You might think there is not much to say about pointing in sign languages.

You take out your index finger. You point. Done.

And then someone tells you that the index finger is 80% of interpreting. The magic index: when you’re struggling, when you don’t know how to sign a concept, you point. And it saves you. 😅

Today, I’m going to contradict both ideas, with two fun facts.

Fun fact #1: even pointing at yourself depends on your language 👃

Welcome to Japan…

A while ago, I gave a lecture to Korean Sign Language intepreters, and I learned something that stayed with me.

In Korean Sign Language, you can say “I” by pointing to your chest. Or pointing to your nose.

The nose version comes from Japanese Sign Language, where the pointing goes to the tip of the nose. And it ended up in Korean Sign Language because Japanese Sign Language strongly influenced it, as Japan colonised Korea.

So before we even talk about interpreting: where you point, and with what, is shaped by language and history. Not just by “take out your index”.

Fun fact #2: it’s not 80%. But it is twice as much.

In my PhD data, I compared IS and NGT (Dutch SL) interpreters working from the same English conferences.

• Pointing signs in IS interpreting: about 19%

• Pointing signs in NGT interpreting: about 11%

Ok, the story is not true and pointing is not 80% of interpreting. I admit. But IS interpreters pointed almost twice as much as their NGT colleagues, from the exact same speeches.

Wait, which research is this again?

If you read #7 - How is vocabulary used in International Sign interpreting?, you know where this comes from: my PhD thesis. There, I told you about the number one resource in IS interpreting: lexical signs, about 60% in IS and about 80% in NGT.

Today, we meet ressource number two : pointing signs.

Why now? Because pointing is the resource we all use every day and almost never look at.

In this issue

1. What I did (the quick version)

2. Two things IS interpreters do with pointing that NGT interpreters don’t (in my data at least!)

3. The sign I decided NOT to count as pointing in NGT and why

4. What’s in it for you?

Read more

Happy 20-20!

You’re now reading The 20-20 alongside colleagues from 30+ countries.

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Lormont?

• Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary October 2026

1. Industry news

   • What do Deaf people actually want from interpreters? - Online conference

   • Overseas interpreting Winter School 2027, Valencia

   • International Sign training, in real life

   • A funded PhD at the intersection of sign languages and AI

2. Learn with The 20-20: online workshop for NASLIs on International Sign interpreting

3. Sign Language Focus: Classifiers are not mime!

4. The 20-20 Quote: The Power of Togetherness

5. Toolbox: Pronounce headset

6. Prep’ Corner on pre-assignement ritual

7. Coming up: deadlines, training & conferences for interpreters

Grab your favorite hot drink (coffee latte here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/4 — What do Deaf people actually want from interpreters? - online conference

Here’s a question we should probably ask more often.

AIMS is launching The Deaf Perspective: What Deaf Australians Want Interpreters to Know, an online series giving Deaf people the floor to discuss excellent interpreting, common mistakes, respect, inclusion and feedback.

And because this conversation deserves to continue beyond a single webinar, you might also enjoy this one:

2/4 - Overseas interpreting Winter School 2027: Valencia, here we come!

Five days of International Sign, translation, practical sessions, mentoring and conversations about working abroad? Yes, please! 🤩

Overseas Interpreting has announced the dates of its next Winter School: 25–29 January 2027, in Valencia, Spain.

📩 Want early access to registration? Join their mailing list at jobs@overseasinterpreting.com.

3/4 — International Sign training, in real life

Oorbrug has announced its next International Sign training!

The idea? Learn in a real international professional environment, where communication comes with all its natural variation, unpredictability and challenges. No perfectly scripted classroom conversations here!

4/4 — A funded PhD at the intersection of sign languages and AI!

Fancy spending four years researching sign languages, computer vision and AI in sunny Spain?

Brendan Costello is recruiting a PhD student to join the Sign Language Research Group at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL).

📍 San Sebastián, Spain - Apply by 8 November 2026

Know someone who might be interested? Spread the word!

→ Full details & application

2. LEARN WITH THE 20-20 🎓

3. SIGN LANGUAGE FOCUS

Classifiers are not mime!

A lovely visual reminder from Brazilian Sign Language (Libras)!

4. THE 20-20 QUOTE : The Power of Togetherness

5. TOOLBOX

Many of us came to English the long way — through a national sign language, a spoken language, and then somewhere in between, English. As non-native English speakers, we often struggle with fluency and comfort in its rhythm and sounds.

Pronounce is a headset + training programme that works on how English actually sounds and feels — not vocabulary, not grammar. A filter, bone conduction, and a repetition method. Designed for non-native speakers.

I use it. Worth it.

→ Give it a try with 10% off with the code “code2020”.

6. PREP CORNER🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

7. COMING UP

• 18 DEC 2026 · Online

  Submission DL for The Together Conference

• 18–19 MAR 2027 · Online
  Translation and Neurodiversity
  International conference for researchers & practitioners

• 14–15 APR 2027 · Berlin
  EUMASLI Master Thesis Defences

  16–18 APR 2027 · Berlin
  efsli Conference 2027

• 12–13 JUN 2027 · Online
  The Together Conference 2027

→ ADD THE 20-20 CALENDAR
All the dates, deadlines & events worth keeping on your radar.

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #17. Before you go, there’s more waiting for you in The 20-20:

• Read The 20-20 Premium #17: Discover why International Sign interpreters point almost twice as much as national sign language interpreters, and what you can learn from it! 👀

  https://the2020.substack.com/p/17-the-magic-index-theres-more-to

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy space to connect with sign language interpreters from around the world, exchange ideas and keep the conversation going.

What should we explore next?
Send me the professional question you can’t stop thinking about. I’ll find the research and turn it into something useful for your everyday practice. 💡

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

Happy 20-20!

And if you’ve just joined us after efsli Zagreb: welcome! 👋

You’re now reading The 20-20 alongside colleagues from 30+ countries.

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Gauriaguet?

🎁 NEW HERE FROM EFSLI?
Your post-Zagreb gift: one month of The 20-20 Premium, free. Full access to the Premium Collection.

→ Send me “ZAGREB” before 30 September to unlock it.

• Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary September 2026

1. Industry news

   • Sign language AI moves into everyday tech with Google’s new Sign Language-to-Text model

   • Two new publications put International Sign in the research spotlight

   • When communication access becomes a patient-safety issue

   • SILENT HARM: when research actually changes interpreting practice

2. Learn with The 20-20: International Sign online workshop

3. Sign Language Focus: one story, two visual approaches

4. The 20-20 Quote: Lifelong Learning

5. Toolbox: Interpreter Toolkit for professional wellbeing

6. Prep’ Corner: the post-conference edition

7. Coming up: deadlines, training & conferences for interpreters

Grab your favorite hot drink (coffee latte here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/4 — Sign language AI just made its way into your phone 👀

Sign language translation is moving out of the research lab and into consumer technology.

Google DeepMind has introduced Sign Language-to-Text (SL2T), an AI model trained across more than 50 sign languages. Its first real-world application is now available on the Pixel 11, translating American Sign Language into written English in real time through Gboard and Live Transcribe.

The system takes into account handshapes, facial expressions and body movements, and allows users to sign wherever they would normally type: from writing a message to searching online or responding during a conversation. For now, the consumer feature supports ASL → English, with Google saying that more devices and sign languages will follow.

For sign language interpreters, this is one to watch.

Not because AI is suddenly “replacing interpreters” (yet? 👀), but because sign language technology is moving quickly from experimental research into everyday communication tools.

The interesting question may no longer be whether sign language AI is coming, but where it will actually work well, and where human interpreting will remain essential.

📌 Keep an eye on this one.

2/4 — International Sign is having quite a research month

International Sign is getting some serious research attention this month. Annelies Kusters’ new book, The Paradox of International Sign, is now available open access, exploring questions of power, inequality and linguistic justice around IS.

→ READ THE BOOK

Meanwhile, a new study by Britta Durczok, Christian Peters and Christian Rathmann examines teamwork, working conditions and power dynamics in International Sign conference interpreting.

→ READ THE ARTICLE

3/4 — When communication access becomes a patient-safety issue

A Deaf woman in England went to her GP for a flu jab and was mistakenly given a COVID-19 vaccine. No BSL interpreter was provided. She only showed the nurse a note saying “flu jab only”.

The case features in a new Ombudsman report on failures to provide accessible communication.

