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The Structure of ASLI
ASLI is structured in a way that enables us to be member-led and to enable members to take a full and active part in developing new procedures, services and activities for our profession.
Twice a year, the Board stages Member Consultation Days where representatives from each of the ASLI Regions come together with Board members in order to influence the direction and work of the Association.
Attendees will consult their regional members in advance of consultation day to ensure that the Board is kept abreast of important topics affecting members throughout the UK. Attendees are further available to be consulted on proposed activity at the national level.
The first Consultation Day was held in Reading on 6th July 2013.
The ASLI Board of Directors is appointed to run the affairs of the association in accordance with UK company law
The current Board includes: Tessa Slaughter, Jenny Koehring, Benjamin Gorman, Marion Fletcher, Sandra Pratt, Rachel Radford, Vicky Carrabin and Olivia Whitter, all of whom are practitioners in the field of interpreting and translation.
To contact the board please email board@asli.org.uk
Tessa Slaughter RSLI
Chair of the Board of Directors
BSL/English Interpreter
Tessa has been a member of ASLI since her student days in Wolverhampton in the late 1990s, contributing and engaging with the Association where possible whilst juggling family and work commitments. Since moving to Scotland in 2017 she has been able to take a more active role including facilitating the Scottish Early Career Interpreters group with Marion Fletcher. She is currently employed part-time at Heriot-Watt University, and part-time freelance, and completed the Diploma in Supervision with 360 Supervision in 2022 and also works as a qualified Professional Supervisor.
She is now at a stage in her career with over 20 years’ experience to offer, having interpreted in a variety of domains and settings and as a team leader for a deaf organisation’s interpreting service. She brings to ASLI her passion for supporting its existing and emerging colleagues and a wish to see our professionalism and reputation go from strength to strength, building on the excellent work of previous Directors and Members. ASLI has been there for her throughout her career, and she is looking forward to having the opportunity to support its growth and development in this next phase.
Jenny Koehring RSLI
Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors
BSL/English Interpreter
As an early career interpreter herself, Jenny is acutely aware of the importance of sharing knowledge and resources as well as supporting one another on a personal level within the profession. Jenny feels she has been embraced by the ASLI family from the day she joined as a first year student at the University of Wolverhampton, and cherishes the learning opportunities she had as well as the personal relationships she has formed.
Jenny also has an MSc in occupational psychology and is currently working on her PhD in the area of psychometric ability testing and Deaf test users.
As an ASLI director, one of Jenny’s aims is to help ensure that others continue to have positive, encouraging and supportive experiences in the profession, as well as working with the board to develop more ways of supporting future professionals and the wider profession in all aspects of their work.
Having lived, learned and worked in four countries and various regions of the UK, she is passionate about linguistic, cultural and personal diversity as well as global communication and understanding. This is one of the reasons Jenny chose a new career as an interpreter, and another way in which she hopes to make relevant contributions to the board, both for current and future members.
As a mother of a teenager, Jenny believes it to be crucial for young people to understand terms like diligence, commitment, equality and diversity, and she is very proud to be able to support the association in the promotion of these values.
Benjamin Gorman RSLT
English/BSL Translator
Benjamin Alexander Gorman is a BSL Translator working mainly in London but also has worked all over the UK, and in COVID-19 time, internationally via Zoom! He has worked in a range of settings including, but not limited to: Mental Health, Education, Social Services, Community, VRS Interpreting, Language Support and has been mainly focusing on DeafBlind Interpreting. He has been registered since 2014, first as a trainee translator and became qualified in 2017. Benjamin became part of ASLI as an associate member and then became a full member of the London Region. He also became a member of the Deaf Interpreter Network (DIN) committee in 2014 and although it was dormant for a few years, he took up the position of Chair at the start of 2018 and has been involved ever since then. As DIN has expanded and there are more translators coming up through the ranks especially with the new qualifications coming out, Benjamin decided to nominate himself for the position of Director in 2020 and has high hopes for an increase in both Deaf and Hearing people working together as colleagues and equals.
Marion Fletcher RSLI
BSL/English Interpreter
Marion came to the interpreting profession later in life, approximately 12 years ago and has been working as a full-time interpreter since qualifying. Prior to that time, she worked within the deaf community in Scotland for ten years.
Currently, she holds a full-time staff interpreting position at Heriot-Watt University where she interprets and also manage a team of three staff interpreters, as well as interacting with a wide network of self-employed interpreters across the UK.
Committed to developing the profession and to ensuring a strong foundation for the future, she mentors 4th year undergraduate interpreting students and together with her colleague Tessa Slaughter, recently established the Early Career Interpreters group in Scotland to provide a safe space for newly qualified interpreters to be supported by peers and by more experienced practitioners.
ASLI is an organisation that Marion values and respects greatly. She firmly believes in the work that it does in supporting members but also in furthering the general interests of the profession and our clients as well. She hopes to contribute not just her experience as an interpreter and people manager, but also her previous experience of being a board member of a race relations charity in Edinburgh, where she served for 7 years, initially as a member and latterly as chair.
Sandra Pratt RSLI
BSL/English Interpreter
Sandra is a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the BA Hons British Sign Language related degrees at the University of Wolverhampton. At present, she teaches on the Interpreting BA and MA as well as the Deaf Studies courses. In addition to her key role at the University, Sandra is also a registered British Sign Language interpreter engaging a range of interpreting activities.
Sandra is currently a doctoral researcher with an interest in intercultural communication, language learning, language, and culture.
Sandra has almost 20 years’ experience teaching subjects ranging from practical – British Sign Language, Interpreting, Translation to theoretical modules in related subjects. For several years, Sandra has also had the role of editor /co-editor for the efsli conference proceedings.
Rachel Radford RSLI
BSL/English Interpreter
Rachel joined ASLI in 2019 as an associate, before becoming a full member in August 2020. Her route to qualification began with a BSL level 6 language NVQ, before completing part one of the interpreting NVQ and then joining the MA interpreting course at Wolverhampton University. She completed a dissertation on the topic of co-working, and is now in her final year of study having taken a deferral due to COVID lockdowns.
She is also a school governor at the primary school attended by her younger son, demonstrating her experience in strategic thinking and planning.
She believes the CPD, insurances and opportunities for networking offered by ASLI are hugely valuable to our profession, and she is happy to offer her time to support the organisation.
Vicki Carrabin RSLI
BSL/English Interpreter
Vicki began interpreting in 1996 after completing her training at Bristol University qualifying in 2000. She worked in education and for a local deaf led agency in the Midlands before becoming freelance. 10 years into her career she took on a role of interpreter manager for another deaf led charity carrying out that role for 9 years before returning to freelance work in 2017.
Vicki joined ASLI as a student member in 1995 and has remained an ASLI member ever since taking on a variety of roles from board member, membership secretary and regional rep.
With 27 years of interpreting in a wide range of domains Vicki has a broad knowledge of the profession and the environment that we work in. She is passionate about the future of our profession and the development of new interpreters ensuring that deaf people in the future will have access to highly skilled, good quality professional interpreters
ASLI Members can read Papers from past AGMs here.
