Transcript below.
Description: Dr. Carolyn Ball, with glasses and short hair, wears a light pink button-up blouse, sitting in front of a tan background.
Hello! I am Dr. Carolyn Ball and the author of Legacies and Legends.
Recognizing the influential people, events and history that led to the development of our interpreting profession is necessary to continue educating our future interpreters.
In 2012, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a pioneer of our field, Dr. Lottie Riekehof. I flew to Virginia to record and interview her. She discussed RID’s first interpreting certification and her involvement with the establishment of our profession.
Dr. Riekehof recently passed away, a week shy of her 100th birthday. I feel so fortunate to have her story and history, forever written and recorded.
Legacies and Legends details the lives of those pioneers in our profession. The historical stories explain why and how interpreters came about, from CODA’s to today.
Previously, I presented a workshop at the Region 5 Conference related to my doctoral research that culminated in this book. During the workshop, I noticed Sharon Neumann Solow and Gary Sanderson sitting in the front of the audience.
These two pioneers added so much to my presentation that day, sharing their memories and experiences. The audience and I learned quite a lot.
That scene really reinforced the importance of recording these unique experiences before it is too late.
Mr. Sanderson passed away before I was able to interview him. However, I was able to interview and record Ms. Neumann Solow.
As professors, we want to teach our students to understand the history of interpreting, the people involved and their motivations for becoming interpreters. Knowing this history informs our own experiences as interpreters.
Legacies and Legends will help students carry our rich interpreting history forward and be justly proud of their profession.