A stark reminder: communication access can be a patient-safety issue.

→ READ THE BBC ARTICLE

4/4 — When research actually changes practice

This is the kind of research impact we love to see. The SILENT HARM project on Deaf women experiencing domestic abuse has led to training for police officers and interpreters, changes in practice, and practical BSL and ISL resources.

One worth exploring: their BSL glossary of domestic abuse terminology. Signs such as cyber stalker could easily spark discussions about how these concepts are expressed, or could be adapted, in other sign languages.

Research that doesn’t just get published, but finds its way into our practice and society. 💡

→ EXPLORE THE BSL GLOSSARY

2. LEARN WITH THE 20-20 🎓

What if International Sign could teach you something about your own interpreting?

This is not a workshop about learning International Sign. We’ll use IS interpreting as a lens to question how we make meaning visible, use space and adapt to our audience — then bring those insights back to your own sign language interpreting practice.

3 hours · 8 practical experiments · 55+ interpreters already trained

• 26 October · 3–6 PM Paris time · Online

• Country-based pricing · 10% Early Bird until 30 September

• Premium members get €20 off instead (the better deal :))

→ SAVE YOUR SEAT

3. SIGN LANGUAGE FOCUS

Same story. Different visual choices.

One story, two visual approaches: classifiers and Visual Vernacular.

A beautiful way to notice how movement, space and perspective can completely reshape a story.

4. THE 20-20 QUOTE : Lifelong Learning

5. TOOLBOX

For the days when the job feels heavy

The Interpreter Toolkit brings together self-guided resources on burnout, vicarious trauma, perfectionism and work-related stress, with practical next steps grounded in research.

One to bookmark for yourself — or a colleague who might need it.

→ EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT

6. PREP CORNER🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

7. COMING UP

• 30 SEP 2026 · efsli Berlin 2027
  Call for Papers & Posters deadline

• 19–20 OCT 2026 · Berlin
  Interpreting from and to English as a 3rd language – Part 1
  Training with Maya de Wit, PhD

• 18–19 MAR 2027 · Online
  Translation and Neurodiversity
  International conference for researchers & practitioners

• 14–15 APR 2027 · Berlin
  EUMASLI Master Thesis Defences

  16–18 APR 2027 · Berlin
  efsli Conference 2027

• 12–13 JUN 2027 · Online
  The Together Conference 2027

→ ADD THE 20-20 CALENDAR
All the dates, deadlines & events worth keeping on your radar.

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #16. Before you go, there’s more waiting for you in The 20-20:

• Read The 20-20 Premium #16: I came back from efsli Zagreb with a few ideas I’d happily steal… and a few I definitely wouldn’t. 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy space to connect with sign language interpreters from around the world, exchange ideas and keep the conversation going.

What should we explore next?
Send me the professional question you can’t stop thinking about. I’ll find the research and turn it into something useful for your everyday practice. 💡

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

I’m back from efsli Zagreb 2026.

And this year’s conference gave me a very good reason to start comparing notes.

The theme was “From Experience to Credentials”: how do we become interpreters, demonstrate our competence and continue developing throughout our careers?

During her keynote, Maya de Wit, interpreter and researcher, Ph.D. took that question across borders, presenting the 2026 edition of A Comprehensive Guide to Sign Language Interpreting in Europe.

The presentations that followed allowed us to zoom in on different countries and professional systems. And, as always at efsli, some of the most interesting conversations continued well beyond the conference room.

So this recap brings all of that together: what I heard in the presentations, what colleagues shared in Zagreb, and what I went back to explore in Maya’s guide afterwards.

Country after country, one thing became very clear:

Same profession. Very different systems.

• Who gets to become an interpreter?

• How much training is required?

• Do you need to be registered?

• What happens after graduation?

• Is continuing professional development mandatory?

• How much are interpreters paid?

• And who actually pays for interpreting services?

Sitting there, I inevitably started comparing everything with the system I know best: France.

Some ideas made me think: Can we have this too, please? 👀

Others: Absolutely not. You can keep that one. 😅

And a few left me somewhere in between.

So rather than giving you a traditional “here are the presentations I attended at efsli” recap, I thought we could do something more fun.

🧳 Let’s pack my post-efsli suitcase.

I’ve gone back through what I discovered, discussed and kept thinking about after Zagreb, and sorted it into three categories:

In this issue:

1. I’d pack this: A few ideas I’d happily bring back to France tomorrow

2. I’d leave this behind: A few others that made my French interpreter brain go… absolutely not 😅

3. I’m still thinking about this one: One practice I initially rejected, then found myself reconsidering

4. And the bigger question: What can looking at other countries teach us about the things we take for granted in our own profession?

Same profession. Very different systems. Let’s unpack the suitcase. 🧳

1. I’D PACK THIS

A 24/7 relay service, completely free for Deaf users

It already exists.

Since… 1996.

During the coffee breaks, people kept talking about this one.

Welcome to Sweden.

And yes, this is absolutely going in my suitcase.

A national relay service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no cost to Deaf users.

What struck me wasn’t only the service itself.

It was what its existence says about communication access when it is treated as infrastructure, rather than something people have to negotiate every single time they need it.

🥖 Back home in France

Read more

Dear colleague,

No research paper this month.

It’s August. Some of you are on holiday. Some of you are working. Some of you are half working, half on holiday 😅

So for this Summer Special, I wanted to take you somewhere a little different.

Behind the scenes of The 20-20.

I want to share one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since starting this newsletter in January 2025.

It’s not really about interpreting.

Well... not directly.

It’s about what happens when something you create starts being read, shared, questioned and trusted by hundreds of colleagues.

And the responsibility that comes with that.

Turns out, summarising research comes with responsibility

Every month, I read research and try to turn it into something you can actually use in your interpreting practice.

On paper, the job sounds pretty simple:

Read paper → summarise paper → send newsletter.

Spoiler: it’s not 😂

Because summarising research isn’t just making something shorter.

Every time I write a Premium edition, I make choices.

• What matters most?

• What needs explaining?

• What can I simplify?

• What nuance absolutely needs to stay?

• What does this finding actually mean for interpreters?

And, perhaps more importantly:

What does this research NOT allow me to say?

That last question has become increasingly important to me.

Because there’s a fine line between making research accessible and transforming it into something the researchers never actually found.

A study involving 12 interpreters is not suddenly a universal truth about all sign language interpreters.

A correlation is not a cause.

A fascinating finding does not automatically become a recommendation for practice.

And sometimes, the most accurate answer to “So what should we do?” is:

We don’t know yet.

Not particularly sexy for a newsletter headline, I know 😅 You may prefer the “it depends” close to every interpreters’ heart!

But if The 20-20 exists to connect research with practice, then I have a responsibility to both sides of that arrow.

Make research useful, without making it say more than it says.

And this year, I realised that the same responsibility applies to something else.

I can’t put everything into The 20-20

As The 20-20 has grown, something pretty wonderful has happened.

You send me things.

• Research papers

• Conferences

• Training opportunities

• Projects

• Calls for participants

• Resources

• People I should interview

• Topics I should cover

• Ideas for collaborations

And please, keep doing it.

Seriously.

Some of the best things I discover come from a colleague somewhere in the world thinking:

“Aurélia might like this.”

But there’s a problem.

I can’t share everything.

At first, saying no felt uncomfortable. Especially when something was good. Because most of the things I don’t share aren’t bad. They’re often genuinely interesting.

But:

Interesting isn’t enough. I have one newsletter per month. You have limited time.

And somewhere between interpreting, preparing, travelling, answering emails, living your life and occasionally scrolling Instagram for five minutes that mysteriously become 45... You’re trusting me with a little bit of your attention.

I take that seriously. So I filter. I prioritise.

Sometimes I say no to something good because something else feels more useful, more timely or more relevant to the interpreting community.

And I’ve realised something:

Saying no is part of doing The 20-20 well.

Because if I put everything in, I’m not really curating anything. And if everything is important... Nothing is.

But please, keep correcting me

There’s another side to this responsibility.

The more The 20-20 grows, the more I need you. Not just as readers. As colleagues.

• So keep sending me things

• Keep telling me “Have you seen this paper?”

• Keep telling me “You should talk about this.”

• Keep introducing me to people doing interesting work

• Keep telling me when something I wrote made you think

And yes:

Keep correcting me.

