Research Methods: Sign Language Interpreting and Translation as Profession and Performance (10cr)

Evaluation scale

0-5

Objective

Part A: Developing the Profession (8 ECTS; 240 h)
The aim of this module is to provide students with a critically engaged outlook towards
research and policy texts which have the professional structure and the performance of
sign language interpreting and translation as their topic.
Students will develop an understanding of relevant social and linguistic research
methodology and be given tools with which to make informed assessments concerning
the validity of research findings through analyses of published texts from relevant fields
of practice and scholarship.
This module will guide students towards developing small-scale, pilot research projects
in areas relating to (a) the profession of sign language interpreting and translation and
(b) the performance of practitioners in the field, including the analysis of language output.
One of these projects will be undertaken (at an appropriate – i.e. small-scale, pilot –
level) and evaluated.
The module prepares students for module 5. In particular, projects developed here may
serve as the starting point for the MA theses to be written in semester 5.

Part B: Developing Reflective Practice III (2 ECTS; 60 h)
The aim of this strand, Developing Reflective Practice, is for students to improve and
deepen their self-reflection skills. By increasing self-reflection, students will also
improve their self-awareness and the ability to regulate their behaviour in interpreting
practice. This strand is centred on the need for practitioners to maintain professional
integrity in their work decisions that are in line with broader theories from the field of
professional ethics. The aim for this particular course is to improve the teaching and
application of the skills developed in this course with practitioners in students’ home
countries. Students will be expected to engage their colleagues in one of more of the
theories or approaches used throughout this strand.

Accomplishment methods

Part A:
Teaching methods
– In Phase A (70 h), two sets of reading tasks lead up to the subsequent block
seminar:
(a) Students will read texts on empirical research, introducing relevant
epistemological concerns, theoretical approaches and empirical methods. Active
reading will be encouraged by providing opportunities to discuss reading
experiences and questions.
(b) Each student will read two samples of research work, one related to the
profession strand of the module, the other related to the performance strand of the
module. These sample studies are to be reviewed critically from a methodological
point of view. Thus, students are asked to elucidate the methods used in each case,
weighing benefits and shortcomings with reference to the aims and results of the
study under consideration.
– The block seminar (Phase B; 25 h) will start with the clarification and discussion of
general issues of empirical research (‘Preliminaries’, ‘Sources’, ‘Approaches’ and
‘Handling of Data’). It will then concentrate on discussing the set of sample studies
reviewed by the students as models or, possibly, anti-models for research into the
profession or performance of sign language interpreters. At the end of the block seminar students will be in possession of a list of relevant research questions to be
directed towards the field of sign language interpreting, each related to a specific set
of empirical methods appropriate to the question at hand.
– For the remainder of the module (Phase C; 125 h), each student will be affiliated to
two tutors from two of the partner institutions. Assisted by their tutors, students will
decide about (a) a profession type of research question and (b) a performance type
of research question that they want to pursue in subsequent studies. Decisions
about both research questions have to meet a deadline set in advance. Students will
then pursue both research questions by working out the details of the proposed
study. One of the proposed studies will be carried out as a small-scale pilot study; for
the other proposal, detailed specifications of relevant literature, hypotheses, data,
methods and anticipated results are expected. Student work will thus result in one
report on a pilot study on either of the two types of research questions and one
detailed outline of a proposed study on the other type of research question.
– To conclude the modul, results of individual student work will be made available and
discussed in two ways (Phase D; 20 h):
(a) Outlines of proposed studies will be published online. Students are encouraged
to comment upon each others’ publication.
(b) Each student will present the report on his or her pilot study at a concluding twoday workshop. Presentations will be commented upon in IS by invited experts. The
workshop thus gives occasion for student interpretations into and from IS (=
conclusion of Module 4.1).

Part B:
There will be 10hs of contact time during the block seminar. In addition, students will
spend 50 hours on self-study before and after the block seminar.

Content

Part A:
(1) Preliminaries
– Description & Prescription
– Quantitative & Qualitative
– Empiricism, Validity & Reliability: Relations Between Methods and Outcomes
– Ethics & Empowerment: ‘On, For and With’
(2) Sources
– Identifying, accessing and reviewing appropriate literature (including ‘grey’ literature)
– Identifying, eliciting and accessing appropriate data
(3) Approaches
– Surveys and Questionnaires
– Case Studies
– Interviews & Focus Groups
– Ethnographic Approaches
– Linguistic and Cultural Approaches
(4) Handling Data
– Transcribing Data
– Data Analysis
(5) Models and ‘anti-models’
– Reviewing Major Trends in Translation & Interpreting Studies Research
– Profession questions
– Performance questions

Part B:
This final course in the reflection practice strand broadens the topic to investigate what
can be done at a policy or profession-level that might elicit advancement in the area
of work effectiveness ethics and reflective practice in students’ home countries.
Topics include:
- Ethical codes, standards of practice, and advancing ethical thought and
processes
- Intermediate ethical concepts
- Improving interpreter training and professional development
- Advancing post-conventional reasoning in ethical content material