Save the Date! NMRID is hosting a two part workshop with Wink Smith!
Saturday, November 15, 2025
9AM-4PM
“Depiction, What is it?”
Description: Have you ever been told to show more and tell less? Or that your use of space is amazing? Or has anyone asked you what “discourse mapping” is? Are there differences between a classifier and a depicting verb? All these questions are related to depiction. Depiction in linguistics is a cognitive phenomena that has observable manifestations that surround the body. However, the term depiction has an unspecialized colloquial definition in the field of interpreting that can lead to an oversimplified thinking about it and its cognitive underpinnings.
In this workshop, I will distinguish what depiction is for sign languages and spoken languages and provide a cursory introduction to the features that are considered depictive. We will also explore the notion of what depiction actually “shows” and what cognitive operations underpin it. We will then compare and contrast the linguistic notion of depiction with other terms that have attempted to classify the same phenomena.
“How Accurate Are You? A Practice Guide”
Description: Accuracy is often viewed as central to competent interpreting, yet defining and measuring it is more complex than simple replication of the source message. This workshop draws on Cognitive Grammar (Langacker, 2008), focusing on content (the ideas expressed) and construal (how those ideas are framed), to show that different interpretations can be equally accurate while varying in form.
We begin by considering the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf’s (RID) notion of a “faithful message” (CPC 2.3), then explore how interpretations may diverge in construal while still preserving content. Participants will learn to use “content checks”—structured tools that identify and track key ideas in a source message—as a method for assessing accuracy. The session includes guided practice with these tools, plus five take-home examples for continued application.
By combining theory and practice, this workshop equips interpreters with a nuanced framework and concrete strategies to evaluate and strengthen accuracy.
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