FREE (Zoom will open at 6:45 for a mini social chinwag!)

This month's papers to vote on are as follows:

1. Interpreter-mediated Cognitive Assessments: Who Wins and Who Loses? (Haralambous, Tinney, LoGiudice, Lee & Lin, 2018)

Objectives: The number of people with dementia from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds is increasing dramatically in Australia. Accurate cognitive assessments of people from CALD backgrounds can be achieved with the use of skilled interpreters. This study aimed to explore the experience of interpreter-mediated assessments from the perspectives of clinicians, interpreters and carers. Methods: Consultations with interpreters, clinicians and carers were conducted through individual interviews and focus groups. The consultations explored participants’ experiences of interpreter-mediated assessments, including perception of the interpreting process, roles of interpreters, and challenges associated with interpreter-mediated assessments. Results: Four themes emerged across groups: (1) the importance of having professional interpreters, (2) different perceptions of the roles of interpreters, (3) clinicians’ feelings of having less control over assessments, and (4) particular challenges associated with cognitive assessments. Conclusions: Finding from this study highlight the important role that interpreters play in cognitive assessments with immigrants. However, there appears to be different perceptions of the role between clinicians and interpreters. When these different understandings are not resolved, they will lead to tension between clinicians and interpreters. These findings highlight the importance of relational aspects in interpreter-mediated assessment and suggest that the negotiation of the relationships between clinicians and interpreters is an important factor that determines the effectiveness and accuracy of these assessments. Clinical Implications: This study highlights the need for clinicians and interpreters education of roles of all parties in interpreter-mediated cognitive assessment. Areas to be covered in education could include: common misunderstandings of interpreters roles, and practice tips on how to improve communications in assessments, such as briefing before and after the assessment. Such education will enable more accurate assessment and less stress for patients and their families.

2. Signsability: Enhancing Communication Through Sign Language App (Ezra, Mastitz & Rabaev, 2024)

The integration of sign language recognition systems into digital platforms has the potential to bridge communication gaps between the deaf community and the broader population. This paper introduces an advanced Israeli Sign Language (ISL) recognition system designed to interpret dynamic motion gestures, addressing a critical need for more sophisticated and fluid communication tools. Unlike conventional systems that focus solely on static signs, our approach incorporates both Deep Learning and Computer Vision techniques to analyze and translate dynamic gestures captured in real-time video. We provide a comprehensive account of our preprocessing pipeline, detailing every stage from video collection to the extraction of landmarks using MediaPipe, including the mathematical equations used for preprocessing these landmarks and the final recognition process. The dataset utilized for training our model is unique in its comprehensiveness and is publicly accessible, enhancing the reproducibility and expansion of future research. The deployment of our model on a publicly accessible website allows users to engage with ISL interactively, facilitating both learning and practice. We discuss the development process, the challenges overcome, and the anticipated societal impact of our system in promoting greater inclusivity and understanding.

3. Healthcare interpreting as relational practice: Understanding the interpreter’s role in facilitating rapport in health interactions (Major, 2024)

This article explores the extent to which healthcare interpreting can be considered “relational practice.” It describes an interactional sociolinguistic study conducted in Australia, based on video recordings of two naturally occurring interpreted general practice consultations. Participants were hearing Australian Sign Language (Auslan)/ English interpreters, deaf patients, and hearing doctors. Analysis of these recordings was supplemented by reflective interviews with participants. The study examines the ways in which interpreters facilitate good working relationships between participants, and to explore the extent to which their decision-making is driven by relational considerations. The analyses presented in this article provide evidence that relational work is an important aspect of the healthcare interpreter’s role. Some of the ways in which it is achieved, however, may challenge our ideas about “appropriate” interpreter behaviour. Thus, the skilled and experienced interpreters in the study were seen to modify face threats, directly influence the flow of interaction, and actively facilitate social talk and humour, occasionally even engaging in it themselves. It is argued that interpreters’ decisions can only be understood within the discursive context in which they occur, and such behaviour can highlight interpreters’ attentiveness to the maintenance of good rapport.

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This is our monthly reading group where a journal article or book chapter related to the world of interpreting – both spoken language and signed language – will be selected and read. The reading group will be giving us the opportunity to discover new research which will inform our practice and to discuss topics in a safe and supportive environment. The format for the event will be an introduction to the paper followed by breakout rooms for small groups to discuss the paper – We can discuss such things as what did you learn? What did you like? What did you not like? What did you not understand? How might this inform your practice? What other CPD might you look to undertake because of reading the paper?

If you are registering after voting has closed, you will not have a say in which paper will be selected and the winning paper will be listed below. This is to ensure we have ample time to read the paper before the event. (Top tip – register early next month!). Please do not worry if your preferred paper is not chosen this time as papers receiving a significant number of votes can be added to another month’s list.

Here is a handy document for anyone after a few tips or a refresher in how to get the most out of your social science article reading experience. Please click on title: How to Read (and Understand) a Social Science Journal Article

This is a FREE event for members and will be worth 1 unstructured CPD point. Obviously you can decide on an individual basis to allocate more CPD points to this session for pre-session reading/reflection time and post-session reflection/further discussion time. Zoom details will be sent 24 hours before.

We look forward to seeing you! Paul Michaels and your ASLI team; Anna, Shaunett and Tess

Please email us with any questions at: southeast@asli.org.uk