For a recent training session, I was asked to introduce the concept of dialogic interpretation—an approach that invites visitors to share meaning, rather than receive it. It’s about conversation, not content delivery.
Our training group was mixed—some brand new to the field, others with years of experience. I wanted to offer something that would speak to everyone.
So I started planning out my session with a didactic outline:
- Dialogue, in interpretation, usually follows a shared experience—a guided walk, a program, an exhibit.
- The goal isn’t to deliver facts but to create space: space to unpack feelings, share perspectives, and explore meaning.
- A good dialogue follows an arc—from easy, welcoming questions to more challenging ones.
- There are lots of tools to help: small group discussions, facilitation techniques, props, protocols.
- At the heart of it is the idea that the only “right” answers come from lived experience: the ORACLE principle.
Then I had an idea.
These folks had just had a shared experience—training. We’d been writing themes together, practising walk intros, talking shop. Why not turn that into the basis for a dialogue? A dialogue about being an interpreter.
I wanted the conversation to resonate with people who were just getting started, without requiring any prior knowledge. Most of us, after all, have confronted these themes before—in school, at work, in life. And when it comes to dialogic interpretation, those experiences are the curriculum. We’re not here to teach facts, or litigate them. We’re here to exchange perspectives.
So I got them started.
We did small-group icebreakers. We did open discussions. We did talking-stick round-tables (okay, it was a talking Sharpie, but you get the idea). And we moved from easy questions into some pretty honest, gritty territory.
Here are some of the prompts we used:
- What made you want to be an interpreter? What excited you about it?
- When someone asks what you do, how do you describe your job—and why?
- Have you ever had a moment when you questioned your role as an interpreter? What was happening?
- Have you ever felt like an imposter? What was that like?
- Have you ever felt excluded or not listened to by a teacher, professor, or authority figure? How did it feel?
- What kinds of biases or blind spots do you think you bring to this work?
- What responsibilities do we have when it comes to telling difficult or controversial stories?
- Should interpreters be neutral?
We spent about 45 minutes on this, and people really got into it. Of course, we’d already been together all day—there was trust in the room.
But when we got to questions about telling difficult stories, I could see things heating up.
I heard someone say, “I’ve always felt we should be neutral—but I don’t feel that way anymore.” I heard them struggle with the idea of presenting multiple sides of a story, particularly when dealing with historical interpretation where some of those ‘sides’ are ethically and morally pretty murky.
As a trainer, it reminded me just how powerful dialogic interpretation can be—especially as a way to conclude a program. It added a whole layer of relevance—of passion, even—to what might have otherwise been a fairly standard day of training. People walked away not just with new skills, but with new perspectives and deeper questions. It created space for a meaningful exchange between idealistic newcomers and seasoned professionals. And it left people thinking about their work—and their values—in a whole new way.
As with any dialogic arc, we closed with a round of thoughts and reflections on how the process felt for each of them. They said it was hard—but worth it. Several participants told me afterward it was one of the best sessions they’d attended in a long time. I was pleased. I think it worked not because anyone had the right answers, but because we made space for the right questions. That’s what good interpretation does.
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