I have been an active professional English/ASL interpreter since 1985, first certified in Michigan and nationally certified (CSC) since 1986. My interpreting practice has included community interpreting in a broad range of contexts, conference interpreting, and a career-long specialization in stage and theatre interpreting. Teaching and research helps to continuously revive my passion for interpreting theory and practice.
Theatre Interpreting and TerpTheatre
Since 1985 I have interpreted hundreds of theatre productions, specializing in the shadowed approach (and also working in the placed and zoned approaches). As founder of TerpTheatre I have trained and employed interpreters throughout southeastern Michigan and beyond, establishing standards of practice for shadow interpreting and script analysis that are still in use today. In 2012 TerpTheatre coproduced the Michigan premiere of Police Deaf Near Far with Oakland University. For more about my stage interpreting work go here.
Research, Education, Training, and Consultation
in English/ASL Translation at Critical Link 8. Edinburgh, 2016.
I began terptheatre.org in 1998 in response to a growing number of inquiries about theatre interpreting from directors, interpreters, and Deaf theatre aficionados. Since then, an important part of my work has been sharing information with others to improve the results of interpreted theatre. I’ve presented workshops at national and local conferences, trained apprentice theatre interpreters, and have developed customized consultations for interpreted productions-in-development. I’ve taught English/ASL interpreting since 2005, and have been the chair of Sign Language Studies at Madonna University since 2007. My research examines spatial production by theatre interpreters – offering a conceptualization of interpreter geography and interpreter space. Other interests include translation techniques and cognition of participants in interpreted interactions.