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Mentorship
Mentorship Defined
According to RID, “mentoring
is a goal-oriented relationship between two interpreters: a mentor and a second
individual…who seeks to learn and grow through association with that mentor…The
mentor has more experience, skill or knowledge, either of interpreting in
general, or of some specific aspect of interpreting.”
The purpose of ACC’s Mentorship
Program is to give less experienced Sign Language Interpreters, called “Protégés,”
an opportunity to improve their skills through partnerships with more
experienced interpreters, or “Mentors.” Through such partnerships, ACC hopes
to increase its pool of competent professional interpreters.
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Who Qualifies?
Mentors:
- Are employed by Austin Community
College (either as a Staff or Hourly Interpreter)
- Hold TCDHH Level III or above; RID
IC/TC; CI; CT; CI/CT; CSC and/or
- Demonstrate expertise in the
subject area for which they are interpreting
- Have at least 5 years experience as
a paid interpreter and
- At least 3 of those years
interpreting in a post-secondary setting
- Are knowledgeable regarding current
issues and literature in the field of Interpreting
- Have good interpersonal skills
Protégés:
- Are employed by Austin Community
College (either as a Staff or Hourly Interpreter) or
- Are students in an Interpreter
Preparation Program with an internship at ACC (“Interns”)
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What’s in it for Me?
Mentors:
- Increase understanding of the
interpreting process
- Practice analyzing components of a
successful interpretation
- Improve interpersonal communication
skills
- Feel satisfaction in the knowledge
that they are giving back to their profession
- Obtain additional samples for their
Portfolio
- Earn CEUs for trainings provided by
ACC’s Interpreting Services
Protégés:
- Gain experience in courses that
challenge their knowledge and skills
- Work closely with a partner who has
many years of interpreting experience
- Develop a deeper understanding of
the interpreting process
- Identify less effective patterns
within their own and another’s interpretations
- Acquire tools to improve the
effectiveness of an interpretation
- Create a Portfolio of their work
- Earn CEUs for trainings provided by ACC’s
Interpreting Services
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How do I Get Involved?
Mentors and Protégés:
- Submit a Mentorship Application
including availability to IS
- Provide a videotape of your best
work (“Portfolio”)
- Attend a 15-hour Initial Training
- IS will attempt to match Mentors
and Protégés in classes based on their communication styles, availability
and course preferences
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What's Expected?
Mentors:
- Attend training for Mentors
- Function as a supportive partner in
one or more classes with a Protégé
- Videotape Protégé’s work during
the first 2 weeks of the assignment
- Help Protégé determine goals based
on video and in class observations
- Goals should be reasonable and
achievable
- There should be no more than 2
long term or 3 short term goals for any given time period
- Meet with Protégé on a weekly basis
to provide feedback & support and to guide professional development
activities
- Attend at last 2 Brown Bags each
semester
- Videotape Protégé’s work during
the last 3 weeks of the assignment
- Evaluate progress on long term goals
and determine need for continuation of mentorship
- Attend a wrap up meeting before the
end of the semester.
- Produce a videotaped portfolio, which
may include language samples, examples of how to negotiate the interpreting
environment, and models of interpretations/transliterations
Protégés:
- Attend training for Protégés
- Videotape in-class work during the
first 2 weeks of the semester
- Use videotape to determine goals for
the mentorship
- Goals should be reasonable and
achievable
- There should be no more than 2
long term or 3 short term goals for any given time period
- Meet with the Mentor on a weekly
basis to receive feedback
- Maintain an interpreting journal and
complete any additional skill development activities suggested by the Mentor
- Document work toward goals on the
appropriate form
- Attend at last 2 Brown Bags each
semester.
- Evaluate progress on long term goals
and determine need for continuation of mentorship
- Attend a wrap up meeting before the
end of the semester.
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Training
All individuals interested in a
mentorship at ACC are required to attend a two-day, 15-hour “Mentorship
Workshop”. Workshops are offered once a year during the first 2-weeks of
August. Both RID and TCDHH CEUs will be provided to all participants.
Purpose:
It is not unusual for interpreters to
have many years experience in the field without having the language to
communicate what it is they do. The Mentorship Workshop will provide ACC’s
interpreters with the knowledge and skills necessary to talk about their work
with other professionals.
There will be several activities to
promote team building and problem solving. Additionally, participants will have
an opportunity to practice what they learn during structured feedback sessions.
Topics:
- Mentorship Philosophy
- Roles of Mentors & Protégés
- Interpretation Process
- Communication & Responsible
Language
- Personality & Learning Types
- Providing & Receiving Feedback
- Journaling & Notetaking
- Resources for Skill Development
- Brown Bags:
Throughout the semester, IS will be
scheduling 2-hour mini-workshops called “Brown Bags”. These workshops will
cover a variety of interpreting and content related topics and will be free to
all ACC interpreters. Similar workshops will be provided on several campuses and
dates.
Protégés are expected to attend at
least 2 Brown Bags each semester. Mentors are strongly encouraged to attend as
many workshops as possible. Most workshops will provide TCDHH CEUs.
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Communication
Philosophy
The most important trait for any
professional is the ability to communicate effectively. How we communicate is
not something we are born with; it is rather a set of skills, beliefs and habits
that we acquire throughout a lifetime of interactions and relationships. Because
communication behaviors are learned, they can be “relearned”, if necessary.
This section includes a list of
strategies to facilitate effective communication. During the initial training,
Mentors and Protégés will explore their specific communication & learning
styles and will use that information to develop a “Communication Action Plan”.
To begin thinking about your plan, read the strategies below and ask yourself
the following questions:
- How do I handle
communication situations?
- Am I able to make
my point understood?
- Do discussions
usually have a positive outcome? If not, why?
- What could I do
differently?
Strategies:
- Phrase your ideas
clearly and explain the underlying context so others understand why your
issue is something they should care about.
- Phrase your ideas
and suggestions in a positive, rather than critical way.
- Speak with
self-control instead of blurting out the first response that comes to mind.
Make sure you understand someone's point before you react.
- Be confident. Don't
assume that what you have to say isn't worthwhile.
- Don't assume that a
listener's silence means consent or disapproval. It may just mean that the
person needs to think about a response before answering.
- Learn to listen
actively and make others feel that they're understood. Try paraphrasing
someone's point -- "So, what you're saying is..." -- and see if
you got it.
- Don't get so
preoccupied planning what you'll say next that you don't pay attention.
- Keep an open mind
and be flexible about compromises and alternate solutions.
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Journaling
Philosophy
Many of us are familiar with the idea
of journaling as a way to keep track of events and perceptions in our daily
lives. We may also have seen it used in English courses as a “free writing”
or “brain-storming” tool. Similarly, an Interpreting Journal allows us to
keep track of events and perceptions of our work and helps us to “brainstorm”
with our partner strategies for dealing with different interpreting scenarios.
Just as there are no hard and fast
rules regarding a personal journal, partners will develop their own style for
keeping an Interpreting Journal that reflects their needs for a particular
assignment.
Benefits
- It allows interpreters to keep
notes for their assignments in one place, eg. Content-based
vocabulary, discourse-mapping, prep activities, references etc.
- It allows for ongoing dialogue with
the interpreting partner
- It is a place to record
observations about one’s work
- It allows interpreters to keep a
record of feedback
- It is a tool for reflecting about
the interpreting process and product
- It is a place to record personal
and professional goals/expectations
- It helps to create self-confidence by
providing a visual record of an interpreter’s development over time
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