• If I misunderstood something, tell me

• If a perspective is missing, tell me

• If something happening in your interpreting community deserves more attention, tell me.

I’m a researcher. I’m an interpreter. I have a PhD. And I can still get things wrong.

Actually, one of the things research taught me is to be extremely suspicious of anyone who stops expecting to be wrong 😅

So please, challenge me. And at the same time...

Please don’t take it personally if I say no. I don’t take it personally when you correct me.

Because receiving comes with responsibility

I think this might actually be the biggest lesson The 20-20 has taught me this year. Almost everything you give me creates a responsibility on my side.

You give me your attention.
I have to choose carefully what deserves it.

You send me research.
I have to make it accessible without distorting what it actually says.

You correct me.
I have to be willing to be wrong.

You send me ideas.
I sometimes have to say no.

You support The 20-20 financially.
I want some of that support to create access and opportunities for others.

The more The 20-20 grows, the more responsibility comes with it.

And actually...

When I look back at the past few months, I think we’ve already started doing something pretty special with it.

Wait... look what we did together 👀

1. We made research travel 🌍

6 editions since January.

We explored topics ranging from imposter syndrome to discrimination, from Deaf-hearing relationships to the questions research raises about our everyday interpreting practice.

But what I love most is what happens after I hit publish.

An idea starts in a research paper somewhere.

It lands in The 20-20.

Then it reaches an interpreter somewhere else in the world, who questions it, discusses it with colleagues, shares it or tries something differently in practice.

We’ve had conversations with colleagues across countries and continents.

And The 20-20 is increasingly becoming exactly what I hoped it could become:

a place where research travels.

2. We made research accessible to more colleagues 💡

This one makes me particularly happy.

This year, some of you chose an Impact Membership, paying a little more so that someone else could access The 20-20 Premium.

And because of that, three colleagues have received a full year of Premium access.

Three colleagues.

Three people somewhere in the world reading the same research as the rest of us because another colleague decided:

“I’ll cover this one.”

I love what that says about the community we’re building.

3. We supported the profession beyond The 20-20

And for the first time, The 20-20 went a little further.

This year, The 20-20 sponsored the African Federation of Sign Language Interpreters (AFSLI) Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.

That meant a lot to me because I don’t want The 20-20 to only talk about supporting our profession. I want it to actually do it.

Even on a small scale.

Seeing this little newsletter contribute to colleagues coming together, sharing knowledge and strengthening the profession across Africa was a pretty special moment.

And hopefully, only the beginning💡

Now I need you for what comes next

A new season of The 20-20 is about to begin.

And yes, I already have approximately 4,762 ideas. Approximately 😅

But I don’t want the next season of The 20-20 to be built only around what I think is interesting.

I want to know what you are seeing.

So I have a few questions for you:

What is your interpreting community talking about right now?

• Is there a question you think our profession should be asking?

• A topic nobody seems to be talking about enough?

• A research paper I absolutely need to read?

• A researcher, interpreter or other guest whose voice should be in The 20-20?

Hit reply and tell me.

I’m currently talking with interpreters from different countries and looking at the topics that keep coming back.

Then I’ll do what I apparently do best:

read too many papers, find the right angle, filter, question, simplify... and probably make my life unnecessarily complicated in the process 😂

The 20-20 may have my name at the bottom of every email.

But after this year, one thing is very clear:

I couldn’t make it without you.

So thank you for reading.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for questioning.

Thank you for correcting.

Thank you for supporting colleagues you’ve never met.

And thank you for helping me decide what The 20-20 should become next.

We’re growing this thing together :)

Subscribe now

See you on the 20th at 20:00 (Paris time)

Aurélia NGG, (with support, always)

Research → Practice → Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message with a smile, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

CLAIM YOUR FREE MONTH → Simply message me “ZAGREB” below and I’ll take care of the rest. 💡

Your efsli gift is available until September 30, 2026.

No card details. No commitment. Just one month to explore Premium and see if it helps you keep learning after efsli.

Then keep scrolling if you’re new to The 20-20 and want to know what you’ve just unlocked 👀

A 4-year training can’t cover a 40-year career.

And yet, once we qualify, keeping up is mostly left to us.

New research is published.

New questions emerge.

Our profession evolves.

And somewhere between assignments, preparation, emails, travel, life… we’re supposed to keep up with all of it.

We can’t.

And honestly?

You don’t need to read everything.
You need to know what’s worth reading.

That’s why I created The 20-20. 💡

Research is everywhere. Your time isn’t.

The 20-20 is a newsletter for sign language interpreters worldwide who want to keep learning throughout their careers.

Every month, I dive into research related to sign language interpreting and bring it back to the questions that matter to us as practitioners.

Subscribe now

Not just:

“What does the paper say?”

But:

“What does this mean for our practice?”

Because research becomes much more interesting when it leaves the PDF.

I read it. I question it. We bring it back to practice.

A research paper can be 15, 20 pages long.

You probably don’t have time to read all of them.

I do.

(Occupational hazard of having done a PhD, apparently. 😅)

So I dig into the methodology, findings and limitations.

I look at what the researchers actually found — and what they didn’t find.

Then I make it accessible without pretending that complex research has simple answers.

Because The 20-20 isn’t about telling interpreters:

“Research says X, therefore you should do Y.”

It’s about giving you something much more useful:

evidence to think with.

What do we actually talk about? 👀

Pretty much anything that can make us stop and question our practice.

- Imposter syndrome

Why do so many sign language interpreters feel they’re not good enough — even when there’s evidence that they are?

- The interpreter’s gaze

Should we look at the Deaf person while interpreting? Helpful? Harmful? Or much more complicated than either?

- Discrimination within our own field

What happens when discrimination doesn’t come from outside the profession… but from within it?

And those are just a few examples.

Different month. Different research. Different question.

Same goal: understand our profession a little better.

Free or Premium?

You can join The 20-20 for free.

That’s your way into the community and the monthly rendez-vous.

And if you want to go further, Premium is where we dig deeper into the research, with full research breakdowns and access to Premium content.

No need to decide everything today.

Start free. Read. Think. See if The 20-20 is for you.

Subscribe now

And who is behind all this? 👋

This is Aurélia NGG.

I’m a French & International Sign Language interpreter, researcher, and I hold a PhD in Sign Language Interpreting.

I’ve been interpreting since 2012.

I love our profession.

And I’m endlessly curious about it.

The 20-20 grew out of one simple frustration:

I want research to travel.

Across universities.

Across countries.

Across sign language interpreters.

So if that sounds like your kind of conversation...

Welcome to The 20-20. 💡

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time)!

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Dear colleague,

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from +23 countries!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Lormont?

• Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary July 2026

1. Good deal: workshop “What national SL interpreters can learn from IS interpreting practices” in Zagreb, Thursday 10 September, right before efsli starts

2. The 20-20’s most-read Premium editions - in case you missed them

3. ALL previous editions since 2025

4. Prep’ corner: July or August holidays?

Grab your favorite hot drink (coffee latte here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. GOOD DEAL! Workshop “What national SL interpreters can learn from IS interpreting practices”

Come to efsli one day early, and make it count.

A half day to understand how IS interpreting works, and what strategies you can steal from it to make your national sign language interpreting clearer.

📌 Early-bird: 10% off if you register before 1 August!

Click here! (last spots available)
20 euros off for 20-20 premium subscribers!

In any way, if you’ll be at efsli, let me know and let’s try to meet in person :)

2. The 20-20’s most-read Premium editions - in case you missed them

• Why you don’t understand International Sign (even though it’s “so visual”) — straight from my PhD research at Radboud University. (#6)

• The interpreter’s gaze: helpful or harmful? — three habits many of us share that feel neutral from our side, and restrictive from the Deaf side. (#8)

• Imposter syndrome in sign language interpreting — that nagging feeling of not being “good enough,” and what the research says to do about it. (#3)

• The chair that kills the interpreter — why the most dangerous thing in your booth might be the seat you’re sitting in. (#10)

• The Deaf–interpreter relationship: I Love You, Me Neither — what happens when the same assignment feels like a partnership to one side and friction to the other (#11)

• Discrimination in the sign language interpreting field — the forms it takes, who it hits hardest, and why the profession still struggles to name it. (#14)

💡 Premium subscribers get the full breakdown — the research, the sources, the actionable takeaways.

