The Sign Language Interpreting Studies Reader: (117 Benjamins Translation Library)

In Sign Language Interpreting (SLI) there is a great need for a volume devoted to classic and seminal articles and essays dedicated to this specific domain of language interpreting. Students, educators, and practitioners will benefit from having access to a collection of historical and influential articles that contributed to the progress of the global SLI profession. In SLI there is a long history of outstanding research and scholarship, much of which is now out of print, or was published in obscure journals, or featured in publications that are no longer in print. These readings are significant to the progression of SLI as an academic discipline and a profession. As the years have gone by, many of these readings have been lost to students, educators, and practitioners because they are difficult to locate or unavailable, or because this audience simply does not know they exist. This volume brings together the seminal texts in our field that document the philosophical, evidence-based and analytical progression of SLI work.

Table of Contents:
1. Preface; 2. Acknowledgments; 3. Introduction; 4. Chapter 1. Beginnings (1960s and early 1970s); 5. Chapter 2. Early empirical research (1975-1980); 6. Chapter 3. Practitioners become Researchers (1980s); 7. Chapter 4. Insights into practice (1990s); 8. Chapter 5. Challenging perceptions of profession and role; 9. Chapter 6. International perspectives on the emerging profession; 10. Epilogue; 11. Bibliography; 12. Subject Index; 13. Name Index

Review :
Having such varied – as well as old and rare – papers in one collection is a valuable resource. While I imagine it may mainly be of interest to signed language interpreters and translators there is relevance for spoken language interpreters too, particularly those working in community contexts. The Editors also highlight the intersection between signed and spoken interpreting fields throughout, and the events and researchers who have brought the two together over the decades. The Reader would not be the same without the contextual information preceding each chapter which paints a very detailed picture and sets the scene for the selected papers. Importantly, the Reader honours the early pioneers in our field, and helps us to understand some of the key people and research studies that shaped where we are today. While many of the articles included can well be considered as seminal works, they represent the thinking of an earlier time, and their value lies in enabling us to see just how the field has changed. No matter if the reader is an interpreting student, educator, or researcher, such a collection helps us understand something of the progression of change and, for this very reason, the collection has immense value as a resource that every signed language interpreter should have access to. An excellent initiative and, from the perspective of a spoken language conference interpreter, an excellent resource book which I can only recommend to other spoken language interpreting researchers not familiar with the signed language (SL) interpreting literature. [...] Many studies and points addressed in this reader are of relevance and interest to spoken language conference interpreters. [...] Definitely a book to read.