Journal Articles by Mark Halley
International Journal of Interpreter Education, 2024
In this paper, we evaluate virtual healthcare simulations with undergraduate American Sign Langua... more In this paper, we evaluate virtual healthcare simulations with undergraduate American Sign Language/ English interpreting students and undergraduate nursing students. To evaluate this educational innovation, we conducted a focus group interview with key stakeholders – undergraduate nursing and interpreting students, graduate interpreting student mentors, and deaf standardized patients – who participated in the simulations. The focus group data were thematically analyzed, which allowed for an evaluation of instructional effectiveness and identification of areas for quality improvement in future iterations. Taken together, the findings suggest that virtual simulations offer students a powerful experiential learning experience and the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in novel ways to develop soft skills necessary in a practice profession.
The Interpreters' Newsletter, 2022
In this paper, we explore a strategy for teaching undergraduate American Sign Language/ English i... more In this paper, we explore a strategy for teaching undergraduate American Sign Language/ English interpreting students about discourse types and genre boundaries. To do so, we describe a project-based learning approach employed with a cohort of second-year students, detail the assessment method, and analyze students' work. Specifically, the project required students to read a scholarly paper in the field of Interpreting Studies and create an American Sign Language video-recorded reformulation of the paper in a different discourse genre (e.g., a television news broadcast or a product infomercial). The findings indicate that, despite exhibiting a concerning lack of American Sign Language proficiency, students demonstrated remarkable creativity and critical thinking abilities. Students created video-recorded reformulations that incorporated salient points from their assigned articles while also applying principles of discourse analysis learned throughout the semester. Taken together, the findings suggest that applied discourse analysis projects and inter-genre reformulation activities can be used as a part of valuable pre-translation and translation training.
Journal of Interpretation, 2022
While online education has become more prevalent throughout the years, nothing prepared signed la... more While online education has become more prevalent throughout the years, nothing prepared signed language interpreter educators for the likes of the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed educators in the United States and internationally to not only determine if practices had changed to keep up with the demands of the pandemic, but to learn how these practices were implemented. This study delves into the question of how interpreter educators adjusted their pedagogical approaches during the global pandemic. Responses showed a variety of adaptations to meet the needs of students, and a primary theme was the adeptness of educators in overcoming technology frustrations, intent on providing rigorous curricula and the emotional support their students needed during trying times. The data revealed major changes for students in practical skills courses (83%), sign language courses (87%), and internship or practicum courses (90%), as well as minor changes in theory courses (61%). Faculty indicated changes in their scholarship and service as well as the personal/emotional impact the pandemic has had on their professional work. This study provides a snapshot of educators’ response to the pandemic, and we argue that qualitative research approaches are needed to discover the specific pedagogical tactics employed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sign Language Studies, 2022
In 1988, members of the American deaf community protested
the appointment of a hearing person as ... more In 1988, members of the American deaf community protested
the appointment of a hearing person as the president of Gallaudet
University, the world’s only university for deaf and hard of hearing
students. After a week of protest, the university’s board of trustees
capitulated and bowed to all the protester’s demands. As the protesters
engaged in a variety of demonstrations and other public events,
they were joined by dozens of American Sign Language/English interpreters,
who worked to ensure communication between activists,
journalists, members of the university’s administration, the police,
and others. In this paper, I use a case method approach and analyze
archival and interview data to describe the provision of interpreting
services in the protest. I employ concepts from social movement
studies and contentious politics to contextualize the experiences of
the interpreters. Using archival and interview data, I elucidate patterns
in their experiences and provide a holistic description of their
organization, work, and challenges.
Journal of Nursing Education, 2022
BACKGROUND: Simulations are a beneficial educational exercise for nursing students and students s... more BACKGROUND: Simulations are a beneficial educational exercise for nursing students and students studying interpreting. Leveraging videoconferencing software is one way to incorporate virtual experiential learning simulations into curricula.
METHOD: Virtual simulations of patient education interactions were conducted with nursing and standardized patients who are deaf. The virtual consultations were mediated by interpreting students. Following the simulations, data were collected from students about their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify overarching patterns.
