Course Grading System

1. YWTBAI? Quizzes                                                                             40%
2. Interpreter Interview Research Project                                               20%
3. Fieldwork                                                                                             20%
4. Deliverables (CRP, IRRs, Course Activities, & Course Assessment) 20%

You Want To Be An Interpreter? (YWTBAI) by Humphrey & Alcorn 5th edition ISBN: 978-0976713265

1. Weekly Readings & YWTBAI Quizzes

Students will read textbook chapters to prepare for quizzes over each chapter. Students will take quizzes by the due date (Wednesdays & Sundays of end of each week). Once quizzes/tests close, there will not be an opportunity to take them late.

2. Interpreter Interview Research Project

Students will select a topic, an interpreter who has knowledge of the topic to interview, & develop an accessible presentation on the topic chosen using this google doc (sign on with your ACC email.) All students will review two classmates’ presentations and provide a substantial response. Every aspect of the project must be completed on time to receive the credit.

3. Fieldwork

Students will complete the following 4 cultural, language, and professional opportunities from the following categories & write a summary of the opportunity:

• Interpreting Observation: 

Students must:

• Obtain permission from consumers and interpreters prior to observing,
• Dress & behave professionally & in a non-distracting manner,
• Pay attention and take good notes (not just signs but also decisions the interpreters are making) to be used for debriefing,
• Request brief time to debrief with interpreter(s) and engage in a meaningful discussion of the work evidencing critical thinking, and
• Write a brief summary of the opportunity. 

• Attendance at a Cultural/Language Immersion event (aka Deaf event)

Students must:

• Dress & behave professionally & in a non-distracting manner,
• Pay attention, 
• Sign at all times, 
• Be assertive & meet a Deaf person you have not previously met (don’t just hang out with other students),
• Respect Deaf spaces, and
• Stay the entire time OR only leave on a break and in a non-distracting way.

• Volunteer at a Deaf-run event

Students must:

• Dress & behave professionally & in a non-distracting manner,
• Pay attention, 
• Sign at all times, 
• Be assertive & ask what needs to be done instead of waiting for someone to tell you to do something, 
• Respect Deaf spaces, 
• Stay the entire time OR only leave on a break, if you need to leave, inform the organizer or someone in charge, and leave in a non-distracting way.

• Interpreter Event 

Students must:

• Dress & behave professionally & in a non-distracting manner,
• Pay attention, 
• Sign at all times unless otherwise told to use spoken or written English, 
• Respect the space - if the workshop is for certified interpreters, hold questions/comments & ask them privately of someone, 
• Stay the entire time OR only leave on a break, if you need to leave, leave in a non-distracting way.

4. Deliverables (CRP, IRRs, Course Activities, & Course Assessment)

Students will complete course activities and 3 deliverables:

1. IRR (Interpreting Readiness Rubric + summary (IRRs are not accepted without the summaries) 
   1. Pre-IRR due in Week 1
   2. Post-IRR + summary due in Week 8
2. Cumulative Reflection Paper (CRP) due in Week 8
3. Course Self Assessment due in Week 8

Course Rationale/Objectives
This course introduces students to the profession of interpreting. At the completion of the course, students will be able to:  

• Describe standard practices, employment trends, compensation, and professional business practices in the current job market;
• Explain the tenets of the Code of Professional Conduct and the Standards of Ethical Behavior and apply them to situational decision-making;
• Analyze the history of ASL/English interpreting and its evolution to current practice;
• Explore aspects of communication and language; and
• Describe issues of language, identity, power, privilege, culture, multiculturalism, and control and their impact on the role of the interpreter and the goals of interpreting.