SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER TRAINING IN DONG NAI UNIVERSITY, VIET NAM (English)

One of the targets of Dong Nai project is to train the sign language interpreters for our project specially and for Viet Nam in general. This target would be hard to fulfill without the support of the P-CEN program. Through P-CEN’s support we were able to invite experienced lecturers from NTID to provide the training that relates to sign language interpretation information and skills

Each lecturer (Kevin, Kathleen and Lynn) has strong expertise in different areas in this field. Ken was helpful for training the deaf people how to support for hearing interpreters. They all taught the interpreter trainees to have the proper awareness, the right attitude, and correct beliefs and about many areas of professional sign language interpretation. They provided crucial information about sign language interpretation that greatly helped the trainees, especially the importance of building relationships with others such as schools, colleges, and their clients (deaf and hearing people). The trainers brought many new ideas for the hearing people who are acting as sign language interpreters in Viet Nam. The ideas helped the trainees to recognize the differences between amateur and professional interpreters.  

Group discussion.	Deaf mentors giving feedback to SLI.

 During the time we cooperated with each other we discovered new ideas for sign language interpreter training. One of the most important ideas was using deaf people to be the mentors for hearing people who are learning to be sign language interpreters. The sign language skills of the Vietnamese hearing people improved because of the mentoring program established by the trainers. This made the sign language interpreter training program in Viet Nam become very special, and it also created a new and good model for the sign language interpreter training program specific for the situation in Viet Nam (and I think for other countries around the world too). 

The first cohort of SLI.	The second cohort of SLI.

I myself learned a lot from this training. Beside the theoretical information, interpretation skills, and style of working with partners, I also learnt how to design the program for sign language interpreters more effectively in the future and I got some ideas for set up the training program for the official degree at the university level.

I want to express my grateful thanks to all lecturers, Tommie, the P-CEN program and to the Nippon Foundation for the support and cooperation you have provided the Dong Nai Project.