Our first blog of the new year includes guest writing from one of our past colleagues, who picked two of his favorite movies of 2022 to review for us. These movies are, of course, fun to watch and come to us highly recommended by our guest writer. But also, as a language services provider and a small business, we like to find bits of ourselves and our work in the things we enjoy. For example, in our first movie, we take great interest in the use of social media and videos, and in the second, we were greatly affected by how the same people can have so many different circumstances.

Scream 5

Scream 5 is not just the latest entry in the Scream series, but also a question. How loyal are fans to a franchise? Though there’s a different director at the helm, the same tone as the other entries in the franchise are present, but with a modern twist.

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her acquaintances, are still being stalked by someone in a Ghostface outfit. This time though, social media is at the center of everything. There are online videos of people complaining about the recent Stab movies (the in-universe movies about the murders in the previous Scream movies), saying that they don’t follow the “right” path. This movie focuses on the opinionated fans who openly complain about the “wrong” directions that franchises have taken.

Overall, this is a movie that anyone who’s paid attention to social media or YouTube in the past decade will have fun watching. It’s not the best movie in the franchise, but it’s an enjoyable one!

Everything Everywhere All at Once

This is probably the most surprising movie of the year. It starts out with an ordinary situation where a family goes to social services for help with a topic. It’s as surprising for the audience as it is for the main character when everything changes in the next moment. Just like someone snapped their fingers, you’re brought through several different dimensions. The fun part? Each dimension has the same characters, but in different roles. In short, it’s a movie centering around a multiverse.

The protagonist is a Chinese-American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who experiences her life in several ways across the dimensions, all with the same people, but always different. The best part about the movie is how it managed to be original, funny, and surprising all at the same time. Your instinct might make you try to relate the movie to all the superhero movies from the past decade or two, but don’t. This is a unique movie that has no comparison, and you’re bound to love it. Also be sure to check out the movie if you’re fans of Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan (best known for his appearances in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies)!

As an IEP interpretation provider, we often think about what we can do or what information we can put out to improve the lives of the people we serve. In today’s blog, we will be going over techniques to create a growth mindset in your child, rather than a fixed one.

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

Stanford University professor of psychology, Carol Dweck, has written extensively about mindsets and their effect on learning. Carol’s research is often based on the difference between a “fixed” mindset and a “growth” mindset, with “fixed” meaning that the person thinks that their abilities are static and can’t be changed, and “growth” meaning that the person sees setbacks as a chance to learn and improve from their mistakes.

As an example, consider a person who wants to become an artist. She may draw a picture and see only her flaws in it; and any constructive criticism from others makes her think, “I will never be able to get better, unlike the people who have natural talent.” This person would have a “fixed” mindset.

On the other hand, a person with a “growth” mindset would see the flaws and constructive criticism and think, “There is plenty of room for improvement. It might be difficult, but with enough practice and learning, I can become better.” While she might not become the next Michelangelo, this person might find joy in the challenge of improving herself and become a great artist in her own right.

How to Promote a Growth Mindset

1. Praise Effort and Perseverance

Even if your child doesn’t achieve “success” in project or endeavor, it’s still important to praise their attempts at success. For example, say your child wants to read a book aloud, but they read slowly or mispronounce words. It’s the act of doing something, often repeatedly, that allows many of us to improve and hone our skills. Encouraging your child for their effort and perseverance even through failure is vital.

You might do this by giving their efforts genuine interest—such as listening to their reading aloud, or watching them as they paint or color—and saying things like “I’m proud that you don’t give up,” “You’ve improved a lot,” or pointing out specific successes, even minor, like, “Good job on remembering how to read that word!”

2. Teach Leadership and Cooperation

It’s important to remember that, with humans being social creatures, we often have successes, growth, or otherwise positive impacts on ourselves and others through working as a team. While everyone has a different level of comfort with teamwork, teamwork is often a necessary skill in life. Talk with your child about what it took to work in a group, and what they may have done to help take responsibility for their team.

When encouraging leadership, remember that leadership does not correlate 1:1 with authority or a position of power. Rather than praising your child for giving terse, blunt commands, you should praise kindness, calm explanations, or presenting ideas.

3. Encourage Organization and Thoughtfulness

Organization is key in helping your child maintain good habits and mindsets. When a child has good organizational skills, they can keep better track of homework, chores, and the like, which gives them more room to grow. Thoughtfulness and intention are key to starting and keeping good organizational habits. Encourage your child to keep homework in special folders, put clothes away in the correct drawers, or to practice an instrument or sport at routine times, and praise them when they do.

Remember that each child is different. What works for your oldest child might not work for your youngest child, and some might need special assistance if they have a disability. Regardless, remember that your child is growing and learning every day, and that includes making mistakes or not knowing how to do things. Children need not only encouragement, but models to follow. If you’re not particularly good at organization, perhaps your partner or friend is. There’s no harm in asking for help.

Technology can make remote interpretation as easy as 1-2-3, but at the same time, there can be any number of technical problems that can interfere with an interpretation assignment. Even though problems do happen, it’s our responsibility to minimize them. Having the prudency to keep an eye out for any problems and their solutions is a key skill for interpreters and everyone to have in modern days. In today’s blog, we will be highlighting some common connection issues and what to do in those circumstances.

Interpretation Links

Occasionally, the link you use to log into the meeting may be incorrect. The most common scenario is probably due to a separate meeting being created, causing you to wait in an empty room. If you as an interpreter find yourself in this case, it is best to get in contact with the language service provider you are working with as quickly as possible to ensure that you receive the correct link.

Interpretation Times

The appointment time may be mistakenly written by any party involved in the scheduling, causing the interpreter to be either early or late. To prevent this from happening, it is best to set a reminder that’s sent 24 hours before an interpretation event starts, so all parties including the client and interpreter can double-check on the proper start time and the right link.

Updates

Many of us have experienced this situation. As soon as logging into a conferencing application, you were notified that the application requires an update. This can cause you to be nervous about being late to the meeting. Testing your application at least 30 minutes before logging into the appointment to make sure everything is up to date is a good way to ensure that you aren’t affected by any sudden updates.

Sudden Change of Interpretation Methods

For various reasons, there may be a sudden change in the method for remote interpreting, such as resorting to the telephone or another type of video conferencing service. In such circumstances, make sure to keep your email and phone ready and handy to see if any notification of changes come to you.

Power or Internet Fluctuations

Fluctuations in power or internet can be unavoidable and unpredictable. You may be able to circumvent power outages or battery shortage by planning ahead as much as possible. Charge your phone, laptop, and computer fully. Always think of a backup plan. If occasionally, things just can’t be helped. In these cases, be apologetic and contact your language service provider or the meeting host for contingency.