This study uses nonlinear mixed effect-based degradation modeling that considers the influence of... more This study uses nonlinear mixed effect-based degradation modeling that considers the influence of uncertainties on the state-of-charge of lithium-ion batteries to determine the State-of-Health (SOH) of the batteries at different End-of-Life (EOL) failure thresholds. The results of the analysis obtained with lithium-ion batteries data from NASA Ames Centre repository, confirms that the SOH of the batteries is influenced by the uncertainties. This is because the random effects models show a better correlation with the experimental data than the fixed effects models that have not considered uncertainty. It is important therefore that battery prognosis is done in consideration of these parametric uncertainties, to forestall poor estimation of the SOH of the lithium-ion batteries at various stages of the lifecycle. Seeing that the presence of uncertainties could result in unwarranted failures of assets powered by the batteries, due to overestimation of the remaining useful life (RUL) or capital loss, due to early decommissioning of efficient batteries when the RUL is under-estimated.
Proceedings of the 4th Conference of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters Durban, South Africa, July 14-16, 2011, 2011
The professional use of Deaf Interpreters (DIs) is increasing in several countries and across sev... more The professional use of Deaf Interpreters (DIs) is increasing in several countries and across several contexts. However, there have been few studies that have explored the nature of the work when it involves a Deaf and nondeaf interpreting team. The current study examined the work of two teams of Deaf/non-deaf interpreters providing service in a conference setting. The participants were videotaped while providing service in order to examine the linguistic decisions made by non-deaf interpreters acting as a natural signed language feed, the linguistic decisions made by Deaf interpreters working into International Sign (IS), as well as the meta-communication strategies the team used while constructing the interpretation. The data suggest that interpreting teams that are more familiar with each other rely on different strategies when chunking information, asking for feeds, and for making accommodations. There also appear to be significant differences in the work 10 The participants in this study are either Deaf members of the Deaf community (Deaf) or hearing interpreters who are not native members of the Deaf community (non-Deaf).
International Journal of Interpreter Education, 2015
Jessica Dunkley is a Deaf medical doctor currently in her second year of residency with the Unive... more Jessica Dunkley is a Deaf medical doctor currently in her second year of residency with the University of Alberta in Canada. In this interview she describes her experiences of accessing medical school with interpreting services. She discusses the skills, knowledge and attributes she seeks in the interpreting team working with her in this complex medical context, and she describes her needs and preferences for the working norms that the designated team must adopt. Her experiences offer interpreters and educators opportunities to examine their own interpreting assumptions and to learn about the ways in which Deaf doctors and medical practitioners perform their work in order to produce effective interpreting services.
In Australia and other countries with adversarial court systems, such as Ireland and the United K... more In Australia and other countries with adversarial court systems, such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, deaf people have not typically been permitted to serve as jurors because of a prohibition against having an interpreter in the jury room. The United States is one country where there is an exception, in that deaf people frequently serve as jurors in several states. We know that deaf people can understand courtroom discourse via sign language interpreters, but there has been no evidence as to how deaf people can participate in the jury deliberation process, or the impact of having a sign language interpreter present as 'stranger' in the jury room. This had never been tested until this study, funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage Program scheme, which is the first of its kind internationally to investigate whether deaf people can realistically participate as a juror in a trial and in the jury deliberation process. The project took the form of a simulated mock-trial in a District Court in Sydney with: a real jury; real police informants; current practising lawyers; and, a recently retired Judge of the Court. The results of this project will demonstrate whether the prohibition of a stranger (i.e., the interpreter) in the jury room should be overturned. It will also explore the extent to which a deaf person can participate in jury deliberations via sign language interpretation, and how this study has pioneered domestic and international law reform. This paper will: briefly track the prior research that led to this study; the current case law affecting the area; share the results of this study with a focus on the perspectives of the study participants and key stakeholders on the feasibility and rights of deaf people to serve as jurors as part of their civic duty; and, present recommendations for the inclusion of deaf people as jurors.