RESULTS: Results indicated students reported myriad learning outcomes and areas of growth, as well as several logistical challenges. Students from both disciplines reported new learning experiences and development of practical skills, as well as critical thinking abilities.
CONCLUSION: Virtual simulations of health care appointments between nursing students and deaf standardized patients are a worthwhile educational endeavor and lead to positive learning outcomes for all of the students involved.
Interface: A Journal For and About Social Movements, 2021
In this paper, I explore how social movement participation may impact the personal and profession... more In this paper, I explore how social movement participation may impact the personal and professional lives of interpreters. To do so, I studied the American Sign Language/English interpreters who worked in the 1988 Deaf President Now protest at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. I conducted semi-structured oral history interviews with 21 interpreters who worked during the protest, and I employed narrative inquiry to identify critical events and analyze the personal outcomes interpreters experienced as a result of their participation. Specifically, the analysis reveals that interpreters' experiences in the protest contributed to their evolving views on the roles of interpreters and of deaf people, as well as to unforeseen personal and professional benefits. Taken together, the findings suggest that the experiences of signed language interpreters in contentious political settings may differ markedly from their work in other environments, contributing to personal transformation. Further, this data demonstrate how interpreters are embedded in protests in ways that parallel the experiences of other social movement actors.
Journal of Interpretation, 2021
In this study, the researchers analyze the progress of undergraduate and graduate ASL/English int... more In this study, the researchers analyze the progress of undergraduate and graduate ASL/English interpreting students (n = 34) in service learning courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was an exploratory investigation of student adaptability and approaches to collaboration with the Deaf community amidst the global crisis. Using student assignments as the primary data source, the analysis yielded five themes that contextualized student growth throughout their service learning journeys: outlook, approach, effort, focus, and locus of control. Further, the findings are framed within the concepts of habitus and boundary work, resulting in a model of temporal, spatial, and cultural adaptability that conceptualizes student experience. Taken together, the data indicate that service learning activities and coursework continue to offer mutually beneficial opportunities to students and community partners even amidst challenging circumstances.
Journal of Interpretation, 2020
In this study, the work of an American Sign Language/English interpreter was video-recorded and t... more In this study, the work of an American Sign Language/English interpreter was video-recorded and then analyzed to describe the interpreter’s rendering of American Sign Language depiction from American Sign Language into spoken English and from spoken English into American Sign Language. Results indicate that interpreters navigate the complex cognitive and linguistic task of rendering various types of American Sign Language depiction between both languages. The data also suggest that syntactic input may not be the only factor in an interpreter’s decision-making processes when rendering depiction; rather pragmatic considerations appear to be a major contributing factor. This study serves as a primer to future investigations into examining the rendering of signed language depiction as a possible directional effect in bimodal interpreters.
New Voices in Translation Studies, 2019
In this paper, I explore the work of the American Sign Language-English interpreters who voluntee... more In this paper, I explore the work of the American Sign Language-English interpreters who volunteered in the 1988 Deaf President Now protest (DPN). Drawing from the construct of ideologically-structured action (Dalton 1994; Zald 2000), I frame the interpreters' decision-making throughout the protest, showing how their beliefs about and relationships with deaf people shaped their actions. Further, I argue that the activist interpreters exhibited a collective identity (Polletta and Jasper 2001) with the deaf protesters, despite not being deaf themselves. I also discuss the integral role of interpreters to the protesters' mission of challenging the existing power structure. To develop my argument, I analyze interview data collected from 27 DPN stakeholders to explore how and why the interpreters volunteered their time to push the protest forward. The data reveal strong personal and community relationships that motivated interpreters to volunteer their services. Through my analysis of interview data, I offer an exploration of the work of signed language interpreters in a specific localised setting, providing new insight into how ideology and community ties may guide the actions of interpreters in times of conflict and activism in deaf community settings.
