Workshop Title:
“Forming, Storming, Norming: Interpreting: Exploring team dynamics through The White Lotus”
Workshop Description:
This interactive seminar explores two distinct but complementary approaches to preparing students for interpreter education: a pre-translation Associate of Arts degree at Gallaudet University and a Pre-Interpreting minor at the University of Kansas. While these programs differ in structure and context, both are grounded in a shared commitment to strengthening language foundations and supporting student readiness prior to formal interpreting coursework.
Presenters will briefly share the rationale and design considerations behind each program, including how language development and sequencing of learning experiences inform their approaches. The session will then shift to guided discussion, inviting participants to reflect on their own program contexts and consider key questions related to preparation and readiness.
Together, participants will explore the distinction between language learning and learning to interpret, examine areas of overlap, and consider what knowledge, experiences, and competencies may be most critical prior to entering interpreter preparation. Through dialogue and small group exchange, attendees will have the opportunity to share strategies, challenges, and perspectives, contributing to a broader conversation about how programs can more intentionally support students before they begin learning to interpret.
Educational Objectives:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
1) Describe the stages of Tuckman’s group development model (forming, storming, norming, performing).
2) Recognize interpersonal dynamics that commonly occur in interpreting and translation teams.
3) Reframe conflict as a natural and productive stage of collaboration.
4) Identify practical strategies for communication and self-care when navigating team dynamics.
Bio:
Paul Michaels, PhD, has been a qualified, registered interpreter in the UK since 2011. He is also a qualified professional supervisor, having completed a Diploma in Supervision (2018). He qualified as an assessor of trainee interpreters (2022) and undertakes ad-hoc teaching responsibilities. He is an active member of two interpreting associations in the UK (ASLI & VLP) as well as an individual member of the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters and the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters. He completed a PhD (2023) at Durham University in the UK, which explored the motivations for men in the UK to become sign language interpreters and their experiences within the profession. His other research interests include the advancement of sign language interpreters and the deaf LGBT+ community.
RID CEUs Offered: .15