Sign Language Interpreter
I live in Berlin and work all over Germany and Europe, in Turkey and in the USA.
Settings in Educational/University Interpreting include: Law, Business, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Mathematics, Programming, Digital Print and Design, Medicine, Education.
Settings in Conference Interpreting include: Linguistics, Medicine, Quantum Physics, Mathematics, Education, Holocaust Studies, WFD 2007 and 2011
Other settings: Online Interpreting, Television, Music and Performance Interpreting.
Interpreting
2000-present Freelance multi-lingual sign-language interpreter based in Berlin and New York, settings listed above.
Presentations and Publications
Upcoming: December 4th, 2018. “The Impact of Trauma on the Sign Language Interpreter Profession.” Fachhochschule Magdeburg-Stendahl.
October 15th, 2019 Panelist in experts meeting on interpreting in psychotherapeutic settings together with Kristin von Randow as a member of the Berlin Initiative, at the BAFf Berlin.
July 24th, 2019 “Led by Language Beyond Trauma“. World Federation of the Deaf International Conference Paris, co-authored with Isabella Rausch.
May 27th, 2019 “Interpreting Signed Languages in German Refugee Settings”. NIDA Summer School, Misano Italy. Co-authored with Ege Karar.
May 24th, 2018 “Empowering Deaf Refugees”. Language, Translation and Migration Conference and Public Summit (LTM), University of Warwick. Co-authored with Ege Karar.
October, 2017 Story. In In More Words: Interpreters’ Stories edited and published by Mothertongue.org.
September 11th, 2016 “Deaf and hearing interpreters with and without experience with Deaf refugees.” “It’s all Greek to me”. Versatility in the Sign Language Interpreting Profession. Proceedings of the 23rd EFSLI conference, Athens, Greece.
August 1st, 2015 “Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience.” WFD (World Federation of the Deaf) Istanbul.
March 2014 “Power and the E-terp. Ways out of a dilemma.” Co-authored with Mark Zaurov. 2014 International Symposium on Signed Language Interpretation and Translation Research at Gallaudet University, March 29th, 2014.
July 2013 ”Codas und 3rd Culture Kids”, Bildungskongress des ÖLGB in Wien. https://codaplus.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/wien1.pdf
December 2008 “Virgilian Guides: Esthetic Subjects in Coda Autobiographies.” In: Hearing, Mother-Father Deaf. Michele Bishop and Sherry Hicks (Ed). Gallaudet University Press, 2009.
March 2008 “Wir sind alle Bi-Bi. Wie stellt sich unsere Profession zur Ethnizitätsdebatte?” Das Zeichen 78, March 2008, Hamburg Signum Verlag (138 -143).
July 2006 Paper: “Coda Autobiographies,” IABA (International Auto/Biography Association, University of Mainz).
2005 Translation collaboration with Gary Sullivan, Everyone Has a Mouth: Poems by Ernst Herbeck. New York: Ugly Duckling Presse, 2012
June 2005 Paper: “Coda (Children of Deaf Adults) Identity,” Identity and Culture, Third Cultural Studies Conference (Group for Cultural Studies Turkey/Koc Universtiy, Istanbul).
2002 Editing: Ulla Haselstein, Berndt Ostendorf, Peter Schneck. Iconographies of Power. Heidelberg: C. Winter, 2003.
April 2001 Paper: “John Tanner’s Captivating Gifts,” American Indian Workshop, Bordeaux.
June 2000 Paper: “Talayeswa alias Trickster alias Jesus: Leo Simmons and Don Talayeswa’s Sun Chief: The Autobiography of a Hopi Indian, ” ASNEL/GNEL Annual Conference 2000, Aachen/Liège.
1999 Exhibition text and design for Christine Wawra’s photographs Tanz der Xilonen, Amerika Haus Munich.
Teaching
Winter Semester 19 Lectureship at Sign Language Interpreting Department of the Humboldt University Berlin “Settings in Sign Language Interpreting” together with Christian Peters.
September 10th, 2018 One-day seminar for asylum officers at the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees about how to work with lay-interpreters.
March 10th, 2018 One-day seminar for the mentees of the Berlin Initiatives Pilot Project at the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees together with Stephanie Hopp and Julia Stöber, AWO Familienzentrum Berlin.
June 30th and July 1st, 2018 “Remote Interpreting”, 2-day workshop at Verbavoice Munich.
Summer Semester 18 Lectureship at Sign Language Interpreting Department of the Humboldt University Berlin “Aspects of Intercultural Communication”
Sept 7th, 2017: 1-day workshop “Introduction into Intercultural Communication” for the Berliner Initiative co-taught with Dr. Margarethe Mehdorn and Hsiu-Ling Chi-Schnöring.
Sept 2017 – May 2018 Mentoring pilot project at the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees led by the Berlin Initiative for Quality Interpreting in Migration and Asylum Settings.