Names A Journal of Onomastics , 2018
Interpreters face challenges when rendering names between languages. First, names may be unknown ... more Interpreters face challenges when rendering names between languages. First, names may be unknown to the interpreter or contain culturally specific information. Further, names lack contextual clues that aid the decoding process. Finally, names may be pronounced in a manner that is difficult to understand (e.g., rapidly or with an accent). Spoken language interpreters have the option of repeating names in their original form; however, signed language interpreters work between languages produced in distinct language modalities (sign-speech) that share no phonological features; thus, names cannot simply be reproduced across languages. In this study we created a mock scenario between two interlocutors (a hearing computer specialist and a deaf international student) who enacted a training session in which they deliberately incorporated names. The interlocutors repeated this training session three times, each with a different team of interpreters. We report strategies used by the teams to convey names in their interpretations.
Humans have the unique capability of using language to talk about language (Jakobson 1957). For e... more Humans have the unique capability of using language to talk about language (Jakobson 1957). For example, on can say, "The Italian word for dog is cane." These metalinguisitic references can create a dilemma for interpreters because the critical linguistic term (i.e., cane) must be maintained in the target language to create meaning. Spoken language interpreters can render the original form since both working languages are expressed in the same modality (speech-speech). However, signed language interpreters who work between languages have distinct modalities (speech-sign), thus must interpret forms between different phonological structures. We video-recorded ten experienced American Sign Language-English interpreters as they interpreted a mock training session containing metalinguistic references. Results showed interpreters employed numerous strategies to manage and coordinate the target language output.
Book Chapters by Mark Halley
Doctor Who and Science: Essays on Ideas, Identities and Ideologies in the Series, 2021
In this chapter, we explore parallels and disparities between the TARDIS’s ‘translation circuit’ ... more In this chapter, we explore parallels and disparities between the TARDIS’s ‘translation circuit’ and automatic machine translation systems. To do so, we first describe how and why translation was introduced in Doctor Who before comparing this to the ideological and socio-political contexts in which machine translation was first introduced in the period immediately following World War II. We then trace the arc of machine translation development from those early post-war pioneering efforts through several paradigm shifts in which the underlying approach to machine translation changed from being linguistics-based (e.g., using large dictionaries and grammatical rules) to being data-driven (e.g., using statistical probabilities to calculate a likely translation), before arriving at the current state-of-the-art that integrates artificial intelligence (e.g., machine learning). At each step, we explore similarities and differences between the TARDIS’s ‘translation circuit’ and machine translation systems, including how these two tools process languages with various morphological or syntactic characteristics, how the two tools handle challenges such as signed languages, humour, or sensitive language, and what causes each of these tools to break down and offer only partial or no translations. Finally, we conclude that, for the moment, the ‘translation circuit’ and machine translation have more differences than similarities, but who knows what the future holds?
Disability Alliances and Allies: Opportunities and Challenges, 2020
Purpose: In this chapter, I explore how American Sign Language/English interpreters came to enact... more Purpose: In this chapter, I explore how American Sign Language/English interpreters came to enact an ally role with members of the American deaf community during the 1988 Deaf President Now (DPN) protest. The DPN protest, led by students at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, was a historic moment in the deaf community’s struggle for civil rights (Christiansen & Barnartt, 1995). During the events that unfolded over the week-long rebellion, students engaged in a variety of claims-making activities (Lindekilde, 2013), such as participating in media interviews and organizing rallies. To share their message with the world, the deaf protesters developed alliances with American Sign Language/English interpreters, who mediated a wide variety of protest-related activities. Method: The data I analyze in this chapter come from (1) archival review and (2) semistructured interviews I conducted with DPN stakeholders, including interpreters and protesters.Findings: Through these data, I explore how the protesters and interpreters came to develop shared understandings and expectations of allyship, including the roles that interpreters enacted in the protest. Implication/Value: I frame this discussion within the context of a variety of metaphors that have been used to describe the role of signed language interpreters (Roy, 1993, 2002) and the concept of role-space (Llewellyn-Jones & Lee, 2014) to demonstrate the process of interpreters becoming allies in contentious political settings.
