Interpreting Case Studies
Browse Case Studies by Year
These case studies in interpreting are created by graduate student cohorts at Western Oregon University's Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies program.
Students select and interview trailblazers and innovators in the American Sign Language (ASL)-English interpreting field, with an aim of recognizing the leadership of interpreters from various local communities.
One set of case studies is produced per year, although not all are published online. Published items are listed below by year.
If you have questions about the project, please contact the coordinators of the Interpreting Studies Program.
Editors' Note
The field of ASL/English interpretation has undergone an array of changes and challenges throughout its history. Throughout every phase of growth and development, leaders have emerged to drive this vital evolution. Best practices shifted, laws passed, and the status quo was challenged because of trailblazers with a vision for the future. With persistence and patience, our field has been molded by those willing to leverage resources and envision novel perspectives of what could be. Much of the work has been done in humble service to the communities impacted, without recognition along the way. For this reason, we sought the stories of those who came before us. Our hope is that these accounts serve as a catalyst for the future expansion of our field and communities.
During the summer and fall of 2022, Western Oregon Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies candidates interviewed leaders from our interpreting communities. These profiles contribute to a growing project established by WOU faculty in 2012. Experts who have mentored, supported, and nurtured our professional growth shared their unique stories with us. We learned about these leaders’ backgrounds, what drove them, and how they impacted not only us but also the greater community.
As documented in this collection of studies, interpreter leaders hold great significance in the profession and come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Many interpreters do not initially consider themselves a leader, but inadvertently and willingly fill the role. However, through the following interviews, reflections, and analyses, it is clear that not only are they leaders, but respected and valued examples for others entering the field. Factors such as persistence, timing, opportunity, and resourcefulness shift the individual from interpreter to leader. We celebrate the humble beginnings turned into robust achievements of the interpreter leaders in our field. We invite others to learn their stories and emulate their journeys. Just as these trailblazers have done, we challenge readers to remember that no matter your status and background, the transformation into a leader is always possible.
Elizabeth Adler, Pamela Bernkrant, and ShaCarol Stewart
November, 2023
Editor's Statement
Over the past fifty plus years, many individuals have contributed to the growth of the American Sign Language (ASL)-English interpreting field. Some of these individuals have been recognized in the history of ASL interpreting, but many have not. There are individuals who have shared their knowledge and experience with the newer generation of interpreters and colleagues for many years through leadership and mentoring. Some of these individuals have been trailblazers in their interpreting communities, and yet still have never been recognized for their work, contributions, and accomplishments.
The cohort of students that started in June 2018 at Western Oregon University and the faculty wanted to recognize the leadership of interpreters from various local communities. With that vision and goal in mind, the cohort set out to interview and gather information from various interpreters who embarked on a journey that would lead them to become leaders in interpreting communities today.
The following are a collection of case studies showcasing the hard work of many untold stories of individuals wanting to improve and leave a legacy for the next generation of interpreters to embrace and continue the work. We hope that when you read these stories, you will feel inspired to follow in the footsteps of these trailblazers, leaders, and mentors within the field of ASL-English interpreting.
Krystle Chambers
June, 2021
Editor's Statement
Ball State Teacher’s College, Muncie, Indiana, 1964: a small group of American Sign Language interpreters and Deaf professionals come together to turn their passion into action. These leaders instigated the birth of a national organization for interpreters in the United States and the beginning of the professionalization of the signed language interpreting field. These leaders are recognized for their contributions, their actions, and their accomplishments.
In the ensuing fifty years there have been many leaders in the profession that have selflessly stepped forward and given of their time and energy to further advance the profession of signed language interpreting. As a result, there are now affiliate chapters of the national organization in the U.S. (the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf) in almost every state and national professional organizations in many countries who cater to the professional development needs of their members and establish ethical and professional standards of conduct that guide our behavior. These leaders have ushered in the advent of credentialing for interpreters, professional standards for interpreters, and education for interpreters up to the PhD level. Some of these leaders are readily recognizable by name and by their contributions and successes. But, most of them are unknown and unrecognized. Their contributions, their actions, their accomplishments are enjoyed by all in the profession. Yet, their stories remain untold.
The faculty in the Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies at Western Oregon University and the cohort of students that began the program in June of 2013 embarked on a project to recognize leaders that have made an impact on the profession but whom remain under the radar of most practitioners that benefit from their actions. That project has resulted in this manuscript in which we get to tell their stories. Each student chose a person who they felt had made major contributions to advance the profession as well as being a contributor to our own professional development and practice as interpreters. We interviewed these leaders in order to gain an understanding of what it takes to turn passion into action. We tell their stories here; stories of grass roots activism in local communities to stories of global collaboration, stories of overcoming obstacles to stories of challenging the status quo, stories of giving back to the community to stories of taking the lead, stories of building bridges to stories of effecting positive change.
We hope that readers will join us in celebrating and honoring the contributions of these leaders whose stories are finally being told here and whose ability to turn passion into action has resulted in the profession that we enjoy today. We also hope that readers will be inspired by these now told stories to turn their own passion into action.
Christopher Grooms
June 2015
