Season 2, Ep. 7 – The Teaching Interpreter: How – Data Collection Lens

Watch in ASL

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Episode Title: It’s Just Data: Depersonalizing the Work Through Data Collection

How do we separate who we are from the work we produce as interpreters and educators? In this episode, Amanda R. Smith explores how data collection shifts feedback from something that feels personal and heavy into something neutral, curious, and empowering. You’ll hear why “it’s just data” is more than a phrase—it’s a framework for teaching, mentoring, and growing with integrity.

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, mentor, coach, or workshop leader, this conversation will give you practical tools and a new lens for supporting interpreter growth without slipping into harsh critique.

If you’re enjoying these conversations, I would love to stay connected beyond the podcast. When you join my email list or follow me on Instagram, you’ll get a peek behind the scenes. Get a chance to see my notes, my reflections, and some of the questions I sit with as I create new trainings and offerings.You can go to arsmithstudios.com and click the newsletter button in the upper right hand corner to subscribe to my newsletter. Or you can find me on Instagram @arsstudios27.

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📑 Highlights

• Why traditional feedback often feels personal—and how data changes the conversation.
• What counts as data in interpreting (timing, tallies, observations, transcripts, comprehension checks).
• Simple, practical methods for collecting and using data: TAPs, backtranslations, transcriptions.
• How data collection depersonalizes evaluation and fosters reflective dialogue.
• The shift from “feedback” to shared inquiry that builds trust and confidence in both students and educators.
• A reflection prompt you can use this week: What’s one piece of data you could collect on your work—or your students’—to bring curiosity instead of critique?

Are you an interpreter educator looking for support, fresh ideas, and a community that gets the real challenges of your work?I’m opening the wait list for a new offering called the Connected Interpreter Educator Circle. It’s a group coaching ex. Experience where you will gain confidence, spark creativity, and connect with peers who are on the same journey. Space is going to be limited ’cause I wanna keep it small. So grab your spot on the wait list today and start transforming the way you teach and lead.ou can check it out at arsmithstudios.com, and there’s a yellow banner that will take you to the page to tell you a little bit more about it and for you to sign up. For the wait list.

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Share the podcast, leave a review, and join the conversation on social media. If you have a question or a topic you’d like to hear more about, head over to the episode notes where you’ll find the link to the Google form and you can let me know what is on your mind. As always, I would love to know how this podcast landed for you today, particularly around our reflective questions of what connected you to your care about the work that we do as educators and interpreters.

What sparked your curiosity and drives you to find out more? What activated your creativity and is there something that you’re gonna experiment with? Today or this week, I would always love to hear from you. You can email me at arsmithstudios@gmail.com.