Weekend Double Header

ASLIA VIC PD 2 & 3 June 2012

ASLIA VIC’s weekend of professional development in early June was a great gathering of signed and spoken language interpreters. We came together sharing insights, experiences and ideas for common challenges.

Saturday offered two streams and first I attended an excellent sessions on ethics and mental health interpreting. Academics from Monash University and practitioners acknowledged that we do not currently train well in the area of mental health and it presents us with many grey areas.

Duty of care, neutrality, cultural clarification, mandatory reporting and legal privilege were among the issues that were highlighted as challenges. Knowing one’s ethical and
professional frameworks are thus imperative.

We then moved on to a session led by Marianne Bridge and Maria Maggio de Leo. In sharing some of their experiences working in mental health - this duo held the room. We were all astounded by the intensity of some of their stories and how challenging it must have been. I am sure many wondered as I did.... “How would I have felt in that situation? How would I have responded to that?”

This session provided much food for thought on the realities of working in this arena, and a discussion therefore, on the need for supervision for interpreters to allow processing of what they have witnessed (usually without agency to act). Congratulations to both Marianne and Maria for the hard work they have done on behalf of other interpreters in mental health. I am sure NABS and all of the interpreting community look forward to hearing more about the upcoming discussions with Victorian government.

Day two included sessions by Della Goswell on Role shift and Classifier use, and Maree Madden on working between Auslan and English. Both presenters were a delight and took us from theory into practice.

Congratulations to ASLIA VIC on a great weekend of learning. Thanks to all organised and sponsored the event too.

What a welcome and worthwhile opportunity for me! It was a joy to head across the strait from Tassie to catch up with Melbourne colleagues and meet some new faces.

See you all the next time!

Ali Dowl