Exploring Remote Interpreting

This article examines the field of remote interpretation in both signed and spoken languages. Remote interpreting is used throughout a range of specializations including medical, mental health, education, conference, and legal environments. Video interpreting is here to stay, despite obstacles that continue to pose a challenge; many who fight this technology do so against the natural paradigm shift that the field will take. I propose that rather than resist the expansion of technology, interpreter educators instead teach interpreters how to use it effectively. In this article I identify important topics for educators to address, to help interpreters make ethically wise decisions in this setting and to improve the provision of services

Who makes the rules anyway? Reality and perception of guidelines in video relay service interpreting

American Sign Language-English interpreters employed in the video relay service (VRS) industry in the United States are subject to numerous guidelines for processing calls, which are mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or by independent VRS companies. Anecdotally, VRS interpreters report ambiguity about the guidelines and their impact on the quality of their interpretations. In this pilot study, I investigated the origin of VRS guidelines by reviewing public documents from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I then interviewed four experienced VRS interpreters regarding their perceptions of the origin and impact of the constraints placed on interpreters in VRS. Two themes emerged in the interview data: 1) interpreters are uncertain whether the constraints placed on their work are federally mandated or established by individual corporations, and 2) interpreters report a sense of responsibility for their work and have concerns regarding constraints on their professional autonomy. This study suggests that interpreters in the U.S. do not have sufficient knowledge about the system in which they work to make informed decisions when working in VRS

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

INTP 6200 – Critical Injury

Erica Alley, Assistant Professor of Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity, received $910 to design the second research course within the three-course sequence for the new Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity (MAISCE). The MAISCE program educates professional signed language interpreters who seek to enhance their role as leaders at the local, national, and global level. Students pursuing a MAISCE degree gain theoretical knowledge about the linguistic, political, and organizational factors that shape communication in society and ultimately apply that knowledge to the design and implementation of a thesis or action research project. In the first course, students learn about research methodologies frequently used in the field of interpretation. In this second course, they will begin to develop their research project. The course will culminate in a completed research proposal submitted to the IRB for approval. Finally, in the last course, students will be guided through the application of their research methodology, collection of data, and development of a final paper