By Jemina Napier

 <Click here to see this blog post in BSL>

Our first cohort of students from the BSL/English interpreting 4-year undergraduate programme graduated in June 2016. Most of the graduates have registered with either the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI) or the National Registers of Communication Professionals with working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD) as trainee or qualified interpreters, and are already working as interpreters or communication support workers in various settings. Their readiness to work was thanks to the support they received from Deaf community members and professional BSL/English interpreters, who gave them the opportunity to go into real life interpreting assignments and learn outside the classroom. This basically means that students go on interpreting work placement in their 4^th year, and shadow working interpreters; they observe interpreting in the real world and are also encouraged to try interpreting in safe environments by their interpreting mentors.

Interpreting work placement in 2016-2017

Based on feedback from mentors and students from last year, we have changed the structure of the interpreting work placement. Instead of doing 70 hours over two 1-week blocks in one semester, we have embedded the placement across the whole academic year. So now students are required to complete 100 hours of shadowing: 25 hours in Semester 1 (October-December) and 75 hours in Semester 2 (January-May). This arrangement gives the students and mentors more flexibility to identify suitable interpreting assignments across a range of different areas.

The aim of the interpreting work placement is to:

1. To give students the opportunity to access authentic ‘real-world’ interpreting situations
2. To provide students with the opportunity to observe the professional practice of qualified interpreters at work
3. To facilitate the opportunity for students to try interpreting in ‘real-world’ interpreting situations, in a safe and supported environment, where appropriate and with the agreement of all parties
4. To enable students to discuss, critique and reflect on their observations of other interpreters and their own professional practice

Students have to keep a logbook of their observations, and write reflections about what they have learned. This experience equips the students with the skills needed to be reflective practitioners when they go on to work as interpreters.

Once more we would like to publicly acknowledge the interpreters that are giving their time, energy and commitment to supporting these students. Specifically, we thank the list of interpreters below who have agreed to take on students this year:

1. Paul Belmonte (Edinburgh)
2. Bruce Cameron (Glasgow)
3. Andy Carmichael (Edinburgh)
4. Lesley Crerar (Aberdeen)
5. Andrew Dewey (Ayr)
6. Shaurna Dickson (Edinburgh)
7. Linda Duncan (Fife)
8. Helen Dunipace (Glasgow)
9. Marion Fletcher (Edinburgh)
10. Eddie Foley (Glasgow)
11. Donna Jewell (Falkirk)
12. Sheena MacDonald (Edinburgh)
13. Brenda Mackay (Fife)
14. Rachel Mapson (Edinburgh)
15. Paula Marshall (Denny)
16. Robert McCourt (Glasgow)
17. Mary McDevitt (Falkirk)
18. David Milligan (Glasgow)
19. Nicolle Murdoch (Edinburgh)
20. David Summersgill (Dunbar)
21. Linda Thomson (Glasgow)
22. Yvonne Waddell (Hamilton)

Again we would like to thank the support of SASLI and NRCPD who have endorsed that interpreters can received Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points for acting as mentors.

The students on placement in 2016-2017 are:

1. Jenna Adams
2. Sarah Forrester
3. Amy Hunter
4. Tanja Jacobs
5. Christina Kunz
6. Tommy Malone
7. Marnie Radmer
8. Kristina Tandl
9. Isla Van der Heiden
10. Sabine Zielinska

We would like to thank Deaf BSL users in Scotland for their continued support of our students, and hope that you will encourage them in their efforts to develop their skills to become professional interpreters.