Online Survey about Sign Language Interpreter Personality

WASLI is committed to the development of the sign language interpreting profession worldwide
(The WASLI Executive Board has given permission to Karen and Jemina for this research study to be sent to its contact listing and database)

Dear Interpreter

We are inviting people to participate in an international online survey about signed language interpreter personality. The study is open to deaf and hearing signed language interpreters. The purpose of the research study is to investigate the general disposition of signed language interpreters by analyzing their responses to specific questions drawn from existing reliable and valid psychometric tools used to measure personality. These findings will then be evaluated in relation to various occupational performance data. The study will compare findings across several countries.

The study is being conducted by Karen Bontempo and Jemina Napier at the Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. The project is supported by a Macquarie University Linguistics Graduate Research Scheme Grant. The Australian based research team can be contacted on telephone: +61 298 508 756; text: +61 414 801 717; fax: +61 298 509 199; email: karen.bontempo@students.mq.edu.au or jemina.napier@ling.mq.edu.au. The study is being conducted in collaboration with Laurence Hayes and Vicki Brashear at the Department of ASL and Interpreter Education; and Jerry Palmer at the Department of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, USA. The US based research team can be contacted on telephone: +1 859 622 4966; or fax: +1 859 622 5919; or email: laurence.hayes@eku.edu.

The online questionnaire needs to be completed before 30 September 2009.

All information gathered in the course of this research is de-identified by the anonymous online completion of the questionnaire. Individual responses therefore are confidential. Participation in the study is of course voluntary, and participants can withdraw from the survey even if they complete all questions simply by not taking the final step of “submitting” their survey responses by clicking on "done" on the last page of the survey.

The URL for the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=aM8VGCVSQ4foJwygvY4THw_3d_3d

We would be very grateful of your participation in the study, and please feel free to forward this information to your colleagues.

Thank you in anticipation.

Regards,
Karen & Jemina

Karen Bontempo & Jemina Napier
Department of Linguistics
Macquarie University
Email: karen.bontempo@students.mq.edu.au