About This Site
What’s going on here?
This site is (or was?) intended to make my life simpler as an instructor. Let’s face it: school is difficult. It takes up an inordinate amount of time, and, while it is worth it in the long run, a wee bit of organization certainly helps the cause.
This site is also an experiment in simplicity. Users hate to be frustrated when they use websites, so I’ve tried to make every contingency that I could think of. I’m sure you, gentle reader, will find areas that can be improved and so I invite your feedback.
This entire site is standards compliant; that is (for you gearheads) it is XHTML 1.0 Transitional and W3C compliant. Within the body of the site, there is not one—no, not one—tdbody, colspan, or Microsoft FrontPage line of code included. Thanks to the beauty of cascading style sheets, everything you see before you is text-based.
Coming soon: For those of you with iPhones, Android OS, and iPads, I’m working on handheld- and iPad-specific versions of this site so it will be as pretty and efficient as it can be for you. Hang in there; I only have so much money for toys.
All downloadable files—class notes, syllabi, and other handouts—are saved in PDF formats and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If the computer you are using does not have Acrobat or the Acrobat browser plugin, you can download the free Reader application.
About UVU’s Courses
Let’s take this opportunity to clear up some myths:
- UVU has not, does not, nor does it plan to establish a full-blown interpreting training program, per se. There. It’s said. You can check with my boss on this one, but I’m pretty sure he’ll back me up.
- As of the end of Fall Semester 2010, the ACIPP program has been discontinued. Please contact the Foreign Language office or Dr. Eldredge for more information about future UVU interpreting paracertificate programs.
UVU does offer, however, an independently-funded Advanced Certification Interpreter Preparation Program (ACIPP) to interpreters looking for a highly-focused academic track to help them obtain advanced state or national interpreter certification. Read more about it at their website. - As of Fall 2004, UVU offers a minor in ASL and Deaf Studies.
- And as of Fall 2007, UVU now offers a bachelor’s degree in ASL and Deaf Studies. That’s fairly exciting, seeing that there are literally a handful of such programs offered in the United States and you get to come all the way to Utah to get your degree.
Read the class descriptions at the department ASL website or if you’re interested in learning how these courses are applied towards your degree, contact ASL Department Chair, Bryan Eldredge, eldredbr (at) uvu.edu or 863-8529.
| Course | Availability |
|---|---|
| ASL3310: Introduction to Interpreting | Fall |
| ASL3320: Physiology of Interpreting | Spring, Summer, Fall |
| ASL3330: Cross-Cultural Interpreting | Spring |
| ASL3340: Interpreting II–Advanced Techniques | Fall |
| ASL3350: Consecutive Interpreting | on demand |
| ASL3360: Simultaneous Interpreting | on demand |
| ASL3370: Sign to Voice Interpreting | on demand |
| ASL3380: Transliteration | on demand |
| ASL3390: Professional Issues in Interpreting | on demand |
| ASL4330: Visual Linguistic Analysis | on demand |
| ASL4360: Legal Interpreting | on demand |
| ASL370: Ethics for Interpreters | on demand |
| ASL439R: Special Topics in Interpreting | on demand |
Contact Information
If you need to contact me, the best way is via email. My kids may answer the phone (trust me, you don’t want that) and my wife doesn’t appreciate getting calls at home. (If you absolutely must use the phone, you may call my mobile phone—ask me for the number first.) So email me at dstringham (at) gmail.com. Rest assured, I’m very responsive to e-mail so I’ll get your information one way or the other.
You can also schedule appointments with me on campus either before/after class.
And I suppose if you really don’t want to talk to me, you could bother my department head: Dr. Bryan Eldredge, eldredbr (at) uvu.edu, LA003j; (801) 863-8529 V/VP.
Colophon
While this site is optimally viewed in Mac OS X (let’s face it, what web site isn’t?), because it is run via cascading style sheets, it also works reasonably well with all current Mozilla builds.
Use Firefox (highly recommended), Flock (awesome alternative), Chrome for Mac or for PC, Safari, or Opera. Disclaimer: while this site should (in theory) run well on Windows Internet Explorer 7, I’m simply not going to guarantee it:
- Windows IE is dangerous and susceptible to myriad security issues
- Windows IE has continued to ignore the standards compliancy movement, the future of the Internet.
I apologize in advance if this causes any problems for you.
This site was first worked out on paper and then brought to life on an Apple Macintosh G5 using Macromedia Dreamweaver, TextMate, and TextWrangler. It’s now maintained by an 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo desktop and a 15" PowerMac. Typefaces used are Arial (Nicholas & Saunders), Helvetica (Miedinger & Hoffman), and Georgia by Matthew Carter.
A note on privacy: I don’t (read: can’t) collect or store any information about users so you can just breathe a little easier.
My Background/Vitae
I have been an adjunct instructor in the ASL & Deaf Studies department at Utah Valley University since 1995. I teach a variety of signed language interpreting courses, including an introduction to the field, cross-cultural considerations in interpreting, and consecutive and simultaneous bidirectional interpretation/transliteration. My academic interests are in interpreter education, nineteenth century Deaf history, history and etymology of signed languages, visual and graphical representations of signed language, and enhancing teaching opportunities with technology.