July 14th, 2017: 1-day workshop “Sign Art in Translation” co-taught with Christian Peters at HU, Sign Language Interpreting Department of the Humboldt University Berlin
July 13th, 2017: 1-day workshop “Introduction into Intercultural Communication” for the Berliner Initiative co-taught with Dr. Margarethe Mehdorn and Hsiu-Ling Chi-Schnöring.
June 24th and 25th, 2017: “Remote Interpreting”, 2-day workshop at Verbavoice Munich.
Summer Semester 17: Lectureship at Sign Language Interpreting Department of the Humboldt University Berlin “Aspects of Intercultural Communication”
Summer Semester 17: Lectureship at Sign Language Interpreting Department of the Humboldt University Berlin “Special Interpreting Settings: Performative Texts”
May 5th and 6th, 2017 “Interpreting Enactment” 2-day workshop in Berlin via BGBB e. V. , Third of three modules “Interpreting for Migrants” in collaboration with Ege Karar
Feb 11th and 12th, 2017 “Intercultural Skills for Interpreters” 2-day workshop in Berlin via BGBB e. V. First of three modules “Interpreting for Migrants”
Oct 22nd and 23rd, 2016 “Remote Interpreting”, 2-day workshop at Verbavoice Munich.
Winter Semester 16/17 Lectureship at the University of Applied Sciences FHM in Munich “Integrationsmanager: Intercultural Communication and Second Language Acquisition”
July, 1st – 3rd, 2016. “Interpreting for Deaf Refugees”. EFSLI Summer School Kosovo.
May 14th and 15th, 2016. “Remote Interpreting”, 2-day workshop at Verbavoice Munich.
March 19th and 20th, 2016 “Interpreting for Deaf Migrants and Refugees”, 2-day workshop together with Ege Karar in Berlin, BBB e. V.
Lectureship “Discovering Interpreting Settings” with Gudrun Hillert at Humboldt-University Berlin WS 15/16,
July 20th, 2015 “Interpreting for Deaf Migrants: Challenges and Strategies. The Example of Deaf Turks in Germany.” Workshop, together with Okan Kubus, Ege Karar and Hatice Yildirim-Dähne. WASLI (World Association of Sign Language Interpreters), Istanbul.
May 24th and 25th, 2014. “Remote Interpreting”, 2-day workshop at Verbavoice Munich.
July 26th and 27th 2013. “Remote Interpreting”, 2-day workshop at Verbavoice Munich.
April 22nd-26th, 2013. One-week Intensive Intercultural ASL Class for German Signers co-taught with Roni Lepore
2003-2008 Supervisor of Sign Language Interpreter trainees from Schools of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg and Zwickau and University of Hamburg.
2000-present Thesis counselor for Deaf students from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munichand School of Applied Sciences, Munich, University of Hamburg.
2002-2003 Basic English teacher for Deaf adult education (SALO&Partner).
Mentoring
2017 – 2018 Mentoring spoken language lay-interpreters working in refugee hearings a the … (Berliner Initiative)
2003 – present Mentoring both, aspiring and working Deaf academics regarding presentations, participation at national and international conferences and written publications.
2003-2008 Supervisor of Sign Language Interpreter trainees from Schools of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg and Zwickau, and the University of Hamburg.
Editing
2003-present Editor of theses and academic papers by Deaf university students in English and German.
Education
2003-2010 Doctoral Studies at John F. Kennedy Institute of American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin.
2003-2006 National Certification as Sign Language Interpreter (German State Exam for Sign Language Interpreters at the Gehoerlosen Institut Bayern, Nuremberg, 2006).
2002 M. A., in American Literature, Art History and Anthropology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universtät, Munich, focus on cultural studies and translation.
2000 Bavarian Certification for Sign Language Interpreting.
1992-94 Institute for Foreign Languages of the City of Munich, Certified Foreign Language Correspondent in Business English and French.
Honorary Work
Oct 2017 – present Berliner Initiative, Intercultural Communications Team.
Oct 2017 – present Arbeitsgemeinschaft Allergiekrankes Kind
Hilfen für Kinder mit Asthma, Ekzem oder Heuschnupfen (AAK) e.V.
Gemeinnütziger Verein, Berlin representative
Jan 2014 – Jan 2017 Professional Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Berlin and Brandenburg BGBB e. V. , board member.
2007 – 2009 Alumni Association of the Amerika Institut, LMU München, board member
2001 – 2008 Professional Association for Bavarian Sign Language Interpreters, board member and president.
Professional Memberships
2015 – present SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Training and Research)
2012 – present CODA International (Children Of Deaf Adults)
2011 – 2014 RID Associate (U. S. Sign Language Interpreters’ Association)
2004 – present BDÜ (German Translator and Interpreter Association)
2002 – present CODA d.a.ch (German speaking Children of Deaf Adults Network).
2001 – present Professional Association for Bavarian Sign Language Interpreters (board member 2001-2008, president)
2001 – present Alumni Association of the Amerika Institut, LMU München (board member 2007-2009)
Creative Interests Hiking, Biking, Sewing
Citizenship German citizen
coda+ 