An Activity in the Interpreting Skills Series
As of 2022, the Interpreting Skills Series was a 19-credit-hour, four-course series covering interpreting skills and theory in the ASL-English Interpretation BA program at the University of Northern Colorado.
The Interpreting Skills Series acknowledged that decision-making was an interpreting skill that drew on different frameworks to inform an interpreter’s actions; one such framework was the Demand-Control Schema (Dean & Pollard, 2013). The Demand-Control Schema includes “demands” defined as the requirements of the job or factors that “act upon” the interpreter, encompassing environmental, interpersonal, paralinguistic, and intrapersonal categories within the interpreting work (Dean & Pollard, 2013). “Controls” are the skills or resources that the interpreter can bring to bear in response to the demands of the job, including, for example, behavioral actions, interventions, interpreting decisions, and internal acknowledgment (Dean & Pollard, 2013). The Demand-Control Schema provides a structured approach to understanding and managing the complexities of interpreting work.
Supporting Material
Dean, R. and Pollard, R. (2013). The Demand Control Schema: Interpreting as a practice profession. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Overview
In Interpreting Skills & Theory II (INTR 345),
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Scholars scaffold their learning by gaining additional insights into DC-S principles through corresponding readings.
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Scholars practiced applying DC-S through related application activities, discussions, and assignments.
Scholars completed an introduction to the Demand-Control Schema (DC-S) in a prior course (INTR 112: Theory and Practice of Interpreting) before reinforcing the framework in Interpreting Skills & Theory II (INTR 345).
DC-S was further built upon in Observation-Supervision (INTR 330).
Learning Objectives
In Interpreting Skills & Theory II (INTR 345, Lesson 3-5),
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Discuss the elements of ethical decision-making and the contributions of Demand-Control Schema (DC-S) and Role-Space in framing the decision-making process of interpreters.
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Apply concepts of DC-S and Role-Space to the observation and analysis of interpreted interactions.
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Apply concepts of DC-S and Role-Space to the preparation, implementation, self-assessment and reflection of self-generated interpreted interactions.
Insights
In Interpreting Skills & Theory II (INTR 345, Lesson 3-5),
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An overview of thought world, taxonomies, and reflective practice
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Environmental demands include a broad category from which other demands often flow, note the goal of the environment impacts the decision-making of the interpreter
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Interpersonal demands are most complex as it involves people
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The impact of unknown or unidentified intrapersonal demands
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Conceptualizing controls as a noun versus a verb
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Controls may include individuals’ age, gender, and ethnicity, and can be unique to the individual interpreter
The complementary benefit of using both DC-S and Cokely’s (1992) analysis is the alignment across generations of thought, where overlapping constructs connect historical and current research, reinforcing the interpretation of language as a system of meaning-making shaped by discourse, not just language transfer.
For example:
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DC-S Environmental Demands aligns with Cokely’s context
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DC-S Paralinguistic elements align with Cokely’s categories related to message key, message form, and content (grammar and structure)
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DC-S Interpersonal aligns with elements of Cokely’s categories of discourse genre, cultural realities, and interaction norms
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DC-S Intrapersonal aligns with elements of Cokely’s categories of Interpreter Performance Observations
Materials
In Interpreting Skills & Theory II (INTR 345),
Cokely, D. (1992). Interpretation: A sociolinguistic model. Linstok Press, Inc.
Dean, R. and Pollard, R. (2013). The Demand Control Schema: Interpreting as a practice profession. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
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Chapters 5, 6, 7
Russell, D. & Shaw, R. (2017). Power and privilege: An exploration of decision-making of interpreters. Journal of Interpretation, 25(1), Article 7. http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/joi/vol25/iss1/7
The PSI Project shares links as a resource and does not monitor or update them; PSI is not responsible for their content, accuracy, or availability over time.
Activities & Assignments
In Interpreting Skills & Theory II (INTR 345),
Classroom Discussions –
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Initial discussion about real-world situations where demands outweigh the controls an interpreter brings.
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After applying the discourse analysis assignment, expand the discussion to include observations and recent analyses that add to the controls an interpreter could employ.
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Reflect on the analysis of the application of principles of DC-S during the interpretation.
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Discuss examples of demands as they relate to the need for multiple interpreters, as they relate to observations.
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Consider how DC-S upholds or forfeits professional values.
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Consider how the principles of reflective practice benefit the work and the possible challenges they pose.
Discourse Analysis – Analyze model interpretations using a template, drawing on elements of DC-S.
Simultaneous Interactive Interpretations – Complete interpretations of various scenarios applying controls to demonstrate the decision-making process.
Observations – Conduct observations of working interpreters through the lens of the DC-S framework.