Principles of Interpreting, 2020
Halley, M. (2020). Foreword. In B. Cartwright & K. Flores, Principles of Interpreting (pp. viii–i... more Halley, M. (2020). Foreword. In B. Cartwright & K. Flores, Principles of Interpreting (pp. viii–ix) [foreword]. RID Press.
Posters by Mark Halley
In this poster, I analyze the work of an American Sign Language/English interpreter in a single c... more In this poster, I analyze the work of an American Sign Language/English interpreter in a single case-study design. Signed language interpreters have long recognized the challenges of rendering depiction in their work. To address this phenomenon and its associated challenges, I presented an American Sign Language/English interpreter with stimulus materials from two videos about automobiles. I then used the linguistic analysis software ELAN to analyze and categorize instances of American Sign Language depiction, determining how the interpreter rendered depiction in both language directions (i.e., English into American Sign Language and American Sign Language into English). The data suggest that syntactic input may not be the only factor in an interpreter’s decision-making processes when rendering depiction; rather pragmatic considerations appear to be a major contributing factor. Finally, I suggest that analyzing and understanding the work of highly qualified interpreters may inform educators and offer new pedagogical insights on how best to prepare the interpreters of tomorrow.
Metalinguis/cs refers to the phenomenon
of using language to talk about language.
For example, a ... more Metalinguis/cs refers to the phenomenon
of using language to talk about language.
For example, a speaker might say, “The
word for dog in Spanish is perro.” When
used in this referen/al manner, focus is on
the structure, form, and usage of the
language, rather than the meaning it
conveys (Lucy 1993).
Abstracts by Mark Halley
New Voices in Translation Studies, 2019
Abstract published in English and American Sign Language.
International Journal of Interpreter Education, 2015
ABSTRACT ONLY PUBLISHED
Signed language interpreters have reported experiencing discrimination a... more ABSTRACT ONLY PUBLISHED
Signed language interpreters have reported experiencing discrimination and oppression in the workplace, which may affect their motivation and performance on the job as well as their lived experiences as professionals. This exploratory study surveyed 1,385 American Sign Language–English interpreters regarding their experiences with discrimination and oppression in the workplace, with the aim of documenting and describing this perceived phenomenon. Results indicated several areas of concern from diverse groups of interpreters. Interpreters who are members of minority groups on the basis of race and hearing status reported feelings of not being valued by colleagues, facing barriers to attaining professional leadership positions, and experiencing discrimination from hiring entities. These findings provide a window into the experiences of professional interpreters regarding possible discrimination and oppression in the workplace. The results may influence how interpreter agencies conduct their practices and how interpreter education programs prepare students for sensitive issues in the workplace.
The findings are relevant to interpreting education because they 1) address issues of safe learning environments, especially for students from minority groups, and 2) point to the need for training on cultural sensitivity and respect toward colleagues.
Miscellaneous by Mark Halley
Uploads
Journal Articles by Mark Halley
the appointment of a hearing person as the president of Gallaudet
University, the world’s only university for deaf and hard of hearing
students. After a week of protest, the university’s board of trustees
capitulated and bowed to all the protester’s demands. As the protesters
engaged in a variety of demonstrations and other public events,
they were joined by dozens of American Sign Language/English interpreters,
who worked to ensure communication between activists,
journalists, members of the university’s administration, the police,
and others. In this paper, I use a case method approach and analyze
archival and interview data to describe the provision of interpreting
services in the protest. I employ concepts from social movement
studies and contentious politics to contextualize the experiences of
the interpreters. Using archival and interview data, I elucidate patterns
in their experiences and provide a holistic description of their
organization, work, and challenges.
METHOD: Virtual simulations of patient education interactions were conducted with nursing and standardized patients who are deaf. The virtual consultations were mediated by interpreting students. Following the simulations, data were collected from students about their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify overarching patterns.
RESULTS: Results indicated students reported myriad learning outcomes and areas of growth, as well as several logistical challenges. Students from both disciplines reported new learning experiences and development of practical skills, as well as critical thinking abilities.
