Workshops and training – booking now:

Unconscious Bias is often in the news, as an explanation for people’s discriminatory behaviour and as a way of addressing such behaviour, for example, through Unconscious Bias training.  In this very interactive workshop we explore: 

• Unconscious Bias, the concept and in the ‘real world’, critiques and alternatives.
• How Unconscious Bias impacts on us as interpreters and translators.
• How Unconscious Bias impacts on our interpreting and translation.
• What we can do to address Unconscious Bias.
• Following the workshop you will receive our recommended resources list, and you can take part in an optional participant-led Zoom discussion group. (Date / time TBC)

Darren Townsend-Handscomb and special guests will be delivering the taught sections, and facilitating the discussions.

Please download the PDF below for more information about the workshop and trainers. 

Are there people that you find difficult to work with?  Bookers, customers, or colleagues?

Does this take a lot of your energy, either trying to deal with the situation, or trying to avoid it?

Would you like the time and space to think through your experience and challenges, and to explore what you may be able to do?

If so, then you may find this workshop useful, developed at interpreters’ request.  In these linked workshops and optional discussion groups we will explore:

• What is ‘difficult’, and why is it ‘difficult’.
• What influences our perceptions and experiences of, and our ability to, work with ‘difficult’ people, including: social context, psychological context, our previous experience, professional and interpreting skills, boundaries (especially with ongoing ATW work), and interactional / communication skills.
• What you can do to improve your experience of, and ability to, work with ‘difficult’ people, before, during and after interactions.

If you are interested in attending this workshop, click here.  (Once sufficient people are interested I’ll organise it).

Please download the PDF below for more information about the workshop.

Many interpreters find that confidence is an issue, either generally, or at different times in their career, for example:

• After having experienced one or more ‘difficult’ / ‘unsuccessful’ assignments.
• After having had critical feedback from colleagues and/or customers.
• When considering working in new domains, with new customers, with more experienced colleagues, in more ‘visible’ / high profile assignments, etc.

This program explores what underpins and undermines our confidence as interpreters, from psychological and other perspectives.  Through the program we will get to grips with what confidence really is, and what we can do to grow it in ourselves and customers.  

If you are interested in attending this workshop, click here.  (Once sufficient people are interested I’ll organise it).

Please download the PDF below for more information about the workshop.

In this very practical and hands on workshop we explore some fundamental truths about interpreting, the implications of these on our profession, and on our individual practice.

Whilst equivalencies and loss are key underlying principles, these don’t seem to be discussed or understood enough in our profession, to the detriment of our professional practice and confidence.

We’ll discuss the idea of interpreting as a loss process, the nature of equivalence, and then explore the impact of these through exercises and discussion.

By the end of this workshop you will have:

• Understood what it means that interpreting is a loss process.
• Explored the concept of equivalence when interpreting.
• Considered what loss and equivalence means for interpreting, and your individual practice as an interpreter.
• Had the opportunity to participate in exercises relevant to these concepts, exercises that can be continued at home.

If you are interested in attending this workshop, click here. (Once sufficient people are interested I’ll organise it).

Since 2010, WAYW program, delivered by Ben Phillips and Darren, has assisted 100’s of communication professionals to better understand the actual costs involved in delivering services and to reflect on and develop a realistic business model.  As this training is always in the context  of the current political and economic scene, the program continually evolves. The current version, WAYW:SE (Special Edition), focuses on the impact of Coronavirus.  

If you are interested in attending the WAYW program, click here.  

Please download the PDF below for more information about the workshop.

Do you feel that as an interpreter you don’t have enough experience or skills to feedback to colleagues?

Or maybe that you don’t even have the ‘right’ to feed back?

Would you like to feel more skilled and confident in asking for, receiving and giving feedback? 

If you would, then this workshop may be for you.  

In this workshop we will explore:

• Our individual, collective, professional and cultural contexts for giving and receiving feedback
• How we can think about, evaluate, and use the feedback we receive. 
• Models to help us understand what we are trying to do, and the different ways that we can apply them in a given context. 
• The skills we need to develop in order to receive and give feedback.
• Psychological barriers to, and resources for, receiving and giving feedback.
• Strategies for getting and giving feedback from/to colleagues and customers.
• How we can continue to develop our confidence and skills following the workshop.

The program includes: three 3.5 hour interactive workshop, three (optional) participant-led 1.5 hour discussion groups (using Zoom), and tasks to complete in your own time. (10.5 hours of structured CPD, 4.5+ hours of unstructured).

Cost TBC

If you are interested in attending this workshop, click here.  (Once sufficient people are interested I’ll organise it).

Research, as well as personal experience, shows that sign language interpreters are at risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries and conditions.  

You may know of colleagues who have been affected by this, or have been affected by this yourself.  

Through information and awareness, this workshop aims to empower you, and provide you with more skills and strategies in order to, take more responsibility and control of your own health and well-being.

In the workshop we explore:

• Look at why Sign Language Interpreting potentially carries the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, with a focus on Upper Limb Disorder (ULD*); for both face-to-face and remote interpreting.
• Explore a range preventative strategies & changes that can be made when interpreting, and had the opportunity to use them.
• Experience a range of signing ‘styles’, and understood the relevance to your health.
• Identify many of the potential symptoms of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions (especially ULD),   and the importance of taking early action.
• Look at the range of assessment and support options available if have symptoms.
• Discuss some of the issues around getting appropriate treatment & other actions you can take.

The program structure depends on whether this is being provided face-to-face or remotely. If remote it includes: three 3.5 hour interactive workshop, three (optional) participant-led 1.5 hour discussion groups (using Zoom), and tasks to complete in your own time. (10.5 hours of structured CPD, 4.5+ hours of unstructured). If face-to-face the structure is to be confirmed.

Cost TBC

If you are interested in attending this workshop, click here.  (Once sufficient people are interested I’ll organise it).

Darren’s biog relevant to running this program: Darren first got involved with interpreter Health & Safety when working as Head of Interpreting Services at the RNID. During this time he was responsible for writing the H&S Policy for Interpreting staff, and developing a ULD prevention, identification and treatment plan. He also worked with 3 staff with ULD, supporting them in order to be able to return to work. In 2006 he gained greater insight into ULD, having developed Tennis Elbow in both arms. From this insider perspective, he adapted the RNID work for freelance Interpreters in a Newsli article.

*ULD (Upper Limb Disorder) is the generic name for ‘problems with the arms’.  This term includes RSI, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Tennis Elbow, etc.

Professional development is often focussed on addressing our mistakes and weaknesses.  Why don’t we also pay attention to and work to build on our strengths?  In this webinar we’ll explore this question, and then look at some of the whys and ways we can begin to redress the balance. 

This will be an interactive webinar, with at least one attempted mass experiment, and breakout discussion groups.

By the end of the webinar you‘ll understand why we tend to focus on repairing problems, why identifying and building on strengths is also important, and will have some tools and resources to help you to address the imbalance.

If you are not a VLP member please join the waiting list. I’ll then let you know when I run the webinar again, later in 2022.