Welcome

Welcome to the Journal of Undergraduate Interpreting Studies, a project of the National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC) at Northeastern University. The primary goal of the Journal is to showcase and share undergraduate research. A secondary goal is to encourage interpreter education programs to incorporate undergraduate research into their curriculums. We also hope that the Journal will become a resource for students in interpreter education programs.

We are delighted with the experience we have had since the inception of the Journal. As you will note, these articles have an interesting diversity of topics pertaining to the field of interpretation. We also accept reviews of articles and texts relevant to the field of interpreting, and we hope to receive submissions that are publishable.

This 2015 issue includes a record six articles from three institutions. We are delighted that this issue is three times larger than any of our previous ones and hope this will inspire others to submit articles for consideration in 2016. Here is a list of the articles in the current issue:

• Educational Interpreters and Early Childhood Development Training by Sam Freeman from Columbia College
• Gendered Communication and Speaking Styles Related to Sign Language Interpreting by Chloe J. Mayo from Augustana College
• Interpreter Experience and the Use of Constructed Action by Jenna Gorman and Sarah Garcia from Northeastern University
• Patterns of Informality in Spoken English Interpretation by Meghan McCombs from Northeastern University
• Replicating “Interpreting Culturally Rich Realities: Research Implications for Successful Interpretation” by Brittany Patten and Jacqueline Fernaays from Northeastern University
• Working with American Sign Language Interpreters in K-12 Schools: A Pilot Study by Krstyal Chung and Lindsey Schick from Northeastern University

To access the 2015 articles, please click here.

Our 2014 issue featured two articles.  Josephine Sandossi, a student in the interpreter education program at the University of North Florida, explores the topic of Power in her paper, “Power:  Its Position, Purpose, and Practice Within the Interpreting Triad”.  Our second contribution is from two authors, Oliva Andert and Allison Trites, both recent graduates from Northeastern University.  Their work, “Vicarious Trauma Among Sign Language Interpreters:  A Pilot Study”,  includes survey research on the topic.

The 2013 issue also featured two articles. “Gender Variation in Sign Production by Users of American Sign Language” that was submitted by Heather Hamilton from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. The second article by Cenée Dawkins, an alumna of Gallaudet University, looks at “The Effect of Work Experience on Interpreting in Mental Health Settings.”

Our premier issue in 2012 featured two articles. Clint Brockway, a graduate from the interpreting program in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, submitted “Sociolinguistic Variation in the American Black Deaf Community: An Introduction to the Status of Past and Current Research.” The other article, “Repairs in American Sign Language: Repair Strategies and Frequencies in Interpretations from English to American Sign Language” was submitted by Victoria Miller and Christopher Matthews from Northeastern University.

The NIEC believes that the benefits of undergraduate research are many, and each of the benefits will serve students well as they enter the field of interpreting:

• Students become much more familiar with academic English.
• Students become more familiar with data presentation.
• Students become familiar with quantitative analysis.
• Students become more comfortable reading research.
• Students have a reviewed publication to add to their resume.
• Students experience the editing process and applying APA style.

In addition to conducting research and reviews, interpreter education programs will benefit from the Journal by using these research articles as part of course instruction. We urge all interpreter educators to review our past issues, encourage submissions for the current issue, and distribute these articles to students.