Professional Identity Development of Interpreters

Danielle J. Hunt
Department of Interpretation 
Gallaudet University
Washington DC

Description: 
In the dissertation guiding this presentation, Hunt extends previous studies on language and identity (Gordon, 2013), language-induced identity shifts in second language learners (Johnson, 2007), experiences of hearing, regular education students who have taken ASL courses (Brown, 2013), and the experiences of Korean-English interpreters/translators (Bahk-Halberg, 2007) to a specific group of bilinguals - ASL-English interpreters. Hunt examined the lived experiences of American Sign Language-English interpreters beginning with a questionnaire, followed by autophotography and photo-elicitation interviews, and finally semi-structured interviews for further data collection. Grounded in a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, Hunt will address two primary research questions: How does a group of ASL-English interpreters experience the development of a sense of self and professional identity? and What are a group of ASL-English interpreters' perceptions of how others react to their presentation of self and professional identity?

Lecturer Bio: Danielle J. Hunt