Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Turn exchanges in an interpreted professor-student conference Essay Example for Free

Turn exchanges in an interpreted professor-student conference Essay In professional discussions, papers, books, and pamphlets about interpreting, there is Ð ° largely underlying assumption that if speakers are talking back and forth, interpreters should make it possible for them to seem as if they are talking directly to one another. Although it may be possible at times for speakers to feel as if they are talking directly to each other, they are not. They are always exchanging speaking turns with the interpreter. In interpreted conversations, just as in ordinary discourse, turns can be analyzed in terms of their structural characteristics. And, again as in ordinary discourse, some turns cannot be accounted for solely in terms of structural qualities. Some turns come about because participants take turns for reasons congruent with their roles. Turns are complex exchanges because, although the intent and content of Ð ° turn originates with each speaker, the interpreter has to allocate and manage the conversational exchange. Turns are complicated entities because, upon hearing or seeing utterances whose meaning resides in other than linguistic form, interpreters have to make decisions from Ð ° range of possible choices. Choices have to include appropriate lexical and grammatical features, layered social meanings, possibilities for transition, and possibilities to elicit Ð ° response from yet another range of possible responses. Choosing an appropriate interpretation also depends on factors such as the relative status of the speakers and desired outcomes for the situation. For example, suppose Ð ° supervisor asks an employee this question: Would you mind typing this for me? Is this really Ð ° question or is it Ð ° polite request to type Ð ° paper? How immediate is this request? Interpreters have to select an utterance that may or may not be Ð ° question but must include the force of the request, the indirectness (if indirectness is appropriate in the other language), and Ð ° type that will elicit an appropriate response. The analysis of the transcript revealed that turn exchanges are occurring between the interpreter and Ð ° primary speaker. Even though the content and intent of the turn originates with each primary speaker, the two speakers are not talking directly to each other in the sense that they are exchanging the direct surface signals of their respective languages. In interpreted events, speakers exchange speaking turns with the interpreter in their own languages. In this interpreted conversation, four categories of turns presented themselves: regular turns, turns around pauses and lag, overlapping turns, and turns initiated by the Interpreter. It is also the case that phenomena around turns, such as pauses, lags, overlapping talk, and simultaneous turns, are going to occur naturally and as they are created by all three participants. The ongoing recognition of such discourse features are part of an interpreters competence, and the resolution of discourse confusion, if necessary, belongs primarily to the interpreter. Regular Turns In this section, І present examples from the transcript of regular turns, or smooth transitions (Sacks et al. 1974) regular turns in interpreting resemble regular turns in ordinary face-to-face conversation. The examples demonstrate how the interpreter and one or both speakers exchange turns and how Ð ° smooth, regular exchange in interpreting takes place. At this point, let me say Ð ° few words about reading the transcript. The transcript is 253 line segments long. In the following examples, the number at the beginning of each line segments represents its place among the 253 lines. Within each segment, there is Ð ° line for each participant, the Professor (P), the Student (S), and the Interpreter (І). They are either speaking or are silent. American Sign Language is represented by all caps. English is represented by regular type. There is no transcription or gloss for the Students ASL because the Interpreter provides Ð ° translation either within the same line or by the next line segment. Similarly, there is no gloss for the Interpreters ASL because there is an English rendition immediately before. Because ASL is not Ð ° written language and because grammatical relationships can be marked on the face, hands, and through movement and space, ASL is represented by glosses which are literal English representations of some part of the corresponding ASL lexical item. Therefore the meaning represented here is always somewhat skewed or simplified. Finally, І remind readers that the study has taken moments in real time that happened very quickly and has frozen them for Ð ° long, careful description and analysis. The Interpreter, then, has formed an utterance that is Ð ° lexical choice and has also chosen Ð ° prosodic cue for English which, in turn, produces Ð ° response. Interpreter translations are composed of more than lexical, phrasal, or syntactic choices. Choices of prosodic or paralinguistic cues are also required. on the surface, the nature of this exchange is that, the Professor takes turns with the Interpreter. It makes sense those speakers take turns in relation to the linguistic utterance they understand. Thus, turn-taking as an organizational system of conversation occurs between the Interpreter and Ð ° primary speaker and between the Interpreter and the other primary speaker. Why is it necessary to point out this seemingly obvious fact? Primary speakers in interpreted settings are often encouraged to think of themselves as speaking directly to each other. They quickly discover, however, that this is not the case and intuitively understand that they are exchanging turns with the interpreter. Doing so naturally and unconsciously suggests to speakers that they treat the interpreter as Ð ° direct interlocutor. It is no wonder, then, that often we find primary speakers addressing interpreters as participants who can answer questions and give responses. one can also understand how talking directly to an interpreter comes about; it is natural, even ordinary. Here, the transition from Student, to Interpreter, to Professor is Ð ° transition without problems. No one exhibits signs of being uncomfortable, nor is there any discourse muddle. Ð  regular turn, then, can be labeled as such because of the naturalness and ease of transition.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan :: Killing Mr. Griffin Lois Duncan

