel Tamayo

SDS 01 - Technical Translation in Education: Up Your Game

May 3, 2024     9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m

In this thought-provoking and interactive workshop, the presenter will discuss translation as a process, including key concepts and strategies that will help participants produce translations that are effective, accurate and flow naturally, when it matters. In the linguistic conversion, translation portion of the presentation, we will analyze texts in English and the potential translation challenges they may present, particularly due to their technical nature. This section will include grammatical, structural and lexical-semantic areas of difficulty that are common in technical English texts from fields such as education. As Spanish is one of the main working languages of the presenter, some translations into Spanish will be used when deemed effective and/or efficient. Colleagues with working languages other than Spanish are very welcome and encouraged to participate.

Eliane Sfeir-Markus

SDS 02 - The Art of Intervening Without Interfering in Educational Settings

May 3, 2024     9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.

Being able to intervene appropriately is a necessary skill in the toolbox of an interpreter.  However, there is a fine line between intervening and interfering. During this workshop, we will practice intervening without interfering while performing consecutive interpretation. We will apply critical thinking to decide when we should or shouldn’t intervene and how. We will discuss the questions “when is an interpreter actually interfering?” and “what are the considerations that should be taken before intervening?” We will analyze the three principles of AAITE code of ethics (accuracy, impartiality, and professional conduct), and examine how interpreters abide by these principles while intervening. This workshop is a rundown of what interpreters should replicate in their lab while practicing. “The Art of Intervening Without Interfering” will help interpreters sharpen their skills in consecutive interpreting, develop the phraseology necessary to intervene, and learn the criteria for deciding when to intervene.

Elena Langdon

Decalage Is Not a Dirty Word: Simultaneous for Educational Interpreters

May 3, 2024     9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.

This hands-on session will present the basic theory and skills necessary to learn, monitor and improve one’s ability to interpret in the simultaneous mode. After examining some theoretical models of interpreting, we will break down this mode into skills that can be learned, and spend much of our time practicing exercises that help build those skills. We will cover apps and software to use when practicing simultaneous, and the importance of continuous monitoring and improvement. In order to get the most out of this session, please bring a recording device (including a phone, iPad or digital recorded) and a pair of headphones/earbuds.