PIE à la mode
Summer, 2002
Volume 4, Issue 1
PIE's Finest News Source
Ingredients
The Mentorship Experience from the inside
PIE Training and Development (T&D) Questions & Answers
CHANGES AT PIE!
by Stephanie Kerkvliet
Greetings PIE, Inc. Interpreters and Friends!
I am writing to formally update you on the recent developments at PIE, Inc. Many of you have already met new PIE Coordinators, Elizabeth Burgert and Tracy Vetter. Some of you have even met PIE’s new Business Coordinator, Jason Pilarski. In this update, I will include a short bio on each of them to help you know them a bit better. In months (and years hopefully) to come, they will be doing their best to get to know you as well. Changes in the coordinator positions always present challenges but Tracy and Elizabeth are learning the job quickly and have shown amazing aptitude as well as desire to serve all PIE customers.
On April 1st of this year, official ownership of PIE changed to me as sole proprietor. Debra Gorra has left PIE to pursue other career avenues. Although I am now solely liable for the company, I firmly believe PIE to be the property of all of us who have worked, and continue to work hard, to pursue excellence in the field of interpreting. I am well aware that PIE continues to succeed because of joint efforts between PIE interpreters, office staff, hearing customers, and most importantly the Deaf community. PIE’s mission will remain the same: To provide excellence in quality services to Deaf, Deaf/Blind, Hard of Hearing and non-deaf (hearing) individuals with highly skilled professionals who offer premier interpreting services. PIE is open to input from all stakeholders regarding continued pursuit of our mission.
Elizabeth Burgert, full time PIE Interpreter Coordinator, has a BS in Secondary Education and English. She is a Milwaukee native who took a sign class (two semesters) years ago from former Wisconsin resident Christine Multra Kraft. Elizabeth has a personal interest in strengthening her communication skills since she herself is hard of hearing and has a soft voice. She has never been married, has no children (she states that she is not sure whether this is a fluke or a miracle). Outside of work, she is passionate about writing, specifically poetry, letters, short stories and essays. Her favorite topics include human interest stories, nature, Christian mysticism or just about anything really (other than mystery or romance). She is also wild about photography, walking and music.
Jason Pilarski, Business Manager for PIE, is currently taking a leave from his studies at Upper Iowa University’s Milwaukee Center where he is working on a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Jason was attracted to PIE because of the opportunity to work for a company that can, will, and is making a difference in the community. He has always been interested in sign language and looks forward to learning. Jason is handling the financial and business aspects of PIE. Other than PIE, Jason is passionate about his children (Nathan – "don’t call me Nate",
4 years; and Amelia – "Mia", 20 months), his wife (Angela), religion, politics, sports, his Chocolate Lab (Sadie), and life in general. Jason is a Bucks, Brewers, Vikings, Buckeyes, Admirals, and Wave Fan.
Tracy Vetter, full time PIE Interpreter Coordinator, is not really new to PIE. Tracy volunteered at PIE during the first semester of her Interpreter Training Program at UW-Milwaukee. She graduated from the ITP in May of 2002 and is currently pursuing a BS in Exceptional Education with an emphasis on interpreting. She started learning Sign in 1998, and describes herself as a visual learner who loves learning and work that keeps her moving, both physically and mentally. Tracy is interested in people, culture and diversity. Tracy is married to, "God’s gift to Tracy", (better known as Jamie). They have three children: Brittney, age 10; Alexandria (know as "Alex" or "Al"), 8; and Jacob, 7. Together they have five pets: Shadow (a Keeshound Dog), Carmen, Red and Mylo (Persian cats), and Spike (a huge, poisonous, salt water Lionfish).
Lisa Perry has taken on the role of Sign Language instructor for the new staff members. The challenge for Lisa is to balance her schedule with ever growing work as a Deaf interpreter. Lisa’s talents are much in demand. She will be presenting at the 2002 WisRID Conference this October in Fontana, WI.
Cheryl*Ringel, Interpreter Intern, has been with PIE this summer on the final leg of her training program (an MA in ASL Interpreting) through Gallaudet University. Cheryl is originally from Sheboygan, WI and returned to Washington DC in July. Cheryl also has an MS degree in Criminology and a BS in Psychology/Theatre Arts. She was here at PIE informally last summer, and returned to complete the 120 hour internship requirement of her ITP. She has not ruled out the possibility of returning to Wisconsin at some point in her career.
PIE staffers Amy Fryman and Amy Free are currently helping PIE pilot an apprentice position. They have both gone the extra mile to keep the office running during the staff transition as well as gracing us with the benefits of their ever-increasing professional skills.
