This presentation will discuss a reformulation of the concept of the role of interpreters ranging from general community settings to more domain-specific settings such as legal interpreting. The role-space model was developed by Peter Llewellyn-Jones and Robert G. Lee (www.rolespace.online) in response to the lack of clarity about how role is characterized, discussed, and explained by interpreters. The core premise of the model is that roles are not entities that we HAVE (as evidenced by such common metaphors such as 'switching hats' or statements like, 'stepping out of role') but rather roles are what we DO; the behaviors that we enact during (and sometimes before and after) interpreted interactions form the role-space that we inhabit. The model consists of three interrelated axes: interaction management, participant alignment, and presentation of self. Interpreters make strategic decisions along each of these axes in order to provide optimal services. Participants will be guided through the underlying principles of the model, be provided with example applications, and most importantly, will have small group discussions to apply the model to their own practice.
Our speaker, Robert G. Lee, MA, CI/CT, FHEA has been interpreting, teaching, and researching for over 35 years. He is currently Staff ASL Interpreter at Harvard University. From 2008-21, Robert was Senior Lecturer in British Sign Language & Deaf Studies and led the MA/Postgraduate Diploma in BSL/English Interpreting and Translation at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, UK. He has presented keynote addresses, workshops, professional seminars, and conference papers in North and South America and Europe. He has published extensively on linguistics and interpreting.