International Journal of Interpreter Education, 2021
This open forum article consists of an interview with Risa Shaw, a signed language interpreter ed... more This open forum article consists of an interview with Risa Shaw, a signed language interpreter educator, in which she reviews her doctoral research. Her study examined narratives and retellings, in both English and American Sign Language, of disclosures to family members of sexual assault. The findings reveal the importance of context in creating meaning and in shaping narrative structure in discourse. In addition, the work highlights the manner in which interpreters must prepare for the work in order to effectively interpret in the diverse settings where narratives are retold. This interdisciplinary study has implications for interpreters and interpreter educators, across languages and cultures, in terms of how the task of interpreting is conceptualized and taught. Finally, the article draws attention to some of the crucial issues that researchers must attend to when conducting linguistic studies that draw on knowledge from non-dominant linguistic communities.
This open forum article highlights an interview conducted with JonetiRokotuibau, a signed languag... more This open forum article highlights an interview conducted with JonetiRokotuibau, a signed language interpreter from Fiji. She has recently been elected as the Oceania Regional Representative for the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI). She highlights her path to becoming a Fijian Sign Language interpreter and teacher, and how she developed an interest in working with interpreters and the Deaf community. She also describes the ways in which signed language interpreting is developing in the Pacific Islands and how she is partnering with the National Deaf Association to bring about change. Her experiences offer interpreters and educators a glimpse into some of the many exciting developments in the region known as Oceania, which includes Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga Samoa, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Australia
Interpreting in legal settings has become a specialized area of practice that requires specific t... more Interpreting in legal settings has become a specialized area of practice that requires specific training and ongoing professional development. This study examined the training and professional development needs of ASL-English interpreters in North America. The 1,995 participants in an online survey included interpreters who provide services in legal settings and those who do not. The data suggest that interpreters desire certificate programs that are delivered in multiple formats, including face-to-face intensive experiences, online distance learning, and regional and local mentoring experiences. The training content areas participants wanted most include specialized interactions; legal discourse across a range of settings including police, domestic violence, depositions, and jury trials; interpreting techniques when working in deaf/hearing teams, using consecutive interpreting and error identification and correction; and ethics and decision making. All of the data analyzed offer in...
Interpreting in legal settings has become a specialized area of practice that requires specific t... more Interpreting in legal settings has become a specialized area of practice that requires specific training and ongoing professional development. This study examined the training and professional development needs of ASL–English interpreters in North America. The 1,995 participants in an online survey included interpreters who provide services in legal settings and those who do not. The data suggest that interpreters desire certificate programs that are delivered in multiple formats, including face-to-face intensive experiences, online distance learning, and regional and local mentoring experiences. The training content areas participants wanted most include specialized interactions; legal discourse across a range of settings including police, domestic violence, depositions, and jury trials; interpreting techniques when working in deaf/hearing teams, using consecutive interpreting and error identification and correction; and ethics and decision making. All of the data analyzed offer in...
Current research in the field of spoken and signed language points us in the direction of using c... more Current research in the field of spoken and signed language points us in the direction of using consecutive interpreting; however, signed language interpreter education programs report inconsistent approaches to incorporating this research (Russell 2002b). This paper describes a frame of reference used to shape learning activities that help students to acquire the competencies required for proficient use of consecutive interpreting. This framework includes guidelines for structuring observation and analysis of interpretations. In addition, we present a typical progression of skill sequencing and material selection criteria. Finally, we suggest that programs that structure the teaching of consecutive interpreting from a holistic integrated approach across their curricula and throughout the entire program contribute to shifting practices in our profession toward incorporating research and best practices.
Standard demographic information was collected on certified and non-certified sign language inter... more Standard demographic information was collected on certified and non-certified sign language interpreters relative to the provision of interpreting services in legal settings. The study examined which practices interpreters incorporate into their work in legal settings, with particular attention to working in teams consisting of deaf and hearing interpreters, use of consecutive interpreting, preparation for interpreting in legal settings, and maintaining
This article presents the findings of a study conducted with Deaf and hearing American Sign Langu... more This article presents the findings of a study conducted with Deaf and hearing American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from Canada and the United States who interpret legal discourse and legal interactions. This qualitative research study was designed to explore constructs of power and power dynamics that emerge in interpreted interactions. Sixteen interpreters, with at least fifteen years of experience in legal interpreting participated in an online survey; nine also participated in focus groups. This study found intersections among power and privilege, interpreters' sense of agency, their conceptualization of the task of interpreting, and their training. Participants reported situations where the power dynamics between Deaf and hearing interpreting teams did not support effective interpretation and ultimately had a negative impact on the interaction. How interpreters conceptualize the task of interpreting appears to be a key factor in producing successful interpreted interact...
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Papers by Debra Russell