Subscribe now

3. All previous editions

Mindset

• #3 - Tackling imposter syndrome in interpreting

• #10 - When the chair becomes the interpreter’s most invisible enemy

• #14 - Discrimination in the sign language interpreting field

SL interpreting

• #2 - Interpreting is an emotional effort with Sophie Pointurier et al

• #4 - Interpreting takes time - but how much exactly?

• #5 - Sign language interpreting with English as a third language with Maya de Wit’s training

• #6 - Why you don’t understand international sign if this is so visual!

• #7 - How is vocabulary used in international sign interpreting?

• #8 - The interpreter’s gaze: helpful or harmful?

• #9 - Does preparation really improve interpretation quality?

• #11 - The Deaf–interpreter relationship: I Love You, Me Neither

• #12 - More interpreters, more access? The assumption nobody questions

• #13 - AFSLI Kigali 2026 conference gives you “fire in the belly”

• #15 - Why some Sign Language interpreters stay long-term - when many don’t

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading the July 2026 special edition of The 20-20 magazine #1. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time)!

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from +23 countries!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Ste-Eulalie?

💡 Before we get started, know that you can:

• Sponsor the 20-20 newsletter (send an email to express your interest!)

• Find all professional events (conferences, training sessions, workshops, etc.) via Google Calendar "Events for sign language interpreters"

  Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary June 2026

1. Good deal*: Headset Pronounce > work on your speech fluency for non-native English speakers

2. Press review and industry news

• The 20-20 newsletter takes a summer break: special editions for this summer

• Published: Sign Language Interpreting in Europe, Maya de Wit, 2026 edition

• On-site training before efsli Zagreb on national versus IS interpreting — Thursday 10 September, Zagreb

• Spotlight from The Together Conference 2026: BSL interpreter and mentor, Nene Ekufu, on building confidence in interpreting

• Online workshop on national SL versus IS interpreting, Monday 13 July

2. Inspiring quote about education

3. Toolbox: Laptop stand

4. Prep’ corner: beach versus swimming pool

Grab your favorite hot drink (coffee latte here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. GOOD DEAL!* Pronounce: for when English is your third language

Many of us came to English the long way — through a national sign language, a spoken language, and then somewhere in between, English. As non-native English speakers, we often struggle with fluency and comfort in its rhythm and sounds.

Pronounce is a headset + training programme that works on how English actually sounds and feels — not vocabulary, not grammar. A filter, bone conduction, and a repetition method. Designed for non-native speakers.

I use it. Worth it.

📌 Give it a try with 10% off with the code “code2020”.

2. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/5 The 20-20 takes a summer break

July and August, The 20-20 newsletter is on vacation. No regular issue — but not radio silence either. Here’s the summer program:

• July brings a best-of of Premium editions

• and August, a personal reflection: one big lesson taken from running The 20-20 newsletter.

2/5 Published: Sign Language Interpreting in Europe, 2026 edition

Maya de Wit, SL interpreter and researcher, has released the 7th edition of her landmark reference guide on sign language interpreting in Europe. First published in 2001, the 2026 edition covers the organisations, training programmes, and employment situations of SL interpreters across the continent, drawing on a 2025 survey of national associations. New areas of focus include deaf interpreters, the impact of technology on the profession, and the functioning of national associations.

📌 A must-have! Get your copy here!

3/5 On-site training before efsli Zagreb — Thursday 10 September

The day before efsli 2026 opens, I organize a workshop on national SL versus IS interpreting at the Croatian Association of Sign Language Interpreters’ offices.

Topic: What national SL interpreters can learn from IS intepreting practices.

• Thursday 10 September, 2-5 PM

• Vile Velebita 8, 10040 Zagreb

Fees are tiered by country, with an early-bird price available before 1 August.

20 euros off for 20-20 premium subscribers!

📌 Full programme and registration information here!

(⚠️ If you prefer online training, the same workshop is organized on Monday, 13 July, 3 PM (CEST). More details here!)

4/5 Spotlight from The Together Conference 2026: BSL interpreter and mentor, Nene Ekufu, on building confidence in interpreting

The Together Conference (#SignProfConf2026) took place online on 13–14 June. One session stood out: From Skill to Self: Picking Up Confidence and Passing It On in Interpreting Practice, presented by Nene Ekufu (UK).

A BSL interpreter, trainer, coach, and Dual Elite Neuroencoding Specialist, Nene explores how self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and burnout show up not just in the work itself but in everyday professional decisions — bookings, assessments, career steps.

Her approach combines coaching and brain-based practice, and her free resource, the Interpreter Identity Audit, is worth a look.

📌 Take your free interpreter identity audit on her website

5/5 Online Workshop — What national SL interpreters can learn from IS interpreting practices

IS interpreters work without a shared language — and yet they deliver.

This 3-hour workshop draws on IS interpreting research to sharpen clarity, visual efficiency, and audience design in national sign language interpreting practice.

Early-bird pricing before 1 July. Interpreters from Kenya, the US, and Austria are already signed up. Spots are limited.

📌 Full details: click here

(⚠️ If you prefer on-site training, the same workshop is organized right before efsli 2026 starts, on Thursday, 10 September. More details here!)

2. Inspiring quote

A quote to meditate on alone or to discuss with colleagues.

Leave a comment

3. Toolbox: Laptop stand

Working remotely means working from all kinds of surfaces. This foldable laptop stand, available at Action, has 10 height positions and anti-slip pads — and fits flat in a bag. Adjust the height to bring your screen to eye level, get your webcam at the right angle, save your neck. Best €1.87 spent :) If there’s an Action store near you, go.

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #15. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium :

• Read The 20-20 Premium #15 on what makes interpreters stay long-term. If you’ve been an interpreter for more than 5 min, you don’t want to miss it 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy safe space for chatting with interpreters from all over the world and unlocking your next career opportunity.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

💡Update: corrected how Isabelle Heyerick's research is described, to reflect that it covers the full career path, not only why interpreters leave (updated 23 June 2026)

Intro

This month I want to put two pieces of work side by side.

The first is a poster I saw at The Together Conference 2026, last weekend: Helen Fuller’s research on what keeps interpreters working for decades. The second is a piece of research I attended in person, back in September 2024, at the efsli conference in Torino: Isabelle Heyerick’s study on the sustainability of the signed language interpreting profession - covering the full career path, from people who never start, to those who reduce their hours, leave, or increase their commitment over time. She has since done the same research in Ireland too.

I think these two pieces of work belong together, even though nobody designed them that way.

Heyerick's research looks at the full picture: the people who never start, who cut back, who leave - and the people who stay and increase their commitment. In this newsletter, I'm choosing to focus mainly on the group who leave, because that's the part that struck me most when I attended efsli in 2024. The group who stay and increase their commitment is covered too, but more briefly here.

Fuller's poster picks up that thread in more depth, since her whole survey - smaller scale though - is built around exactly that group: interpreters who’ve stayed for ten, twenty, thirty years.

Same profession, same pressures, but two completely different groups of people answering. So the question I kept asking myself while reading both:

Do the things that make people stay look like the mirror image of the things that make people leave?

Mostly, yes. And the one place where it doesn’t quite match up is the most interesting part of this whole comparison.

In this issue:

• What the research methods can and can’t tell us

• What keeps people working - and what pushes them out

• One open question about employment status

• A finding on being CODA/deaf-connected, we can’t draw firm conclusions from

• 5 takeaways for building a career that lasts!

1. Methodology: what each study can tell us, and what it can’t

Read more

Dear colleague,

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from +23 countries!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Bassens?

💡 Before we get started, know that you can:

• Sponsor the 20-20 newsletter (send an email to express your interest!)

• Find all professional events (conferences, training sessions, workshops, etc.) via Google Calendar "Events for sign language interpreters"

  Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary May 2026

1. Press review and industry news

• Why “The 20-20”? — Name origin

• Prof. Christopher Stone Inaugural Lecture — Wolverhampton, 21 May 2026

• OI Summer School — Valencia, 24–28 August — Applications close 22 May

• #ISLEvents WhatsApp channel — Ireland’s model for publicising interpreted events

• Co-interpreting webinar — Online, 1 June 2026

2. Inspiring quote about what we could do in our field

3. Toolbox: Privacy filter screen

4. Prep’ corner: team 15-15 or team 20-20

Grab your favorite hot drink (matcha here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/5 Why is the newsletter called The 20-20?

