First Block
I've had a lot of fun and great experiences being an intern at Weber State! I got to interpret a Tai Chi class, something I've never experienced anything like. I set goals to improve my mouthing, to know when to point to the instructor, and how to show on myself rather than tell with signs. I so far have noticed improvements in reaching my goals and am grateful for my experiences here. My time here has magnified my good qualities with transliterating, while also helping me learn more soft-skills I will need to be an interpreter.
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Utah State has been a hard transition at first, but is one of the most beneficial sites I've ever been at. The transition was hard because the campus is an hour away and I got lost at least a dozen times trying to find the classrooms. Once established and gaining some sense of direction, I got to interpret a variety of classes and have observed some incredible interpreters, teaching me so much everyday. I really wanted to improve my ASL skills at Utah State. This included signing less English-based, improving my mouth morphemes, and building my vocabulary. I'm very pleased with the progress I've made so far, and while I still have a lot to learn, this setting has helped me tremendously. The hands-on practice here have helped me polish my weaker points and better prepared me to test to certify as an interpreter.
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I absolutely loved my time at RootsTech! The conference was not only enlightening and entertaining in regards to family history and genealogy, but also with the interpreting. I mostly observed at this conference, but the interpreters I got to see showed me new ways of signing and interpreting I've never seen before. I have a lot of mental and physical notes from the interpreters I observed, and I think they showed excellent examples of platform interpreting. Although I'm not sure I will immediately start my interpreting career with platform interpreting, I predict that I will be doing it in the future. My observations here have helped prepare me for those times.
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Second Block
Utah Schools for the Deaf and BlindMy experiences at Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind were the most eventful and varied of all my internship sites. I began at the same high school I attended five years prior and worked closely with two mentors with signing and voicing. Not long after starting, the majority of the students went on a multiple week field-trip, leaving myself and my mentors without much to do at the high school. I was then placed in a junior high school for a week before the school district's spring break. Once the break was finished, I was placed in an elementary school. The elementary school was a great learning experience, but didn't provide the stimulus and mentorship I needed. I also needed to review my goals and videos with mentors, and asked the program coordinator if I may go back to the junior high or high school. She agreed and I was again placed in the junior high for the remainder of my semester.
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Salt Lake Comic-Con Fan-XSalt Lake Comic-Con Fan-X was the most fun experience I've ever had interpreting. This was the site I was most looking forward to and was most satisfied with attending. I got to work with several skilled interpreters, and enjoyed the environment and events. I was pushed outside my comfort zone when I voiced a question for one Deaf person to a celebrity panel and when I interpreted a panel of voice actors. Despite stepping outside my comfort zone, I had a lot of fun and am proud of how I did. The experiences I had at Fan-X taught me how much I love platform interpreting and how I hope to incorporate as many opportunities as possible to interpret onstage in my career.
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