I read the book Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan. There was an English teacher, Mr. Griffin, which nobody liked. He was a tough teacher, and didn’t give anyone an A. Not even the smartest student, Susan McConnell. They disliked him so much that they wanted to try and scare him by kidnapping him. One day after school, Mark told his friends his idea of what to do to take care of Mr. Griffin. He decided that they should threaten to kill him so he would give them better grades but not actually kill him. After some convincing, all Mark’s friends agreed to his plan. Then they carried out their plan and got Mr. Griffin where they wanted him. They left him all alone and tied up in the mountains. Susan and David were worried about Mr. Griffin, so after a couple of hours they just went to check on him. But when they got there, they found and realized that Mr. Griffin was dead! They panicked, and didn’t know what to do. They went back and told the others. They all promised each other that they wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened. Now they had to cover up all the evidence that my lead to them. Mark was willing to do anything to do that! After a few days, Mr. Griffin’s disappearance was on the news. Of coarse, no one knew where Mr. Griffin really was, and what had actually happened to him. It was hard for them to keep it in. They all felt so bad, except for Mark. Mark was the leader of this plan, and he secretly did things to cover up evidence that his friends didn’t know about. Not at first anyway. He killed David’s, but Susan figured that out. He also tried to kill Susan because she was going to tell the police the whole story. She couldn’t stand keeping it in anymore. But after a while, people started putting things together and figured out what had really happened.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Mayans Customs & Traditions

The Mayans believed that the world was full of spirits and ghost, that every creation had an unseen power. A mountain can hold a deity and a rock a spirit, much like animism. It is to their belief that ghosts come out at night and spirits roam the jungle. To get in touch with the supernatural, such as the jaguar spirit or other transformations, the shaman (a priest who uses magic for certain purposes) would use hallucinogenic plants found in the jungle with a doobie.Mayans believed that some certain of their ancestors were reborn as gods. According to the Spanish, Mayans could date back their ancestry hundreds of years ago in detail. Rituals would be performed to their ancestors to gain favour and support. When a member of the family died, they would be buried in simple graves under their houses and the wealthy ones would be buried in tombs along with their belongings such as jewellery, pottery and food.According to Mayan beliefs, it is common for them to have ancestor worships, espe cially to the royals as they believe that they have re-joined the gods. They also believed that the gods had spilled their own blood to form human flesh. Mayan blood sacrifices were a ritual of returning blood to the gods. One way they did this was by ripping hearts out of the human sacrifice, mainly high- ranking war prisoners, and leaving it there for the gods or by pushing them down a cliff.They used human sacrifice because it was believed that human blood made the gods stronger. Yet, another custom was practiced which was self-torture, where they would pierce a body part and run a thread through to let the blood run down it. Sometimes, the Mayans would have dances and dressed up in clothing and masks resembling their gods. The dances were made to ensure the success crops throughout the year. Prior to marriage, Mayan families would use an atanzahab, or matchmaker to examine the couple’s horoscope to avoid future conflicts.Typically, the bride’s family would be given compensation for their daughter and the groom would have to work for the bride’s father for a period of time. The couple would meet for the first time at their wedding ceremony and would not speak to each other until they were married. One major game Mayans would play was a ball game where they had to hit a ball through a ring vertically. They would be rewarded with fine jewellery if they won or be tied up and sent to the high priest to be decapitated then rolled down the long steps to the plaza’s floor below. Thank you.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

How to Brainstorm in the Classroom

Brainstorming is an excellent teaching strategy to generate ideas on a given topic. Brainstorming helps promote thinking skills. When students are asked to think of all things related to a concept, they are really being asked to stretch their thinking skills. All too often, a child with special learning needs will say they dont know. However, with the technique of brainstorming, the child says what comes to mind as it relates to the topic. Brainstorming promotes success for students with special needs as there is no one right answer. Lets say that the brainstorm topic is weather, the students would state whatever comes to mind, which would most likely include words like rain, hot, cold, temperature, seasons, mild, cloudy, stormy, etc. Brainstorming is also a terrific idea to do for bell work (when you have just 5-10 minutes to fill just prior to the bell).​ Brainstorming Is an Excellent Strategy To... Use in the inclusive classroomTap into prior knowledgeGive all students a chance to express their ideasEliminate fear of failuresShow respect for each otherTry something without fearTap into individuality and creativityEliminate the fear of risk-taking Here are some basic rules to follow when conducting a brainstorm in the classroom with a small or whole group of students: There are no wrong answersTry to get as many ideas as possibleRecord all ideasDo not express your evaluation on any idea presented Prior to starting a new topic or concept, the brainstorm session will provide teachers with a great deal of information regarding what the student may or may not know. Brainstorming Ideas to Get You Started What are all the things you can do with a ball? (marble, stick, book, elastic, apple, etc.)How many things are white? blue? green? etc.What are all the methods of travel?How many types of insects, animals, flowers, trees do you know?How many ways can you describe the way something is said? (whispered, shrieked, bellowed, yelled, retorted, etc.)How many things can you think of that are sweet? salty? sour? bitter? etc.How many ways can you describe the ocean? mountains? etc.What if there were no cars? rain? butterflies? cigarettes?What if all cars were yellow?What if you were caught in a tornado?What if it never stopped raining? What if the school day was only half days? went all year? Once the brainstorming activity is done, you have a great deal of information on where to take the topic next. Or, if the brainstorming activity is done as bell work, link it to a current theme or topic to enhance knowledge. You can also categorize/classify the students answers once the brainstorm is done or separate it out and let students work in groups on each of the sub-topics. Share this strategy with parents who have children who are insecure about sharing, the more they brainstorm, the better they get at it and thus enhancing their thinking skills.