1. DEMAND-CONTROL SCHEMA
Gallaudet
June, 2010

2. Encounters with Reality
“Once one has mastered sign language, the mechanics of interpreting, and internalized the Code of Ethics, the really difficult work begins.”

3. How do you sign… “What’s going on with you?”
In a psychiatric hospital between night nurse and patient
In an emergency room between patient and doctor
In the police station between mother and son
Between close friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time

4. “Interpreting…is not merely transposing from one language to another
“Interpreting…is not merely transposing from one language to another. It is, rather, throwing a semantic bridge between two different cultures, two different thought worlds.”
---Claude Namy (1977)
A person’s thought world is shaped by their experiences throughout their life. It is their mind set, their reality, their “thought world.”

5. “I was interpreting in a church…..”

6. Demand-Control Theory
Developed by Robert Karasek and Tores Theorell
Basis for Dean & Pollard’s Demand-Control Schema for Interpreters
Looked at jobs in relation to two continua: demands and controls
High Control
IV Low-strain I Active
Low demand High Demand
IIIPassive II High-strain
Low Control

7. Demands Controls
BALANCE = WELLNESS

8. Demands
Requirements of the job; those factors which “act upon” the worker
What factors are impacting the work?
- Not necessarily “demanding”
Demands are about the job

9. Categorizing Interpreting Demands
Environmental: That which is specific to the setting, (e.g. professional roles, terminology, physical surroundings)
Interpersonal: That which is specific to the interaction of the consumers and interpreter
Paralinguistic: That which is specific to the expressive skills of the consumers, deaf or hearing
Intrapersonal: That which is specific to the interpreter (e.g. thoughts, feelings, physical states

10. Environmental Demands
Physical Surroundings
Room temperature
Smells and odors
Seating arrangements/sight lines
Visual distractions
Background noise
Space (people, furniture, equipment)
Goal or Purpose of the Setting
Terminology
Personnel or clientele

11. Interpersonal Demands
Interactional dynamics (authority, power)
Communication style and goals
Emotional tone or mood
Role and cultural differences
Communication flow (e.g., turn taking)
Relationship nuances (new, familiar, intimate, tension power, etc.)
“Thought worlds”

12. Paralinguistic Demands
Idiosyncrasies of signing/speaking
Volume
Pace
Accents
Clarity of Speech
Physical Position
Physical Limitations

13. Intrapersonal Demands
Feelings or ruminations one may have about:
one’s safety
one’s interpreting performance
liability
the people and the dynamics
the environment
Physiological distractions
Psychological responses or distractions

14. Example of Demand Analysis
First Grade Class Scenario: The teacher has called the children over to her on the carpet for a story about penguins. The students are seated on the carpet and listening to the story. There is an interpreter seated next to the teacher and a deaf child seated in the middle facing both teacher and interpreter.

15. Environmental Demands
Goal: education, entertainment
Personnel/Clientele: 20 first graders (can describe ethnic characteristics), teacher (can describe age and ethnicity)
Physical Surroundings: students seated on a carpet, crowded, teacher in front on rocking chair, visually busy, door to the hallway is open.
Terminology: specific character names, place names, penguin related vocabulary

16. Interpersonal Demands
Teacher uses facial expressions and gestures for correcting children
Teacher will insert the name of a child while reading the story to correct behavior
A student complains she can’t see the picture
Teacher asks students to predict what might happen
The story is visually interesting and students are fascinated watching the interpreter
A student calls out, “How do you sign ‘penguin’?”
Teacher is unaware of a child sneaking candy from his pocket and passing it to a few selected children

17. Paralinguistic Demands
“Read” material
Teacher has an accent
She reads slowly and pauses for emphasis
The Deaf child signs with one hand, using his voice
Kids are whispering to each other about the candy
Intermittent noise from the hallway makes the story hard to hear

18. Intrapersonal Demands
Interpreter feels qualified for this setting.
Interpreter feels frustrated with the children’s inattention.
Interpreter feels cramped with so many children around.
Interpreter feels good that the deaf child is attending to the lesson.

19. Picture Analysis Assignment
New employee orientation Deaf consumer has Ushers Syndrome. The presenter often refers to handouts and reads from them.

20. Controls
Skills or resources that the worker can bring to bear in response to the demands of the job
Controls may involve:
Behavioral actions and interventions
Particular translation decisions
Internal /attitudinal acknowledgments

21. Controls of the Interpreter
Three time periods
Pre-assignment controls: controls that are employed before or in preparation for the formal assignment
Assignment controls: controls that are employed during the interpreting assignment
Post-assignment controls: controls that are employed after the assignment is over.

22. Pre-assignment Controls
Physical, cognitive, and psychological attributes such as gender, age, ethnicity, etc.
Interpreting education, direct and indirect
Credentials, such as certifications or QAS
Experience, both work-related and personal
Direct preparation for the assignment
Clothing
Contacts (team, hearing and deaf consumers)
Readings, prep materials, Internet

23. Assignment Controls Identifying demands Positive self-talk
Direct interventions
Interpretations/Translations
Code of Professional Conduct
Role metaphors (machine, window, telephone line, Bi-Bi, ally)

24. Post-assignment Controls
Supervision
- Formal (with supervisor)
- Informal (with colleagues)
Debriefing/venting
- With support system
Follow up
With people involved
With further education
With referring party
Self-care

25. Ethical and Effective Decisions
Too Liberal Too Conservative
Therefore Therefore
ineffective ineffective
and/or and/or
unethical unethical
Liberal: favoring action, creativity, assertiveness
Conservative: favoring inaction, reservation, patience

26. Controls Exercise
Suppose you are working a group discussion assignment, and from where you are sitting, you cannot hear the person who is talking.
Best practice process doesn’t start with “what do I do” but starts with “what’s going on.”

27. Conservative? Effective? Ethical? Ask speaker to repeat
Use closure skills and “assume” what was said
Tell the deaf person you couldn’t hear
Leave out unheard portion/ignore it
Ask the deaf person what to do
Interpret what was heard while explaining the missed piece
Ask facilitator to repeat
Describe how the person is talking
Ask speaker to talk louder
Ask speaker to stand
Move closer to the speaker
Liberal?
Move to the center of the group
Ask the group to move
Conservative?
Alter acoustics (e.g., close a door/window)
Effective?
Move speaker to speaker
Ethical?
Stop environmental noise
Stand up yourself

28. Liberal? Conservative? Effective? Ethical?
18. Narrate comments using third person
Look at the speaker (orient face to face)
Read the speaker’s lips
Give visual cues that you cannot hear (cup ear, lean in, look quizzical)
Ask the group to move to a different place
Repeat the heard text back to the speaker up to the point you didn’t hear
Liberal?
Use amplification (e.g., microphone)
Refer to visual or written material
Conservative?
Explain to the deaf person why you can’t hear
Ask the person next to you what was said
Effective?
Ask the whole group to please speak up
Ethical?
Ask the deaf person to do something
Stop signing
Make it up

29. Group Activity
Based on the controls you came up with in the picture analysis, construct a list of controls in all three categories: Pre-Assignment During Assignment Post-Assignment

30. Goal: GGoGoalaGoal Pre-Assignment Environmental Demands
Interpersonal Demands
Post- Assign-
ment
Paralingustic Demands
Intrapersonal Demands
AsAs
Assignment

31. Picture Analysis Assignment
High school Chemistry class
One Deaf student, in black shirt
Teacher is demonstrating a machine that measures air quality