- Instructor, ASL & Deaf Studies Department, Foreign Languages, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah
- Utah State QA/Level III (Master) Interpreting Certificate, State of Utah
- Master of Science, Instructional Psychology and Technology (ABT; graduation 2012), Brigham Young University
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, Brigham Young University
(August 1995 to present)
Certificate maintenance includes 60+ triannual hours of professional development. Past employment and client list includes: Utah State Department of Education, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley Community College, International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (CISS), the Smithsonian Institution, and ESPN. Also numerous contractor opportunities with community businesses, corporate, educational and medical institutions, and private agencies.
(State certified 1992 to present)
Other Experience and Specialized Training
Practitioner Experience:
- Interpreter Diagnostician, Utah Interpreter Program
- Interpreter Evaluator, Utah Interpreter Program
- Director/Instructor, American Sign Language Workshop; Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Responsible to perform in-depth evaluations on candidate’s interpreter processes and then communicate persistent patterns in interpretative work to candidates.
(October 2001 to present)
Responsible to rate and determine candidate’s ability to pass Utah State interpreter certification (level I and II) examinations.
(October 1998–October 2001)
Responsible for selecting workshop course subjects and instructors for over 140 attendees at this annual summer workshop held at Brigham Young University. Also responsible for instructing Beginning, Advanced, and Interpreting level classes as well as provide interpretation for Deaf presenters and participants.
(Director: July 1996, July 2002; Instructor: July 1995–99, 2002)
Specialized Training and Continuing Education:
- The Demand-Control Schema for Interpreting Work; Robyn Dean; Deaf Wellness Center, Rochester, NY (2011, 2007)
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Training; Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf, Salt Lake City, UT (2010, 2009)
- Master Mentor Training; Cindy Farnham & Jennifer Harvey; VRS Interpreting Institute, Salt Lake City, UT (2009)
- Identifying Aspects of our Work: Mentoring; Dr. Betty Colonomos; Bilingual Mediation Center, Silver Spring, MD (2006)
- Foundations I and II, Dr. Betty Colonomos; Bilingual Mediation Center, Silver Spring, MD (2003)
- Comparative Linguistics II and II, Dr. Betty Colonomos, Bilingual Mediation Center, Silver Spring, MD (2003)
- Interpreter Diagnostic Training, Anna Witter-Merithew; Distance Opportunities for Interpreter Training (DOIT) Center, Front Range Community College, Denver, CO (2001)
Presentations
- “Rediscovering the Legacies of Deaf Latter-day Saints” (August 2011, May 2011)
- “Around the World in 100 Years: The Semantic Creation and Utility of Geographical/Country Signs” (May 2011; to the Utah ASL Teachers Association, June 2011)
- “An Analysis of Historical Lexical and Cultural Variation in American Sign Language Geographical Signs” (at the Fourth Biennial Deaf Studies Today!, April 2010)
- “Cognition and Social Media: Blended Learning Strategies for the ASL Classroom” (to the Utah ASL Teachers Association; June 2009)
- “Navigating the One Degree: Making Course Corrections in Sign to Voice Interpretations” (with Wes Maynard) (June 2009)
- “Molehills Out of Mountains: Preparing for Interpretation Certification Knowledge Examinations” (April 2009)
- Utah State Office of Education Interpreter Mentor Training (with Valerie Sturm; February 2009, March, June 2008)
- “The Spatial Nature of American Sign Language for Teachers & the Axes Hypothesis” (to the Utah ASL Teachers Association; June 2008)
- “Verbal and Adverbial Inflection” (June 2008)
- “Understanding Formality Registers in Our Interpretive Work” (with Valerie Sturm; May 2008)
- “Producing Spoken English Interpretations of Classifier-based Texts” (January 2008)
- “Understanding ASL Grammatical Features and Discourse Mapping” (with Jeff Pollock; November 2007)
- “Space and Location in Producing Educational Interpreting Work” (with Duane Kinner; July 2007)
- “Preparing for the Utah State Novice Performance Certification Exam” (April 2005)
- “Developing Equivalent Sign-to-Voice Interpretation Techniques” (April 2005)
- “Professional Behaviors and Ethics for Interpreters” (September 2004)
- “Understanding and Using LDS Church-specific Signs for Church Interpreters” (July 2002)
- “Sentence Types in American Sign Language” (July 2002)
- “Identifying Subjects and Objects in American Sign Language” (July 1999)
- “Understanding Fingerspelling and Loan Signs” (July 1998)
- “Origins, Formations, Rules, and (Mis)Usage of ASL Name Signs” (July 1997)
Publications:
Stringham, D. (in press). An Analysis of Historical Lexical and Cultural Variation in American Sign Language Geographical Signs. In D. Stringham, B. Eldredge, F. Fleischer, (eds.). Deaf Studies Today! 2010: Engaging Theory and Action (Conference Proceedings), Orem, Utah: Utah Valley University.
Stringham, D., Eldredge, B. K., Fleischer, F. eds. (in press). Deaf Studies Today! 2010: Engaging Theory and Action (Conference Proceedings). Orem, Utah: Utah Valley University.
Eldredge, B. K., Stringham, D., Fleischer, F., Morton, K., eds. (in press). Deaf Studies Today! 2008: Montage (Conference Proceedings). Orem, Utah: Utah Valley University.
Eldredge, B. K., Stringham, D., & Wilding-Diaz, M., eds. (2007). Deaf Studies Today! 2006: Simply Complex (Conference Proceedings). Orem, Utah: Utah Valley University.
Eldredge, B. K., Stringham, D., & Wilding-Diaz, M., eds. (2004). Deaf Studies Today! 2004: A Kaleidoscope of Knowledge, Learning, and Understanding (Conference Proceedings). Orem, Utah: Utah Valley University.
