Abstract:
Sign language interpreters have gained high visibility in the broadcast media during COVID-19 as their work can be seen on screen daily during press-conferences in states and territories across Australia. English-Auslan interpreters have had the particularly challenging task of interpreting COVID updates and government messages presented at televised press-conferences by a suite of speakers, including premiers, ministers and other politicians, health officials and experts, followed by journalists shouting out questions, all at once. Like interpreters in spoken languages, sign language interpreters have to ensure that they transfer meaning accurately from English into Auslan, while keeping up with the pace of the speakers’ delivery, specialised expert terminology, the discourse of politicians, and trying to overcome the challenges of poor acoustics and speakers wearing masks.
Unlike interpreters in migrant languages who mostly work in the consecutive mode in community settings, Auslan interpreters in the main provide simultaneous interpretation. The majority of Auslan interpreters whom we see onscreen are certified interpreters who are not deaf. Sometimes a hearing and a Deaf interpreter work in relay, so that a member of the target community delivers the message. In this case, the English source text is 'fed' by a hearing Auslan interpreter, in Auslan, to the certified Deaf Interpreter on the podium. The Deaf interpreter then further expands that source text into a more visual and gestural form of Auslan for the signing deaf audience.
In this seminar three sign language interpreters will share their experience of interpreting during COVID, in conversation with Ludmila Stern: Katie Hinton, Auslan-English Certified Interpreter (NSW); Julie Judd, Auslan-English Conference Interpreter and past National President of ASLIA (Vic) and Linda Warby, Deaf interpreter (NSW). The topics under discussion will include what is unique to sign language interpreting in the media and what is common to all interpreting in community settings, highlighting the requirements of competence, working conditions, the interaction with speakers, and strategies interpreters use to overcome challenges.
Interpretation into Auslan and English is facilitated by Della Goswell (MQ University Lecturer, Convenor Auslan-English Interpreting Program) and Kelly North (VIC, and MQ University student).
