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Dr. Isabelle Heyerick
Assistant Professor, C.L.C.S.
Assistant Professor, Centre for Deaf Studies

Biography

Isabelle Heyerick is Assistant Professor in Applied Sign Linguistics at the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from KU Leuven (Belgium) where she is member of the research group on Multimodality, Interaction & Discourse. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with the Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Warwick (UK) where she was a postdoctoral Marie Curie WIRL-COFUND Fellow (2018 - 2020).

Her areas of expertise are Interpreting Studies and Linguistics, with a specific focus on signed language interpreting and sign linguistics. She is mainly interested in the cognitive aspects of simultaneous interpreting and how these translate into linguistic decisions interpreters make in their practice. Her doctoral work was the first to explore Dutch - Flemish Sign Language interpreting. It describes the strategic behaviour of interpreters as reflected in their linguistic actions. The study examines which linguistic interpreting strategies interpreters (can) use and why they do so. Her research is interdisciplinary in nature since she approaches interpreting as a situated, cognitive, linguistic and societal activity. It is also intrinsically applied, and nurtures her commitment as an academic to the signed language interpreting profession. She is the secretary of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters and the founder and vice-president of Tenuto, an organisation offering professional development for Flemish Sign Language interpreters.

Isabelle is also a qualified spoken and signed language interpreter with a MA in Interpreting (English - Dutch - Flemish Sign Language) from KU Leuven and a graduate degree in Dutch >< Flemish Sign Language interpreting. Additionally, she obtained a MA in Literature and Linguistics from Ghent University (Belgium).

Publications and Further Research Outputs

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Isabelle Heyerick, Simultaneous Interpreting from a Signed into a Spoken Language: Quality, Cognitive Overload, and Strategies, Review of Simultaneous Interpreting from a Signed into a Spoken Language: Quality, Cognitive Overload, and Strategies, by Wang Jihong , Interpreting and Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Online first, (Online first), 2024 Review, 2024 DOI TARA - Full Text URL

Isabelle Heyerick, Barrier-free and interpreter-free Deaf signers and hearing sign language interpreters" perspectives on an ideal world (Belgium, Flanders), Translation and Interpreting Studies , 2023 Journal Article, 2023 TARA - Full Text DOI

Isabelle Heyerick, Split-second decisions, The Linguist, 60, (5), 2021, p11 - 12 Journal Article, 2021

Isabelle Heyerick, A descriptive study of linguistic interpreting strategies in Dutch - Flemish Sign Language interpreting. Exploring interpreters{', KU Leuven, 2021 Thesis, 2021

Isabelle Heyerick, Hoe tolken keuzes maken., The Linguist, 60, (5), 2021, 11 - 12, 48-49 Miscellaneous, 2021

The importance of video recordings in signed language interpreting research. in, editor(s) Heidi Salaets Geert Brône , Linking up with Video: Perspectives on Interpreting Practice and Research, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins Publishing Company , 2020, pp127 - 150, [Isabelle Heyerick] Book Chapter, 2020 DOI

Isabelle Heyerick, "Are interpreters in, out, between or in-between? Exploring the influence of seemingly conflicting ideologies on interpreters' practice." , EFSLI 2019 European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters Conference, Malmö, Sweden, 2019 Oral Presentation, 2019

Isabelle Heyerick, "Think Aloud Processes and Retrospective Interviews in (Signed Language) Interpreting Studies: Implications for Researchers, Educators and Practitioner." , ICIT 2019, Denmark, 2019 Oral Presentation, 2019

Isabelle Heyerick, Is there an I in Impact? Considering the two-way process of public engagement., Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 7, (1), 2019, p82--93 Journal Article, 2019 DOI

Isabelle Heyerick, Interpreting strategies. What's in it for me?, 2017 Conference Paper, 2017

Isabelle Heyerick; Suzanne Ehrlich, WASLI 2015 Conference Proceedings "Human rights: where do interpreters fit in?", 2017 Book, 2017

Isabelle Heyerick, Interpreting strategies: the why behind the what. , LARIM II: . Power and Ideology in Interpreter-Mediated Contexts., Rome, Italy, 2017 Oral Presentation, 2017

Isabelle Heyerick, Signed language interpreting: What's ideology got to do with it? , Symposium on Signed Language Interpretation and Translation Research., Washington DC, USA, 2017 Oral Presentation, 2017

Isabelle Heyerick, Using multiple methodologies in signed language interpreting studies: (how) does it work?\textquotedblright. , 2015 Oral Presentation, 2015

(Deaf) Interpreters on television: challenging power and responsibility. in, editor(s)Laurence Meurant, Aurélie Sinte, Mieke Van Herreweghe and Myriam Vermeerbergen , Sign Language Research, Uses and Practices. A Belgian Perspective, 2013, [Maartje De Meulder, Isabelle Heyerick] Book Chapter, 2013 DOI

Isabelle Heyerick, Maartje De Meulder, "(Deaf) Interpreters on television: power and responsibility", EFSLI 2012 European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters Conference, Vienna, Austria, 2012 Oral Presentation, 2012

Sign Language Interpreting in Educational Settings in Flanders, Belgium in, editor(s)Lorraine Leeson, Myriam Vermeerbergen , Working with the Deaf Community - Education, Mental Health & Interpreting, Ireland, Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited, 2012, [Isabelle Heyerick,Myriam Vermeerbergen] Book Chapter, 2012

Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications

Ine Van Oudenhove, From Word to Sign - Research Feature, 2021, - Miscellaneous, 2021 URL

Gareth Johnson, 'A Conversation with Isabelle Heyerick', The Exchanges Discourse - A podcast about early career publishing in academia, 2020, - Broadcast, 2020

Isabelle Heyerick, The strategic nature of interpreting , 2019, - Miscellaneous, 2019

Research Expertise

Keywords

Deaf interpreters; Deaf Studies; IDEOLOGY; INTERACTION; INTERPRETATION; Irish Sign Language; Irish Sign Language Interpreting; LANGUAGE; LANGUAGES; LINGUISTICS; Minority languages; Multilingualism; Multimodality; sign language interpreter education; Sign Language Interpreting Training; sign language policy; SIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATION; sign language translation studies; sign languages; sign linguistics; Signed Language Interpreting; SOCIOLINGUISTICS; TRANSLATION

Recognition

Awards and Honours

Marie Curie WIRL-COFUND Fellowship 2018 - 2020