THE MENTORSHIP EXPERIENCE:
from the inside
by Cheryl*Ringel
(Editor’s note: Cheryl wrote this article while she was interning at PIE. She has since returned to Washington, DC. Tim)
PIE is, for me, the place where theory meets practice. I am working at PIE to complete my MA degree in American Sign Language Interpretation from Gallaudet University. Sign Language Interpreting can be considered both a science and an art. Because of that, no matter how good the Interpreter Training Program (ITP) you attend, no matter what level (AA, BA or MA), some of what you need to learn just can't happen in the classroom!
Working at PIE as part of my internship has given me the opportunity to see skilled certified and pre-certified interpreters in action. One thing that has impressed me the most is that the theories and skills that are being taught in the profession are alive and well at PIE. The full time and part time staff I have worked with were always applying the science (the theory and technical skills) to the art (the actual interaction and communication that occur in the field). I am also impressed by PIE's dedication to offering the latest information and skill building techniques as part of their ongoing training and development programs.
Further, it has been wonderful working with many of the different consumers through PIE. Many of them are understanding of the need for "on the job" training of interpreters. So when there have been settings appropriate for my skill level, I have been welcomed into the working environment by both the Deaf and hearing consumers of PIE.
I know first hand that having an intern on staff can be seen as an extra burden for any organization or agency. I am thankful that PIE recognizes the need that interpreters who are new to the field have for getting out there and putting into practice the art of interpreting. In my opinion, there is no better place to do that than PIE!
PIE Training & Development (T & D):
Questions and Answers
by Linda Lonning
SIGN-UP TO BE ON THE MAILING LIST FOR
PIE's TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Q: I used to get your T & D flyers but I’ve missed some. I thought I was on your mailing list. Why don’t I always get a flyer from you?
A: We have been depending mostly on the WisRID mailing list. If you don’t re-join WisRID, you miss our flyers. We realize we need to have our own mailing list and have been working on how to handle a large mailing list. We have been researching different software programs that will allow us to sort our list different ways. For each workshop we target different professionals and interpreting consumers and we may target different regions of Wisconsin. We are working on it.
Q: I’m on the WisRID mailing list and you USE the WisRID mailing list already. Why can’t you just take my address from there?
A: We can’t. No organization is permitted to do that. WisRID releases member information very carefully and for specific, professional requests only. Each time we get mailing labels for the WisRID membership, we can use those only once. WisRID protects its members personal information so you don’t end up getting a lot of stuff you don’t want (junk mail, etc.) We are in a slow process of designing our own database to make our own custom mailing lists. Please sign-up to be listed in our future database. See the form in this à la mode.
Q: So what’s the big deal with the RID CMP Workshop Knowledge Level Descriptors? Why do your evaluations keep asking me if I’ve seen those?
A: As Professional Development Coordinator I have observed many workshops, even at the RID Conference in Orlando, where participants found the worshops were not what they expected. If an event is advertised as a workshop that requires SOME to an EXTENSIVE amount of prior knowledge of the subject to best participate and benefit, we should expect that the material and discussion fit that description. The presenter should conduct the workshop at the level advertised. Having different levels of discussions on topics should provide material for the beginning interpreter as well as the more seasoned practitioner to continue to challenge his/her growth.
Q: What’s coming up next for PIE Training & Development events?
A: To give you an idea of who we’re talking with and our ideas of topics we’re working on, here are a few presenters and possible topics: Keith Cagle, MS; Nathie Marbury, Jack Hoza, PhD; SLICES/College of St. Catherine’s (MN) faculty; possible topics: Medical Interpreting, Mental Health Interpreting (with separate workshops to address Removing the Stigma, Mental Health and the Deaf Community), Training to Assist Members of the Deaf Community to Become Advocates for Deaf People in the Interpreting Profession. No topics or speakers are confirmed yet.
Q: I know of several other inexpensive or free facilities where PIE could have workshops. I want to keep my cost of professional development as low as possible. Why don’t you use some of these other places for workshop sites?
A: PIE T&D is for-profit, just like PIE is. T&D is a part of PIE. Many places don’t permit for-profit groups to have events in their meeting rooms. We are looking at non-profit status and what that could mean for us but that requires a lot of homework, so we don’t expect to have any news on that issue for a while. If you know of a great, inexpensive place that accepts for-profit groups’ events, please share your tip with Program Coordinator, Linda Lonning:
PIEIncT&D@hotmail.com. (Editor's note: The Current T&D Coordinator is Theresa Schmechel. You can contact her at thschmechel@tsrnet.com.)
