Program

Thursday, June 14

AN INTRODUCTION TO CALIFORNIA COURT INTERPRETING

Attendees will get an overview of the profession of court interpreting and what is required to become a court interpreter in California. California Court Interpreters work full time or part time as both staff interpreters with benefits and as contractors, after receiving their certification or registered status in Spanish or any of the hundreds of languages spoken throughout California. All 58 courts around the state regularly are in need of court interpreting services. An explanation will be given of which languages fall under which status, along with an overview of the process, how the statewide system is set up and how courts find interpreters. We will explore differences between different types of interpreting and go over ways to prepare for the court interpreting examination process.Offered by the Court Interpreters Program, Administrative Office of the Courts.

FESTIVAL OF CULTURES Welcome and Networking Reception

Generously hosted by Language Line Services, celebrating it's 30th Anniversary connecting people and cultures through interpreting.

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Friday, June 15

Introduction and Overview - Staying Relevant in a Transforming Profession
Moderators: Barry Slaughter Olsen and Katharine Allen, Co-Presidents, InterpretAmerica

Keynote Plenary: The Digital Revolution and Multilingual Communications - A New Paradigm
Speaker: Scott Klososky, Business Consultant and Writer
In just 7 short years, 1/12 of humanity has become connected via Facebook. It is not just that the pace of communications change has accelerated, it's gone into hyper drive. The implications for multilingual communication from the local to the global are hard to overstate. This session will bring insight and analysis from an expert outside the field of interpreting who will shed light on what we can expect to come down the pike and how to prepare for it.

Plenary Panel:
Integrating New Technologies into the Interpreting Workplace - Case Studies
Moderator - TBA
Case Studies Going from the global to the specific, this session will take the vision of the keynote plenary and provide concrete examples from across the profession for how technology is being successfully integrated into our workplace settings. From advances in the remote delivery of the interpreter's voice to increasingly sophisticated online training resources and hand-held devices, these panel experts will deliver the emerging communications paradigm in bite-sized, digestible chunks.

Afternoon Workgroups: Shaping the Future of Interpreting
Track 1: Is It Time for a Generalist Interpreter Certification?
Moderator: Katharine Allen, InterpretAmerica
Roundtable for Professional Associations and Interpreter Certification Organizations Leaders for professional associations and organizations dedicated to interpreter certification will gather to identify next steps towards a generalist interpreter certification process.

Track 2: Contemplating a National Consortium for Interpreter Trainers & Educators
Moderators: Laura Burian, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Julie Burns, Language Access Consultant/Interpreter Trainer
Working off the White Paper recommendations from the 2nd Summit, trainers and educators from across the field will chart next steps towards a national consortium for interpreting training and education.

Track 3: Towards a Working Technology Partnership for the Interpreting Profession, Moderators: Becca Bryant, Williams Sound and Dan Gatti, Stratus Video
Interpreters, technology designers, LSPs and vendors sit down to envision a better framework for ongoing collaboration to improve the creation, distribution and use of technology tools for the profession.

Track 4: Creating Connections with End Users of Interpreting Services: From LEPs to LSPs
Moderators: Rosanna Balistreri, Reach-reaching diversity, Giovanna Contreras, Cesco Linguistic Services
A diverse group of interpreting services end users will gather to start a dialog for how the interpreting profession can better integrate end user perspectives into industry practices.

Track 5: One Profession, One Voice - Selling the Interpreting Profession to the Public, Special Moderator, Spencer Critchley, Boots Road Group
Someday, “I Am An Interpreter” might carry as much meaning as “I Am A Doctor” or “I Am A Teacher.” Right now, interpreters routinely complain about poor professional recognition, low pay, lack of prestige, and how undervalued the service we provide is. But before something can be truly valued, it must be first perceived and then understood. Interested in doing something about our professional image? Join award-winning communications consultant Spencer Critchley from Boots Road Group, for this workgroup. Attendees will receive a crash course on PR and then work to create a unified messaging for the profession. Your contributions will be captured and published as a beginning publicity template for our industry.

All Day: EXHIBITION HALL & POSTER SESSION

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Saturday, June 16

Introduction and Overview - Staying Relevant in a Transforming Profession
Moderators: Katharine Allen, Co-President, InterpretAmerica

Plenary Panel: Interpreting in Conflict Zones
Speakers: Barbara Moser-Mercer, University of Geneval - TBA: Military Officer and Linguist
Moderator: Jonathan Levy , Sargent Tariq Hamid (OEF), Specialist Waly Momen (OND) & Executive Officer, 1st Lieutenant Colin Lober, 51ST TICO

Interpreters who help bridge communication barriers in war zones, during national disasters or for refugees provide a service of incalculable worth and often put themselves at risk of great harm, yet they are the least visible in our profession and have the fewest resources. This very special panel will shed light on interpreting on the front lines and provide suggestions for how the field can better meet the needs of these important sectors.

Plenary: From Weekend Workshops to PhDs: Is A Generalist Educational Framework for Interpreting Possible in the United States?
Speakers: Dr. Renée Journdenais, Dean, Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education, Monterey Institute of International Studies and Dr. Andrew Clifford, Chair, Glendon School of Translation, York University
The European Union, Canada, and many other nations around the world have established clear educational pathways to becoming a professional interpreter. In the US, however, with the exception of signed-language interpreting, our field has developed educational tracks according to sector specialization first, with no accepted course identified for gaining basic interpreting skills as the first step towards becoming a practitioner. The consequences plague our profession: a graying field, the lack of a commonly agreed-upon knowledge and skill base for practitioners, and poor recognition for our profession nationally. This session will examine successful generalist models and explore possible next steps for creating such an educational pathway here in the United States.

Afternoon Plenary:
Shaping the Future of Interpreting - Preliminary Workgroup Recommendations
Speaker: Katharine Allen, Co-President, InterpretAmerica
The preliminary results from Friday's workgroup sessions on certification, interpreter education, technology, end users of interpreting, and public relations will be presented. Final results will be published in a second White Paper later in 2012.

Closing Keynote: Life in The Public Eye
Speaker: Jack Jason, Sign Language Interpreter and Solo One Productions
Join us for the inspiring life story of a special guest who has spent his life in the public eye as interpreter for a celebrity. His career provides unique insight into the critical role interpreters can play in the creative and artistic process. He also provides a strong positive public model for our profession. This is a not to be missed speech!

Final Plenary and Wrap-up
Moderators: Barry S. Olsen and Katharine Allen, Co-Presidents, Interpret America

All Day: EXHIBITION HALL & POSTER SESSION