Many of you have asked. The name comes from what we all do in team interpreting: we switch every 20 minutes — or every 15, depending on where/how you work. Which team are you on? Vote in the survey below 👇

And yes — that’s why this newsletter lands every 20th, at 20h Paris time.

2/5 Inaugural Lecture — Prof. Christopher Stone | Wolverhampton, 21 May 2026

Mark your calendars. Professor Christopher Stone - researcher, trainer, BSL and IS interpreter - gives his inaugural lecture at the University of Wolverhampton on Thursday 21 May, 6–8 PM BST (UTC+1); in-person + live stream.

Title: Evidence-based Practice: Research-Informed Sign Language Translation and Interpreting.

The lecture traces a hidden history of SL Translators & Interpreters, examines values and ethics in the profession.

🔗 Register here — virtual attendance is free.

3/5 The next edition: OI Summer School, 24–28 August 2026 — Valencia, Spain

A week of advanced training for professional deaf and hearing sign language interpreters and translators. The programme covers IS and English interpreting skills, AI-supported interpreting, and critical discussions on power, representation, and global practice.

Open to interpreters with 3+ years of experience. Deaf and hearing interpreters welcome. Applicants from underrepresented regions are especially encouraged to apply.

🔗 Apply here before 22 May.

See my vidéo recap of my attendance at the last edition, in January 2026

4/5 Ireland’s #ISLEvents WhatsApp channel — a model worth copying

Written by Irish SL interpreter Cormac Leonard:

Have you ever wondered how you can spread the word about public events coming up that provide sign language interpretation?

Why not do something like Ireland — the WhatsApp #ISLEvents channel!

Managed by two professional Irish SL / English interpreters, the channel has almost 800 followers and helps to publicise events that have booked interpreters. The channel administrators research Facebook, YouTube, Eventbrite and the WWW to find new advertised events with interpreters. Links are provided to book places or buy tickets — ranging from interpreted performances, conferences, tours, activities and classes. We also try and find out the names of the interpreters and publicise this too, and interpreters and Deaf people themselves are also asked to let us know if they have been booked for public events.

We have also decided to add other kinds of content, like YouTube videos with ISL interpreters onscreen (both Hearing and Deaf Interpreters) and local and national Deaf social and cultural events. It’s become a great way to gather information about ISL-accessible events in one place, and both Deaf community members and new learners of ISL can find out at a glance what’s going on around the country! We also have a parallel Facebook page where events can be advertised in that way.

Why not have a look and see if you might work together and create something similar for your own country? 🙂

🔗 Join the channel

5/5 Co-interpreting in teams — what actually happens in?

We talk more and more about deaf-hearing team interpreting: co-interpreting. But how does co-interpretation actually work when you’re in it?

Vivien Fontvieille is diving into exactly that — in a webinar on 1 June 2026, moderated by Nikole Mitterbauer, with Barbara Rossier interpreting in IS and DSGS.

• CHF 20. Online. 18:00–20:00 (CEST).

🔗 Sign up by sending an email to barbara.rossier@outlook.com before by 23 May at the latest

2. Inspiring quote

A quote to meditate on alone or to discuss with colleagues.

Leave a comment

3. Toolbox: privacy screen filter

Practical gear, tech, or tips to make interpreting life smoother.

You prep on the train, at a café, etc. The person next to you doesn’t need to see your client’s brief.

A privacy screen filter clips onto your laptop and makes your screen unreadable from the side.

Confidentiality doesn’t stop when you leave the office.

👉 Search “laptop privacy screen filter” + your screen size.

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #14. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium :

• Read The 20-20 Premium #14 on Discrimination in the field of sign language interpretation. If you’ve been an interpreter for more than 5 min, you don’t want to miss it 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy safe space for chatting with interpreters from all over the world and unlocking your next career opportunity.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

Intro

⚠️ Content warning: testimonies of violence and discrimination

This issue starts from one clear basis of theory: discrimination is systemic.

Racism, sexism, ableism, classism… These are not simply individual incidents of inappropriate behaviour. They are collective, established, normalised logics — often internalised. On the scale of social power, the white, able-bodied, heterosexual man sits at the top. At the other end, those who accumulate multiple factors of domination — for example, a racialised woman, living with a disability, who is homosexual.

These systems do not stop at the door of our sign language interpreting profession. They run through our practice, our professional relationships, our training, our institutions.

In the field of interpreting, internal hierarchies interlock:

Spoken language interpreting is often perceived as more “prestigious” or more “rigorous” than sign language interpreting. And even within sign languages, power dynamics reproduce themselves.

A common example: at international conferences, spoken language interpreters and International Sign interpreters have a dedicated preparation room — quiet, with information and coordination. Meanwhile, local national sign language interpreters — — are simply forgotten, relegated to a corridor or a corner of the room, with no access to information and no appropriate working conditions.

A logistics oversight? Perhaps.

But above all, an implicit signal of a hierarchy of languages and professions.

Another revealing indicator:

Although more than 80% of sign language interpreters are women in every country studied (UK, France, Croatia…), that figure drops to 40% among International Sign interpreters, where men are vastly overrepresented (source: WFD-WASLI accredited SI interpreter list).

At the WASLI 2019 conference in Paris, a roundtable dedicated to International Sign interpreting was entirely male — in front of an audience made up predominantly of women. It was Jemina Napier, BSL and IS interpreter and director of the interpreting programme at Heriot-Watt University, who spoke up:

“It is a disgrace to have a 100% male panel to discuss a field where women are the majority.”

In sign language interpreting too, the higher you go, the fewer women there are.

This 20-20 issue was hard to write.

Reading, re-reading, carrying the stories, choosing which ones to publish… it stirs something. I doubted myself. A lot. I took my time. Because every word matters when we talk about violence and discrimination.

As is often the case with The 20-20 — and this is what I love about it — I did not work alone. I was supported by my colleague Laurène Pailler and her expertise.

This issue is not designed to make you feel guilty.

It is designed to open our eyes to dynamics we participate in — sometimes without realising it.

Each one of us can choose: to feed these logics, or to question them.

So — what do we do?

Do I stand up for myself, for my colleagues, for the interpreters who come after us? Do I perpetuate without seeing — or do I decide to act differently?

A final, essential reminder: every situation described here reflects a subjective point of view — that of the person who shared it. The aim is not to judge, nor to tell the whole story of any context, but to shed light on systemic dynamics through lived experiences.

Read with openness, rigour, and solidarity.

I invite you to read slowly. To breathe between the lines. And understand what it says about us, about our profession.

Thank you for your trust, for sharing, for the collective strength I feel behind every message.

In this issue:

1. Sexism — The HR email asking interpreters to stop wearing dresses so as not to “distract the employees”

2. Racism — The manager who changed the team because “two Black interpreters would be too many”

3. Fatphobia — The training supervisor who evaluated a student’s body instead of her skills

4. Sexual violence — The multi-day mission. The colleague who already knew.

Get comfortable and let’s go!

01 — Sexism

The situation:

• A dress that “distracts” the men

Testimony

During a summer assignment, Adélaïde, a FR/LSF interpreter, is working at a company with a colleague. It is hot. Both are wearing light dresses, appropriate for the season.

When the trainer explains that the Deaf employee will have interpreters for the weekly meetings, several male colleagues react in chorus: “Oh well, if she always wears cute dresses like that, it’ll be a treat for your eyes! You won’t know where to look!”

Adélaïde faithfully interprets these words in front of everyone. A moment of collective discomfort follows. The Deaf client makes it clear that the interpreter is not there just for him. But the colleagues keep going: “Come on, don’t pretend it was him who said that — don’t be shy…”

One week later, the final blow: the company’s HR department sends an email asking the interpreters to stop wearing dresses so as not to “distract the employees.”

Analysis 👀

Throughout history, men have claimed the right to comment on women’s clothing. In doing so, they divert attention — and make invisible what is actually more threatening to them: what women have to say, and the space they take up.

Judged too light, too bold, too religious, not conforming enough — women’s clothing is evaluated constantly. It is one more opportunity to unsettle and make them uncomfortable.

But what is striking here is where the discrimination comes from at the end: not from the individuals who made the comments, but from the institution itself. HR sent that email.

The organisation validated the idea that women’s bodies are a professional problem to be managed.

This is the difference between a bad incident and a systemic dynamic. The individual behaviour was sexist. The institutional response made it policy.

