Goshen College American Sign Language program hosts semantics workshop Nov. 22

Event: American Sign Language workshop: "How do I say that? Exploring Semantics in ASL and English"
Date and time: Saturday, Nov. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Goshen College Administration Building, Room 28
Cost: $80; the payment is nonrefundable. To order tickets, call Sandy Slabaugh at (574) 535-7360.

GOSHEN, Ind. – The Goshen College American Sign Language (ASL) Program will host Kristina Riley for a workshop titled "How do I say that? Exploring semantics in ASL and English." The workshop will take place Saturday, Nov. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the college's Administration Building, Room 28.

Julie Armstrong, director of the Goshen College ASL program, said the goal of the program is "to bring current research, study and discussion to the ASL students on our campus, and offers the opportunity for ASL interpreters in the community to continue professional development."

This year the ASL program invited Riley to lead the workshop. Riley is a first-generation Hearing in a four-generation Deaf family – nearly all of whom graduated from Indiana School for the Deaf. A Ball State graduate, she earned a bachelor's degree in French, while also learning some Italian and Korean along the way, and taking one year to study abroad at L'Université d'Haute Bretagne in France. With new understanding of the intermingling of language and culture, she pursued and earned a master's degree in TESOL/linguistics, also at Ball State University. She has traveled abroad several times, seeking out language experiences – both signed and spoken. She keeps current with the field of interpreting and occasionally working in various interpreting venues.

Armstrong said that this workshop is particularly a good opportunity for the college students in the program. "The workshop also offers the ASL students the chance to see professional interpreters in action and the opportunity to meet, network, and chat with other professional interpreters in the community," she said.

Workshop participants will work on interpreting a variety of video segments with the goal of fine tuning use of word and sign choices. They will also work in groups to integrate new lexical items learned in the workshop, and small-group discussions will expand knowledge with personal experiences and their own questions.

The presentation will be in spoken English. The cost is $80 and the payment is nonrefundable. To order tickets for the workshop, call Sandy Slabaugh at (574) 535-7360. Lunch tickets will be available at the door for $7.50.

This workshop is approved for 0.6 CEUs in the content area of professional studies, with an extensive prior knowledge level. It meets category 1 requirements for EIC holders.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.