WASLI 2015 Conference Updates

Applications for Interpreters and Emerging Countries delegates are now closed. WASLI 2015 is still calling for sponsors and volunteers – please see the relevant forms throughout the website and on the right sidebar.
At this Conference, we encourage the sharing of ideas for collaboration across countries, cultures, and languages from consumers, practitioners, educators, and researchers. WASLI 2015 will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from 22-25 July 2015.

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The Naivasha Declaration: KSLIA Formation and Development #KSLIA2013

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.

KSLIA the journey - Reflections from the April Interpreters Training

KSLIA the journey - Reflections from the April Interpreters Training

Kenya Sign Language Interpreters Association was set up by a group of 20 local interpreters after a training by the first Deaf Education US Peace Corps Volunteers in September of 2000. Prior to this training there were several short term trainings conducted by KSLRP/KNAD dating back to 1980s and 1990s. Several Interpreters were trained in interpretation theories and code of ethics. These core interpreters from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia later replicated that training to their counterparts and it was hoped that these efforts would result in a stronger force of interpreters. Development in the other countries are hard to trace, however, in Kenya those efforts have been translated into an association. Like many countries in the world, interpreters in Kenya are rarely available, usually seen as('unqualified') due to the fact that most are usually friends to the Deaf, family members or teachers of the Deaf and largely there is a deficiency due to the lack of a training program/certification process.

KSLIA is an indigenous initiative evolving and strengthening the face of the Interpreting profession in Kenya. Kenya has a huge interpreter community that is active and isolated. Many Interpreters are working in various settings all over the country with little or no formal Interpreter training. KSLIA is in the forefront advocating for the establishment and sustaining of training programs all over Kenya. KSLIA hopes to improve and elevate the standards of Interpreting in Kenya through the following objectives:

a)To secure official recognition of interpreting profession by the Government, various service providers and the general public

b)Encourage and promote initiatives in improving the standards of 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 S.L Interpreters throughout the world.

d)Awareness creation on Deafness and Interpreting 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 registry of Interpreters in Kenya, including certification and license maintenance procedures.

g)Enforce a code of ethics and mediate conflict between the Interpreters and their clients.

KSLIA is working towards the establishment of a training program and a certification process for it's membership.

Global Deaf Connection (GDC), Deaf Aid (KRITD project), and KSLIA have set up the second national workshop for KSL/English interpreters in April 2007. This brought together more than 15 Interpreters from all over the country, the workshop's focus was on "Interpreting: Theory into Practice" this workshop was a follow up to the training held in August 2006 in Machakos. Further to this there is the final phase of the training to be conducted in December 2007. These training have been sponsored by GDC through a USAID grant with additional contributions from Deaf AID and KSLIA.

As a result of these trainings and the training needs assessments and feedback received from participants, there is a great need for a fully fledged training program focusing on all aspects of Interpreting from Language training, actual interpreting, various skills needed to the code of ethics. KSLIA will be in the steering wheel to ensure that the views, needs and aspirations of the Kenyan Interpreters are articulated and addressed by future trainings.

KSLIA envisions its role in a three pronged approach - the three C's - Certification of members, Continuing education for the practicing Interpreters and Conflict resolution through enforcement of the Code of Ethics.

Drafted by KSLIA (C) 2007.