Danny Maffia

Principal Lecturer

Department of ASL and Interpreting Education

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Practicum Coordinator and Community Engagement

dvmdis@rit.edu

Office Location

LBJ-3607

Danny Maffia

Principal Lecturer

Department of ASL and Interpreting Education

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Practicum Coordinator and Community Engagement

Education

BS, Rochester Institute of Technology; MA, Western Oregon University

Bio

Daniel Maffia obtained his bachelors degree in American Sign Language/English Interpreting with a minor in Communication from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2009. In 2010 he became nationally certified and most recently Daniel earned his Masters in Interpreting Studies with an emphasis in Teaching Interpreting from Western Oregon University in 2014. He has work experience in a variety of settings. Currently he is a program director and senior lecturer for the Bachelors interpreting programs within the department of American Sign Language and English Interpreting Department’s Interpreter Training Program at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Daniel also teaches in NTID’s Master’s in Healthcare interpreting program. Previously Daniel served as a staff interpreter in the Department of Access Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Daniel continues to work as both a Video Relay Interpreter at Sorenson Communication, a staff interpreter within a local hospital, and a freelance community interpreter. Daniel has shown his commitment to the field by serving on the board of directors for his local affiliate RID chapter for the past two years in addition to currently volunteering as chairperson of RID's Certification Committee. In addition he has been a mentor for both practicum students and colleagues. His curriculum development have been centered around developing courses in VRS/VRI and Interpreting for Diverse Deaf Consumers. Finally Daniel's research interests relate to Supervision and Demand-Control Schema. During his research Daniel had the opportunity to facilitate supervision for various interpreters both spoken language and sign language. Daniel continues to serve as a facilitator for various supervision groups in addition to presenting workshops relating to supervision and reflective practices in the field of interpreting.

dvmdis@rit.edu

Personal Links

Personal Website

Curriculum Vitae

Google Scholar

Currently Teaching

HCIA-719

Theories of Translation and Interpretation

3 Credits

This course will begin with an examination of the scope of practice of spoken language interpreters in health care settings and this will then be compared to the models of professional deportment in sign language interpreting. From there, we will review the major paradigms in the field of translation and interpretation, that of formal or functional (dynamic) equivalence, and how the scope of practice expectations impact the interpretation process. Finally, students will explore the concept of “sense” or meaning and how to convey that in a medical setting.

INTP-315

Practical and Ethical Applications

3 Credits

This course presents the underlying principles of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Code of Professional Conduct and other ethical content material, including the four core principles of service professions and how these principles apply to practice settings. This course exposes students to actual interpreting jobs and practitioners, providing students an opportunity to explore how professional interpreters weigh and balance these principles in their daily work and how Deaf and hearing consumers perceive interpreters’ decision-making skills. The course also addresses the distinction between normative and descriptive ethics and their impact on interpreters’ decision-making. Students will have the opportunity to explore reflective practice techniques as a means to develop ethical judgment skills, to gain critical insight into the task of self-regulation, and as a technique to engage in self-care. The ethical constructs of demand control schema will be used as the framework for decision making. Etiquette and protocols specific to each setting will be discussed. Settings include: K-12, post-secondary, religious, healthcare, mental health, DeafBlind, performing arts, legal, VRS, VRI, and business and industry.

INTP-350

Practicum and Seminar I

3 Credits

This course combines an introductory practicum experience in the field of ASL-English interpretation with a seminar component to allow senior-level students to engage in reflective practice as they transition into the interpreting profession. Students will undertake field experiences that provide them with firsthand knowledge and familiarity with current topics that impact professional sign language interpreters and the Deaf community. Practicum will also give students the opportunity to gain firsthand experience under the immediate supervision of a professional interpreter, who functions as each student’s mentor. The practicum experience will involve activities such as observing a mentor and other interpreters at work; interpreting under the supervision of a mentor; and weekly meetings with a mentor to discuss the practicum experience and to receive professional feedback. Building upon students’ practicum experiences, students will use the constructs of Demand Control Schema to guide their seminar discussions. Students will meet together weekly with their classmates to share observations and experiences gained from the practicum placement. Seminar topics derived from students' field experience will focus on language issues in interpretation, ethical decision making, application of the Code of Professional Conduct, making interpretation choices, and implementing successful business practices as a professional interpreter. Students must complete a minimum of 100 hours of field experience and related activities.

INTP-455

Practicum II

4 Credits

This course continues the practicum experience for senior-level ASL-English interpretation students that was initiated in the Practicum & Seminar I course. Students will continue to undertake field experiences that provide them with firsthand knowledge and familiarity with current topics and issues that impact professional sign language interpreters and the Deaf community. Students will benefit by gaining firsthand experience, supervision, and feedback from mentors. Students must complete a minimum of 205 hours of field experience and related activities.

INTP-456

Seminar II

2 Credits

This course is a culminating seminar experience in which students will engage in reflective practice as they transition into the interpreting profession. Building upon students’ practicum experiences, this course provides an opportunity to discuss current topics and issues that impact professional sign language interpreters and the Deaf community. Using the constructs of Demand Control Schema to guide discussions, students will meet together weekly to share observations and experiences gained from the practicum placement. Class topics derived from students' field experience will focus on language issues in interpretation, ethical decision making, application of the Code of Professional Conduct, making interpretation choices, and implementing successful business practices as a professional interpreter. Students will maintain an electronic portfolio showcasing their knowledge and skills learned from the interpreting program.

INTP-491

Introduction to Video Relay Services and Video Remote Interpreting

3 Credits

This course is a knowledge/skills-based course that examines interpreting via distance technology including video relay and video remote interpreting. Lessons present both information and skill building activities to increase competence in video interpreting. The purpose of the course is to present factors that influence interpreting competence via distance technology and to increase interpreting competence as it applies to distance technology. In this course, students will learn federal regulations related to the VRS (Video Relay Service) industry, conversation management techniques in both ASL and English, and hearing phone norms versus Deaf video phone norms. In addition, other topics and activities will include interpreting for phone trees and recordings, ad hoc teaming, and how to apply the Demand Control Schema to the VRS/VRI setting.