Go further 📚

Read more

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from +23 countries!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Perpignan?

💡 Before we get started, know that you can:

• Sponsor the 20-20 newsletter (send an email to express your interest!)

• Find all professional events (conferences, training sessions, workshops, etc.) via Google Calendar "Events for sign language interpreters"

  Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary April 2026

1. Press review and industry news

• Introduction: Aurélia NGG, French SL interpreter and editor of The 20-20 newsletter — Portrait via Agence i LSF

• Sign Language Studies Summer School 2026 — Save the date: Tallinn, August 2026

• Overseas Interpreting Summer School — Applications open until 22 May

• efsli Conference 2026 — Zagreb, “From Experience to Credentials”

• Maya de Wit training — Prague & Berlin 2026, and many more

2. Inspiring quote about what could be the motto of SL interpreters

3. Toolbox: Maya de Wit’s newsletter

4. Prep’ corner: barbecue or plancha

Grab your favorite hot drink (matcha here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/5 It’s time I introduced myself (Aurélia NGG 👋)

I’ve been writing to you for almost two years now. Every 20th of the month at 20h (Paris time), landing in your inbox. And yet — you may not know much about me.

So here it is. My name is Aurélia NGG. I started learning French SL at 17, on my mum’s behalf. She wanted to sing in sign language. She never did learn. I became an interpreter instead. From Bordeaux to Paris 8 university, from a PhD at Radboud University on International Sign interpreting to teaching, freelancing, and writing this newsletter every month — it’s been quite a ride.

The French Agency i LSF recently published a portrait of me, and I thought: if there’s ever a good time to share it, it’s now.

👉 Read the full portrait here :)

2/5 Sign Language Studies Summer School 26 is coming to Tallinn University

Organised in cooperation with Humboldt University, Universität Hamburg, and Tallinn University, this is the go-to academic gathering for sign language researchers and practitioners alike.

Registration and abstract submission details coming soon.

3/5 Overseas Interpreting Summer School — Valencia, 24–28 August 2026

📍 Valencia, Spain — and applications are open until 22 May.

A week of advanced training for professional deaf and hearing SL interpreters and translators. Expect practical sessions, workshops, mentoring, IS and English skills, AI-supported interpreting, and critical conversations on power and global practice.

Requirements: 3+ years of professional experience and a national qualification (where available).

👉 Apply here

4/5 efsli Conference 2026 — Zagreb, 11–13 September

This year’s theme: “From Experience to Credentials”.

The conference will explore pathways from informal practice to formal recognition, the role of Deaf interpreters in certification systems, mentorship models, and the ethics of credentialing as gatekeeping vs. quality control.

Academics, educators, Deaf community leaders, associations, policymakers: Zagreb is where the conversation happens.

👉 More info here

5/5 Maya de Wit’s trainings — Prague & Berlin 2026

Great news for those who’ve been waiting: the two-day training on interpreting from and to English is back — and expanding. Several dates and cities available across Europe in 2026 (Prague, Berlin, Cologne, etc.)

👉 Check this out here

2. Inspiring quote

A quote to meditate on alone or to discuss with colleagues.

Leave a comment

3. Toolbox: Maya de Wit's newsletter

Practical gear, tech, or tips to make interpreting life smoother.

You know Maya de Wit from her trainings. But did you know she also runs a newsletter?

Maya de Wit — of Sign Language Interpreting Consultancy — sends out regular updates on news, events, and training opportunities related to sign language interpreting.

👉 Subscribe to Maya de Wit’s newsletter

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #13. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium :

• Read The 20-20 Premium #13 on the debrief of AFSLI conference with the BSL interpreter Nikki Champagnie. If you’ve been an interpreter for more than 5 min, you don’t want to miss it 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy safe space for chatting with interpreters from all over the world and unlocking your next career opportunity.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

#13 - AFSLI Kigali 2026 conference gives you “fire in the belly”

Intro

I first met Nikki Champagnie at an efsli conference. You know those people who light up a room the moment they walk in? That’s Nikki. Jovial, warm, generous — she’s the kind of person who, when Air France decided to lose my luggage in my own departure city and I arrived at an efsli conference with nothing but what I was wearing, offered to lend me clothes. Just like that.

She’s a British sign language interpreter, mixed-race — half Irish, half Caribbean. Dynamic, sharp, and a founding member of the Interpreters of Colour Network (IOCN), established in the UK in 2020. Oh, and her lovely British accent gives the Frenchy I am some trouble ahah

When I heard she had attended the conference AFSLI 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda — where she shadowed the international interpreting team as part of her CISI course — I knew I had to ask her to debrief about it.

What she told me/us was one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about race, colonialism, and what it actually means to belong to this profession.

In this issue:

1. Walking into a different kind of room — what AFSLI 2026 felt like

2. Built from the inside or imported from the West?

3. Three talks that stuck to you

4. IOCN — what it is and why it exists

Get comfortable and let’s go!

1. AFSLI 2026 brought together researchers and practitioners from across Africa. Before we get into the content, what did it feel like to walk into that room?

I had flown in from the UK that same morning — which, looking back, wasn't the smartest idea. For context I think it’s important that the readers know I am a mixed race woman; half Irish and half Caribbean and a founding member of IOCN.

So I was really excited to be at a conference in Kigali, Rwanda for AFSLI, mostly because of my reasons mentioned above. I had been given permission to shadow the international interpreting team as part of my work experience to complement my Certificate in International Sign Interpreting (CISI) course.

However to step into a space filled with mostly African practitioners and researchers felt like a different interpreting conference for me and I felt like I wasn’t just attending another ‘western interpreting conference’.

If I am honest, I felt hopeful to receive the conference’s content and less on guard around western bias, something that’s always there in a Northern hemisphere context.

2. The conference tagline centred on shaping the future of sign language interpretation in Africa. Do you think that future is being built from the inside, or is there still a lot being imported from the West?

Read more

This edition is based on:

De Meulder, M. & Haualand, H. (2021). Sign language interpreting services: A quick fix for inclusion? Translation and Interpreting Studies, 16(1), 19-40.

About the authors

Maartje De Meulder is a deaf scholar working at the intersection of Deaf Studies, language policy, and the social sciences. Her work examines how language technologies meet deaf lives - especially sign language AI - and how their affordances shape language, communication, and access in everyday practice. She builds bridges between research, policy and practice, challenging dominant assumptions about “access” and “inclusion” in tech development, education, and public services.

Hilde Haualand is a deaf Professor in the Department of International Studies and Interpreting at Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway). A social anthropologist by training, her research focuses on sign language interpreting services, their political impact, and the conditions of deaf people in education and public services. She builds bridges between deaf and hearing academic worlds - Norwegian Sign Language is the working language of her department, regardless of hearing status.

Intro

I’ll be honest: reading this article made me uncomfortable. And I think that is exactly why it belongs in The 20-20 Premium.

As an interpreter myself, I am used to thinking of what we do as fundamentally good - we create access, we bridge communication, we show up for deaf people in spaces that were not designed for them. And all of that is true. But this article by two deaf academics pushed me to sit with a harder question: what if the system that employs us is also part of the problem?

This is not easy reading. But it is the kind of reading that makes us better at what we do. I have highlighted what I found most relevant for our practice as interpreters. The full article goes much further - into the sociology of SLIS as an institution, into legal frameworks, into specific policy examples from Finland and the UK. I strongly recommend reading it in full.

In this issue:

1. SLIS as a social institution - why “more interpreters” has become the default political answer to deaf access

2. The illusion of inclusion - what research shows actually happens in the room when an interpreter is present

3. Deaf people’s languaging choices beyond the interpreter - and how we can unintentionally flatten them

4. So what? Three things this research changes in how we show up to work

Get comfortable and let’s go!

1. We have become the default answer

There is a dominant assumption running through disability legislation, school policies, and health care systems across the Global North: that access for deaf people equals the availability of a sign language interpreter.

Not bilingual education. Not deaf professionals in first-line services. Not language-concordant health care. An interpreter.

“The often uncritically proposed and largely accepted solution at the institutional level to lack of access seems to be increasing the number of interpreters.” (p. 20)

Read more

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from +23 countries!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in La Rochelle?

💡 Before we get started, know that you can:

• Sponsor the 20-20 newsletter (send an email to express your interest!)