CONCLUSION: Virtual simulations of health care appointments between nursing students and deaf standardized patients are a worthwhile educational endeavor and lead to positive learning outcomes for all of the students involved.
Book Chapters by Mark Halley
Posters by Mark Halley
of using language to talk about language.
For example, a speaker might say, “The
word for dog in Spanish is perro.” When
used in this referen/al manner, focus is on
the structure, form, and usage of the
language, rather than the meaning it
conveys (Lucy 1993).
Abstracts by Mark Halley
Signed language interpreters have reported experiencing discrimination and oppression in the workplace, which may affect their motivation and performance on the job as well as their lived experiences as professionals. This exploratory study surveyed 1,385 American Sign Language–English interpreters regarding their experiences with discrimination and oppression in the workplace, with the aim of documenting and describing this perceived phenomenon. Results indicated several areas of concern from diverse groups of interpreters. Interpreters who are members of minority groups on the basis of race and hearing status reported feelings of not being valued by colleagues, facing barriers to attaining professional leadership positions, and experiencing discrimination from hiring entities. These findings provide a window into the experiences of professional interpreters regarding possible discrimination and oppression in the workplace. The results may influence how interpreter agencies conduct their practices and how interpreter education programs prepare students for sensitive issues in the workplace.
The findings are relevant to interpreting education because they 1) address issues of safe learning environments, especially for students from minority groups, and 2) point to the need for training on cultural sensitivity and respect toward colleagues.
Miscellaneous by Mark Halley
the appointment of a hearing person as the president of Gallaudet
University, the world’s only university for deaf and hard of hearing
students. After a week of protest, the university’s board of trustees
capitulated and bowed to all the protester’s demands. As the protesters
engaged in a variety of demonstrations and other public events,
they were joined by dozens of American Sign Language/English interpreters,
who worked to ensure communication between activists,
journalists, members of the university’s administration, the police,
and others. In this paper, I use a case method approach and analyze
archival and interview data to describe the provision of interpreting
services in the protest. I employ concepts from social movement
studies and contentious politics to contextualize the experiences of
the interpreters. Using archival and interview data, I elucidate patterns
in their experiences and provide a holistic description of their
organization, work, and challenges.
METHOD: Virtual simulations of patient education interactions were conducted with nursing and standardized patients who are deaf. The virtual consultations were mediated by interpreting students. Following the simulations, data were collected from students about their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify overarching patterns.
RESULTS: Results indicated students reported myriad learning outcomes and areas of growth, as well as several logistical challenges. Students from both disciplines reported new learning experiences and development of practical skills, as well as critical thinking abilities.
CONCLUSION: Virtual simulations of health care appointments between nursing students and deaf standardized patients are a worthwhile educational endeavor and lead to positive learning outcomes for all of the students involved.
of using language to talk about language.
For example, a speaker might say, “The
word for dog in Spanish is perro.” When
used in this referen/al manner, focus is on
the structure, form, and usage of the
language, rather than the meaning it
conveys (Lucy 1993).
Signed language interpreters have reported experiencing discrimination and oppression in the workplace, which may affect their motivation and performance on the job as well as their lived experiences as professionals. This exploratory study surveyed 1,385 American Sign Language–English interpreters regarding their experiences with discrimination and oppression in the workplace, with the aim of documenting and describing this perceived phenomenon. Results indicated several areas of concern from diverse groups of interpreters. Interpreters who are members of minority groups on the basis of race and hearing status reported feelings of not being valued by colleagues, facing barriers to attaining professional leadership positions, and experiencing discrimination from hiring entities. These findings provide a window into the experiences of professional interpreters regarding possible discrimination and oppression in the workplace. The results may influence how interpreter agencies conduct their practices and how interpreter education programs prepare students for sensitive issues in the workplace.
The findings are relevant to interpreting education because they 1) address issues of safe learning environments, especially for students from minority groups, and 2) point to the need for training on cultural sensitivity and respect toward colleagues.