Down memory lane.....
the full article can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/46308125/KSLIA-Position-Interpreting-Profession
The Peace
Corps program relied heavily on interpreters to carryout it’s pre
service training, which was offered mainly in English with Kiswahili
and other local languages taught depending on the regional
distribution of the volunteers. Interpreters where needed to
facilitate the communication between the instructors and the Deaf
volunteers. Due to lack of professional interpreters in Kenya the
Peace Corps program invested in one or two interpreters from the
US to work with the local interpreters to build their capacity and
later be able to give better interpretation services to the Deaf
volunteers. In 1999 there was a strong group of Deaf volunteers who
advocated for funding to fund activities to build the capacity of
local interpreters. This group of volunteers lobbied and
finally secured funding to conduct a one-week workshop for the local
interpreters. There were 15 interpreters who attended the training.
September 2000 during the one week workshop sponsored by the Peace Corps, the Kenyan Interpreters were challenged to form an association that would be responsible for three things – First be a social outlet for interpreters to meet and interact informally,secondly it was to be a place for correcting way ward interpreters enforcing a mutually agreed code of ethics and finally an avenue for continued professional development through peer education and role modeling. In the months following this there were a series of meetings dedicated to the formation of a Kenyan Interpreters Association. These meetings focused in the drafting of the constitution, code of ethics and contact list of available or practicing interpreters countrywide. These processes and the outcome of the one week training and late night meetings are what become to be known in Kenyan Interpreter community as the Naivasha declaration
The Naivasha
Declaration states that: -
We the Kenyan
Interpreters practicing in various fields agree to: -
a)
To secure official recognition by the Government of Interpreters
profession
b)
Encourage and promote initiatives in improving the standards of SL
interpreting and interpreter training and pay scale of interpreters
depending with their level and skills of interpretation through
certification.
c)
Cooperation with other recognized bodies concerned in the welfare of
the deaf and in provision of Interpreters throughout the world.
d)
Awareness creation on Deafness and SL. Interpreters through
publication of information materials
e)
To collect and raise funds for the achievement of goals and
objectives through membership fee, subscription, contribution, gifts
or donations, commissions and payments, fund raising whether in
money or otherwise from both members and non members.
f)
To maintain and administer a register of S.L Interpreters in
Kenya.
These
later become the objectives of the Kenyan Sign Language Association,
which was registered in December of 2000 under the Societies Act.
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