• Find all professional events (conferences, training sessions, workshops, etc.) via Google Calendar "Events for sign language interpreters"

  Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary March 2026

1. Press review and industry news

• WFD–WASLI launches IS Interpreter Accreditation

• efsli is recruiting a training officer (remote)

• Viral Facebook post by Justin Read: hearing interpreters on public stages

• AFSLI 2026 kicks off in Kigali - support still welcome

• Workshop by Karolien Gebruers: International Sign conference interpreting - In or out?

2. Inspiring quote about CPD

3. Toolbox: Miro for collaborative interpreting prep

4. Prep’ corner: beach or mountain?

Grab your favorite hot drink (matcha here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/5 WFD–WASLI launches IS Interpreter Accreditation

WFD and WASLI have officially launched the International Sign Interpreter Accreditation, with the full handbook published in March 2026. The framework offers two pathways - Full Accreditation and Pre-Accreditation - depending on the advancement of your career.

👉 Apply and read the full handbook here

2/5 efsli is recruiting a Training Officer (remote)

The European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters is looking for a Training Officer to shape and deliver its professional development programme. The position is part-time (7.6 hours/week), remote (European-based required), and paid at €1,000/month on an external contract.

A background in sign language interpreting is essential, so you may be a good fit!

👉 Apply here!

3/5 Viral Facebook post by Justin Read: hearing interpreters on public stages

In a widely shared Facebook post, interpreter Justin Read calls on hearing colleagues to step aside or work alongside Deaf and Deaf-connected interpreters in public-facing settings - stages, performances, rallies, etc. His argument is direct: it is not about skill, it is about accountability, representation, and linguistic integrity.

The post challenges hearing interpreters to reflect on an uncomfortable reality: by occupying visible public spaces alone, we reinforce the idea that access flows through hearing bodies - in spaces that often exist because of Deaf community advocacy in the first place.

👉 Read the full post on Facebook

4/5 AFSLI 2026 kicks off in Kigali - support still welcome

The African Federation of Sign Language Interpreters is about to launch its 2026 conference (23-25 March, Kigali, Rwanda), with WASLI delegates already on the ground. The event is a key moment for the development of the interpreting profession across the African continent.

A GoFundMe campaign is still open to support participation and accessibility at the event. International solidarity has always been a cornerstone of our profession, and The 20-20 newsletter is a proud sponsor of this event!

👉 Support the initiative here

5/5 Workshop: International Sign conference interpreting - In or out? by Karolien Gebruers

Organised by The 20-20 and Sylvia Leclerc, IS interpreter, this interactive workshop brings to life Karolien’s PhD research on the experiences of IS conference interpreters and Deaf professionals. Using an intersectional lens, the session explores belonging - and not belonging - in international spaces: gatekeeping, tokenism, representation, identity taxation, and hierarchies.

Open discussion and hands-on activities. Welcoming sign language interpreters, Deaf professionals, and anyone invested in more equitable international spaces. Delivered in International Sign, interpreted into spoken French.

📅 Monday 20 April, 3–5 pm (Paris time)

• €30 before April 1 / €50 after

👉 Sign up here for the Zoom link!

2. Inspiring quote

A quote to meditate on alone or to discuss with colleagues.

Leave a comment

3. Toolbox: Miro for collaborative interpreting prep’

Practical gear, tech, or tips to make interpreting life smoother.

Miro is a collaborative online whiteboard where your whole team can build and edit the same prep document in real time: terminology clusters, speaker profiles, acronyms, context notes, all in one shared mind map. Everyone sees it, everyone contributes, everyone arrives on the same page.

👉 Explore Miro

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #12. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium :

• Read The 20-20 Premium #12 on XXX. If you’ve been an interpreter for more than 5 min, you don’t want to miss it 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy safe space for chatting with interpreters from all over the world and unlocking your next career opportunity.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from +22 countries!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Bassens?

💡 Before we get started, know that you can:

• Sponsor the 20-20 newsletter (send an email to express your interest!)

• Find all professional events (conferences, training sessions, workshops, etc.) via Google Calendar "Events for sign language interpreters"

  Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary February 2026

1. Press review and industry news

• “What can national SL interpreters learn from IS interpreting practices?”, training available

• The Together Conference 2026 - Early Bird Open

• SAVE THE DATE: Overseas Interpreting Summer School - International Sign interpreting (24-28 August)

• SL interpreter training resources - Curated reading

• Video: The Puerto Rican SL interpreter performance at the Super Bowl 2026!

2. Inspiring quote about admiration vs connection

3. Toolbox: Grammarly

4. Prep’ corner for the foodies!

Grab your favorite hot drink (matcha here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/5 What can national SL interpreters learn from IS interpreting practices - Host It in Your Country

Based on my PhD research at Radboud University, this workshop explores what national sign language interpreters can learn from International Sign interpreting practices: visual strategy, reduction, mapping, preparation, and cross-border adaptability.

Already delivered to 45+ interpreters from 22+ countries.

If your national association wants research-to-practice training with immediate application, this is ready to host.

👉 Explore the programme here!

2/5 The Together Conference 2026 — Early Bird Open

The programme is out. Early bird registration is open.

📌 13–14 June 2026, online

Theme: Pick It Up. Pass It On.

AI (of course!), confidence, diversity, performance interpreting, inspiration from Rwanda, etc.: two days grounded in both lived experience and evidence.

If 2026 is your year for intentional professional growth, secure your place now.

👉 Register here!

3/5 SAVE THE DATE: Overseas Interpreting Summer School - International Sign interpreting (24-28 August)

Working internationally? Expanding into cross-border contexts?

The OI Summer School offers focused development in International Sign interpreting and working in multilingual environments. The first edition was a blast, don’t miss this new opportunity!

4/5 Interpreter Training Resources - Curated Reading

Looking for structured, research-informed reading?

Here’s a list that compiles key publications on sign language interpreting, including theory, ethics, cognitive load, performance, and community practice.

Bookmark it. Use it in supervision. Share it with trainees.

👉 Access the list here!

5/5 Super Bowl Puerto Rican Sign Language Interpreters - Watch the Performance

2. Inspiring quote

A quote to meditate on alone or to discuss with colleagues.

Leave a comment

3. Toolbox - Improve your English pronunciation using Pronounce headphones*?

Practical gear, tech, or tips to make interpreting life smoother.

Clear written communication matters: emails, reports, preparation notes, research summaries.

Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps refine grammar, clarity, tone, and structure in real time. It also offers a browser extension, meaning it works directly in your email, Google Docs, LinkedIn, and other platforms as you write.

For many interpreters, English is a third language. That’s no small cognitive load. Writing professionally in a non-dominant language takes effort.

Grammarly won’t replace your thinking. But it can reduce friction and increase confidence.

👉 Explore it here: https://app.grammarly.com/

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #11. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium :

• Read The 20-20 Premium #11 on the “I love you. Me neither”-relationship between deaf people and interpreters. If you’ve been an interpreter for more than 5 min, you don’t want to miss it 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy safe space for chatting with interpreters from all over the world and unlocking your next career opportunity.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership

A few weeks ago, a Deaf LSF presenter posted a video on social media.

She was upset. During her presentation, an interpreter interrupted her and asked her to change position so she could see her better for interpreting into spoken French.

The reactions were immediate.

Deaf perspective:

• “Deaf people don’t have to adapt to interpreters.”

• “We already adapt everywhere, all the time, in every part of our lives.”

Interpreter perspective:

• “Luckily, the Deaf person still has to consider the interpreter.”

• “Sometimes, it’s more logical for the Deaf person to move rather than the interpreter.”

This debate says a lot about expectations, about projections, about what we don’t always dare to say.

In this issue:

1. Deaf-interpreter relationship: like a couple?

2. What Deaf people expect VS what interpreters prioritise

3. Same assignment, two realities

4. So what makes a “good interpreter”?

5. This is not an accusation

Get comfortable and let’s go!

1. Deaf-interpreter relationship: like a couple?

We could call it a professional partnership, a co-construction dynamic, a working team.

But let’s be honest.

The relationship between a Deaf person and “their” interpreter is often more intimate than that.

There is dependency.

There is choice, but not always real choice.

There is the need to be understood.

There are expectations, frustrations, misunderstandings.

Sometimes, even the feeling of betrayal.

So yes, I dare the comparison:

This relationship sometimes looks like a couple who love each other… badly.