RID WORKSHOP LEVEL KNOWLEDGE DESCRIPTORS – NEW LABELING AS OF APRIL, 2002
Required on every RID CMP approved event flyer. Use these to help you decide if a workshop is at your level of development or not.
LITTLE/NO KNOWLEDGE
This level of Continuing Education Activity assumes little or no information on the part of the participant within the areas covered. The focus of the activity is upon general orientation and increased understanding. This category also includes activities that assume the audience has diverse levels of knowledge due to the nature of the event. Examples of this type of activity include a professional issue forum, a conference, a discussion group, etc.
SOME KNOWLEDGE
This level of Continuing Education Activity assumes the participant has some familiarity with the literature and professional practice within the area covered. The general focus of the activity is upon increased understanding and application by the participant.
EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE
This level of Continuing Education Activity assumes the participant has extensive familiarity with current literature and professional practice within the area covered. The focus of the activity is upon recent advances, future directions, and applications of research.
TEACHING
This level of Continuing Education Activity assumes the audience to be educators of interpreters. AT this instructional level the content of the CEU activity will focus on acquisition of current pedagogical techniques for the pre-preparation of interpreters/transliterators.
Professional Development Tips
submitted by Linda Lonning
PIE's Professional Development Coordinator
To find a FREE guide to help you with setting goals for your own professional development, check out the St. Catherine’s R.S.A. (Rehabilitation Services Administration) website at www.stkate.edu/project/ Click on "Professional Development Plan" and with the help of Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you will access a book on the topic written by Paula Gajewski.
ACET—what IS that? It stands for Associate Continuing Education Tracking Program. It’s a program available to Associate members of (national) RID. By paying this $15 additional fee, RID will produce a professional transcript of RID CEU-approved events that you attend. Each time you attend a workshop, you make sure that you sign up for ACET hours. These are sent in to RID and each summer RID issues an annual transcript listing all training you attended. What a NICE addition to your resume, huh?
ADA CORNER
(Amy’s Disability Awareness Corner)
by Amy Free
Every year since 1990, citizens of the U.S. have been wishing "Happy Birthday" to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26th. Two years ago, then-President Bill Clinton proclaimed July 2000 "Spirit of ADA Month", and he encouraged persons around the nation to celebrate the accomplishments of those with disabilities. In this spirit, PIE is pleased to include ADA Corner as a regular feature in the à la mode. This column will serve as an informal educational arena, providing updates and information about disability law, news, events, and other topics that may be of interest. Readers are invited to submit questions and ideas to the Editor for consideration in future ADA Corner columns.
June 20th was the date of the first Milwaukee County Social Services Resource Fair. The event provided an opportunity for persons with disabilities to learn about area agencies. PIE was happy to have a booth at the fair, and we were able to meet a variety of service providers who work with Deaf and hard of hearing clients. We hope that the resource fair (sponsored by the Milwaukee Employment Services Network and the Association for Persons in Supported Employment) will become an annual event in which PIE will continually be able to take part.
PLEASE NOTE: WE’VE CHANGED OUR COMPANY’S NAME! (well, kind of)
We are still Professional Interpreting Enterprise, and we will still be known as PIE, BUT, you will no longer see LLC after PIE’s name. We have also taken off the beginning part of the old name since everyone except for Uncle Sam dropped it anyway. We are no longer Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professional Interpreting Enterprise, LLC (PIE, LLC). From now on, please watch for, and refer to us as Professional Interpreting Enterprise, Inc. (PIE, Inc. or simply PIE.) Incorporation involves internal change and should not affect interpreters or interpreting services.
For right now we will continue to use the LLC that is in the e-mail address and the website address. If we decide to change those, we’ll let you know. For now, we are still
piellc@execpc.com, and www.execpc.com/~piellc. So feel free to drop us an e-mail or visit the website. Thanks!
(Editor's note: Since this issue was printed, we now have a NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: pieinc@tds.net.)
NEW EDITOR FOR THE à la mode
by Tim Mumm
I am very pleased to begin my work as editor of the à la mode with this issue. Please feel free to contact me with any corrections, updates, or items that you would like to see in the newsletter. Words of encouragement will certainly be welcomed as well. Contact me at timmumm@idcnet.com.
(Editors note: The PIE à la mode e-mail address is piealamode@tds.net.)
The Q&A feature of the à la mode was established in our last newsletter. We are glad to bring back the question we posed, along with the answers of several working interpreters. Please look to the end of this article for a new question, and feel free to submit your response for publication, OR submit a question for a future issue. Answers and new questions may be sent to the à la mode editor, Tim Mumm, at timmumm@idcnet.com, with "Q&A" in the subject line. And now, our question from last time:
Question:
When you're working and find your mental energy divided either being distracted by your personal opinion about the topic being discussed, or thinking about your grocery list, what techniques do you use to stay focused on the work?
