I hope things are going well with you. Spring is just around the corner here on the coast though you'd never know it from the volume of snow flying outside my window as I type.
I've had a few requests to run my Interpretive Signs course again; I hope to do so in October or November of 2023 but it won't be before then, alas.
Until then, I'll be working directly with two First Nations; with at least one government agency; and, hopefully, I'll be diving into more of the challenging world of nonprofit interpretation.
Take care- I hope to see some of you in real life before the year is through.
don
The Myth of Two-way Interpretation
I had a bit of a chilling realization recently watching a facilitated dialogue between a uniformed staff member and a visitor.
It was clear to me that the interpreter was using dialogue as an interpretive tool: they wanted to lead a dialogue to help the visitors unpack their thoughts and feelings on the subject at hand. But here’s what occurred to me: the visitors actually thought they were being consulted by a government official on a contentious subject.
The idea floored me. Why do we never talk about this?
Interviews select people who are good at sitting at a table talking about themselves. We all know what it's like to go through the stressful process of being interviewed for a job. And if you've been in the interpretive business for a while, you probably know what it's like to sit on both sides of the table; perhaps you've done it …