And sometimes, when communication breaks down, it can feel a little like this:

Okay. Maybe not that dramatic.

But the parallel is interesting.

In his book The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman explains that two people can care deeply about each other and still express it in completely different “languages”.

One offers gifts. The other needs words of affirmation.

The result? Two sincere people who don’t feel loved.

It’s like speaking Portuguese to someone who only understands Greek.

And what if something similar happens between Deaf people and interpreters?

What if both sides genuinely want the relationship to work… but aren’t always speaking the same relational language?

2. What Deaf people expect vs what interpreters prioritise

At the efsli conference in Malmö (2019), a colleague compared:

• What Deaf people consider a “good interpreter”

• And what interpreters consider a “good interpreter"

Spoiler: not the same criteria!

Read more

#3 - Imposter syndrome in sign language interpreting

We are a never-ending work in progress

👀 Why this topic?

Imposter Syndrome (IS) is that nagging feeling of not being “good enough” -
even when all the evidence says you are.

This month, we’re diving into how IS shows up in our work as interpreters and translators… and more importantly, what we can actually do about it.

This edition is based on the study:

📚 Article = Best, B., Dickinson, J., & Henshaw, J. (2023). We are a never-ending work in progress. Newsli: Quarterly magazine for the Association of Sign Language Interpreters, vol. 123, pp. 18–22.

Their research found that 84.7% of BSL interpreters have experienced imposter feelings.

Let that sink in.

If you’ve felt it, you’re not alone.
You’re in the majority.

So instead of hiding it, let’s normalize it.
And let’s build a toolkit to keep showing up.

Let’s dive in.

1. The Study - In Brief

Who?
339 BSL interpreters and translators.

What?
Their experiences of imposter syndrome and the strategies they use to manage it.

How?
An open online survey (February 2021), combining quantitative and qualitative data.

2. What the Research Found

Read more

(published in French = La Chaise tue, Comment échapper à la sédentarité et remettre son corps en marche)

Book available here.

As sign language interpreters, our bodies are central to our work. And yet… we spend most of our days sitting.

Sitting in video calls. Sitting in meetings. Sitting in classrooms. Sitting in medical offices. Sitting in our cars. Sitting in public transportation.Sitting while waiting for the next assignment.

Sitting - sometimes for hours - without even noticing it anymore.

We stretch. We see a physical therapist. We go to the gym. And yet, pain creeps in. Slowly. Quietly.

Recently, I read a book that felt like an electric shock. I wish it could have the same effect on you. Because you know it already: I’m not here to judge. I’m here as a colleague who wants what’s best for us.

The book is called The Chair Kills, by Alexandre Dana and Victor Fersing (only available in French).

It’s a pleasure to interview Alexandre Dana to start this year in motion.

Because you’ll see this very clearly throughout the interview: the cause, the root, and the consequence of many health issues often come back to one thing:

👉 sedentarity

And very often, the solution is also one of the simplest:

👉 walking.

Enjoy the read - and we’ll continue the discussion just after, in the 20-20 substack community ✨

In this issue:

1. Interview with Alexandre Dana: The Chair Kills, a thought-provoking book

• Is a chair more dangerous than a cigarette?

• Musculoskeletal disorders and sedentary lifestyles: are we making the connection?

• Why isn’t exercise enough? The concept of the sedentary athlete.

• How to get moving without disrupting your schedule?

2. Resources to explore further: podcasts, physiotherapy, books

3. Practical ideas to break the sedentary lifestyle when you’re a sign language interpreter: Bingo!

Get comfortable and let’s go!

PART 1 – THE PROBLEM

Alexandre, you begin your book with a provocative question: What is more dangerous: a chair, a weapon, or a cigarette? And you choose… the chair. Why?

Read more

Happy 20-20!

Thanks for joining colleagues from the UK, Ireland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Brazil, The Netherlands, Belgium, Malta, Spain, the USA, Italy, Canada, India, Tunisia, Estonia, Mexico, Japan, Morocco, Australia, Switzerland and of course, FRANCE!

How’s interpreting life outside of France?

Don’t you miss fromage and interpreting in Mont-de-Marsan?

💡 Before we get started, know that you can:

• Sponsor the 20-20 newsletter (send an email to express your interest!)

• Find all professional events (conferences, training sessions, workshops, etc.) via Google Calendar "Events for sign language interpreters"

  Note: Anything in bold and underlined is clickable.

📝 Sign Language Interpreting - Summary January 2026

1. Press review and industry news

• WASLI raises funds to support ASLI in Kigali, Rwanda

• Video: How do you sign “potato” in your national sign language?

• Save the date: efsli Conference 2026, Zagreb

• LinkedIn post: How to record interpreters?

2. Inspiring quote about fear and growth

3. Toolbox: Pronounce Headphones* to improve your English

4. Prep’ corner: manual or automatic transmission?

Grab your favorite hot drink (matcha here!) and let’s dive in! 👇

1. Press review and industry news

What’s happening in the world of sign language interpreting: updates, opportunities, and events - the latest from the field. Find all events in the Google Calendar “Events for sign language interpreters”

1/4 WASLI raises funds to support ASLI in Kigali, Rwanda

The World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) has launched a fundraising campaign to support the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) in Kigali, Rwanda, ahead of the 2026 conference.

The initiative aims to strengthen professional networks, improve access to training, and support the development of interpreting services in the region. It’s a strong reminder that international solidarity remains a cornerstone of our profession.

🔗 Support the initiative here!

2/4 How do you sign “potato” in your national sign language?

A fun and insightful video circulating on Instagram asks a deceptively simple question: how do you sign “potato” in your national sign language?

Beyond the humor, this short reel highlights something interpreters know well: lexical variation, iconicity, and cultural grounding differ widely across sign languages. It’s a perfect reminder that there is no universal sign language and that curiosity is a professional skill.

🎥 Watch the video on Instagram:

3/4 Save the date: efsli Conference 2026

The European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) has officially announced the dates and location of its 2026 conference:

• 11–13 September 2026

• 📍 Zagreb, Croatia

The event will bring together sign language interpreters, researchers, educators, and stakeholders from across Europe and beyond. Expect discussions on practice, research, ethics, and the evolving realities of the profession.

🗓️ Save the date - more details to come.

4/4 How to record interpreters?

In a widely shared LinkedIn post, Alejandra Mantecón del Olmo reminds us of a key principle: recording interpreters is not a technical decision; it is a legal and ethical one.

Interpretation is protected under international copyright law (including the Berne Convention). Recording, therefore, requires prior information, explicit consent, negotiated conditions of use, and proper acknowledgement. With the rise of hybrid events and content reuse, these questions are more relevant than ever.

🔗 Read the LinkedIn post here!

2. Inspiring quote

A quote to meditate on alone or to discuss with colleagues.

This is the part of the newsletter I choose to wish you a wonderful 2026 with my every-start-of-the-year-fav’ punchline 🎉

Leave a comment

3. Toolbox - Improve your English pronunciation using Pronounce headphones*?

Practical gear, tech, or tips to make interpreting life smoother.

Looking to sharpen your spoken English? The PRONOUNCE® headset uses rhythmic repetition and acoustic technology to help you improve fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation - in just 15 minutes a day (tested and approved here!)

Current price: €269 (down from €299) + an extra 10% off for 20-20 readers with the code: code2020

🔗 Use this link to apply the discount directly

Test it for 30 days, risk-free.

Especially helpful if English is not your first or second language - and you’re interpreting into or out of it.

4/ Prep’ corner 🍿

One playful prep’ choice. No context. No pressure. Just vibes.

💡 Last poll results = see previous newsletter

Thank you for reading The 20-20 Magazine #10. It’s now time to extend your experience by getting to The 20-20 Premium :

• Read The 20-20 Premium #10 on what if the biggest risk for sign language interpreters wasn’t interpreting… but sitting. Not clickbait 👀

• Join The 20-20 Substack community: our cozy safe space for chatting with interpreters from all over the world and unlocking your next career opportunity.

What do you want to read next? Which topics spark your curiosity? I’ll find the perfect research paper and break it down into something useful for your everyday practice.

See you next time: same date, same time, 20th at 20:00 (Paris time) !

Aurélia NGG (with support, always)

Research > Practice > Progress 💡

Reply to this email - your feedback shapes the next editions. I personally read and respond to every message, so don’t hesitate to hit reply and share your thoughts.

* Commercial partnership