Answers:
If I'm thinking about something other than what I'm interpreting...ideas: on break write down the other personal information that is distracting me so I can get it off my chest and know that it is captured.
If I'm distracted by my personal opinion on the topic... this can happen to me momentarily... if I have a team interpreter with me, I'd ask my team to monitor my affect so that I am matching the speaker affect and not adding personal commentary, "coloring" the presentation of the message in my work. If I'm distracted for a good bit of time, I would seriously consider if I can interpret effectively in that situation.
Linda Lonning
Honestly, I can't think of a grocery list when terping, but I might waste energy thinking, "Why am I not signing better?" I then try to direct my energy back at the appropriate level of concentration. This is best when I realize my team (assuming I have one) is supporting me and not judging me... This makes me realize how important it is to be a good team so my team does NOT feel the stress I am putting myself into at that time. Once I get over it, I'm back terping in a much clearer way.
Lori Grede
If my opinion differs, I recall that Danica Seleskovich says, in "Interpreting for International Conferences", we must acknowledge our own opinion in order for it NOT to affect us. If we try to ignore it or deny it, it will affect us in uncontrolled ways. I do feel this helps me to do a better job of staying true to the message. I acknowledge my own opinion, honor it, and then do my best to stay true to the speaker rather than myself. If I am distracted by non work things (I'm thinking this probably happens more often without my awareness), if I become aware of it, I would probably check it. If something occurs to me that I don't want to lose and it is a moment of down time, I might jot a key word on something to allow me to revisit it later, or might say to my team, "later, ask me about ‘x’ and mark it that way."
Stephanie Kerkvliet
And, the new question to ponder for next time:
Recently a Deaf customer expressed irritation with interpreters who sit with Deaf people during banquets. This person was very adamant that interpreters should stay away and let the Deaf people eat and talk with each other and only approach when the speakers were speaking. This person said that they had found consensus with other Deaf people and that they had all kept quiet about this for many years. I was pretty shocked but intend to be more conscious about this possibility in the future. How do we as interpreters handle formal, banquet type settings when we are there to work but also have a social tie to the community?
Please send your answers or original question for publication to timmumm@idcnet.com, with "Q&A" in the subject line.
SAFETY FIRST
(and last, and always)
by Tim Mumm
For every interpreter and every person, safety should be a top priority. Let’s pull together, and come up with some really good ideas for terps to think about, and PUT INTO PRACTICE! Please send interpreter specific safety tips (or any safety tips) to the à la mode editor at
timmumm@idcnet.com. (piealamode@tds.net)
Here’s a tip that came out of a recent staff meeting: When you get to a job site, take a moment to look around and get a feel for the place. In particular, notice whether the place offers good viewing for walking and maneuvering. Notice also whether there are obstacles (i.e. clutter) in your path. Take time to consciously register these things, and remind yourself to move carefully into the environment, especially if you’ve never been there before. Keep in mind, talking with Deaf people, or anyone while walking distracts you from the hazards that are right in front of your eyes.
One very dangerous item to look for is the binding strap. Factories use these unstretchable plastic straps to hold together bundles or boxes. If one of these loops of plastic is lying on the floor in the walking path, it’s possible to step on it with one foot, and without realizing it, insert your other foot into the practically unbreakable loop of plastic. Once that has happened, there is little you can do to prevent a fall. Sadly, these are found most often in environments where the floors are made of concrete. I know at least two people who have fallen like this and been injured, and I have personally caught myself stepping on one without realizing it was there. These are landmines. If you see one on the floor, pick it up and deposit it in the nearest garbage can. You’ll be doing the next person who walks by a big favor. If there are many of these in the environment, talk with a supervisor about how dangerous they are.
Here is (hopefully) a fun addition to the newsletter. In getting to know new PIE staff (we will check in with the old timers as well), we’ve asked them the following questions:
Other than Professional Interpreting Enterprise, what is your favorite kind of pie? AND, of course, what’s a slice of pie without the à la mode? Your favorite kind of ice cream is? (Multiple answers to both questions were encouraged.)
We will feature a different PIE member’s answer in every issue. So, this time around we’re getting our answer from Elizabeth Burgert.
My favorite kind of pie is the kind that I try for the first time and it surprises me by how delicious it is. This seems to happen every time I have pie, so I usually try some new flavor if I can. A good slice of pie with a great cup of coffee in the company of a good friend is about the best pie one can get. Favorite ice cream? French Vanilla.
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