Gold Standard Training

• Benefits

• Sample Training Materials

There has been great interest in the Demand-Control schema for interpreting work since Dean and Pollard's first publication on the topic in 2001 (see citation below). In the years since, the authors have presented dozens of lectures and workshops to working interpreters, interpreter students, faculty of interpreter preparation programs (IPP), administrators and researchers in the field of sign language interpreting, spoken language interpreters, and professionals outside the field of interpreting (e.g., doctors, mental health clinicians) who regularly work with interpreters. The enthusiasm for D-C schema training and the growing frequency of requests for workshops has led Dean and Pollard to propose a three-tiered process of "gold standard training" in the D-C schema and related teaching approaches, such as "observation-supervision." The purpose of the three-tiered approach is to insure standards of training achievement for those who (1) desire a basic foundation in the schema to benefit their professional work or IPP training progress vs. (2) those who desire advance training in order to learn how to employ the D-C schema in IPP teaching and/or mentoring vs. (3) those who wish even further advanced training that would prepare them to teach D-C schema workshops, with the full endorsement of Dean and Pollard and the Deaf Wellness Center.

The three levels of training are:

- Novice - the most basic level, offering a solid grounding in the D-C schema leading to the ability to employ schema concepts in professional work and one's own professional education. Typically, attendance at an all-day D-C schema workshop would suffice for Deaf Wellness Center endorsement that an individual has achieved a novice level of D-C schema training.

- Apprentice - an advanced level of training suitable for those whose goal is to employ D-C schema concepts in teaching or mentoring. This level also will include training in Dean and Pollard's observation-supervision approach to teaching and mentoring. Typically, ~24 hours of training would suffice for Deaf Wellness Center endorsement that an individual has achieved the apprentice level of D-C schema training. Apprentice level training can be arranged by attending an apprentice-focused workshop series taught by Ms. Dean or through independent study. The Deaf Wellness Center is an RID-approved sponsor of continuing education credits, whether through workshop format or independent study format.

- Master - the highest level of training suitable for those whose goal is to independently teach D-C schema workshops, with the full endorsement of Dean and Pollard and the DWC. This level requires mastery of D-C schema concepts as well as documented teaching or mentoring experience at the D-C apprentice level, including experience with observation-supervision. Since D-C master level endorsement depends on an individualized program of teaching experience and achievement with the schema, no specific number of training hours can be cited. Those interested in pursuing this level of D-C training and endorsement should contact Ms. Dean directly (585-275-6572 or via e-mail at Robyn_Dean@urmc.rochester.edu).

The Deaf Wellness Center does not recommend in-depth teaching of D-C schema concepts in lectures, workshops, IPPs or mentoring unless one has achieved the apprentice level described above. (This does not, of course, include reading/discussing D-C schema publications and other limited teaching initiatives.) We ask that interpreters, mentors, and IPP faculty respect this effort to maintain quality control of our D-C schema work. Our research and teaching experience has shown that, at first blush, the schema appears deceptively easy to comprehend, which has led some individuals to begin formally teaching the schema to others before they were fully versed in its nuances and, especially, the methods of teaching it, which are quite different than simply the experience of learning it. Please contact Robyn Dean if one has any interest in using the D-C schema or observation-supervision in teaching or mentoring activities in any detailed way.

D-C Schema Publications

Dean, R. K. & Pollard, R Q (2001). Application of demand-control theory to sign language interpreting: Implications for stress and interpreter training. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 6 (1), 1-14.

Dean, R. K., Davis, J., Barnett, H. Graham, L. E., Hammond, L. Hinchey, K. (2003, January). Training medically qualified interpreters: New approaches, new applications, promising results. VIEWS, 20; 1, 10-12.