Introducing Winter Workshop of Zentsuken.

Bringing with Your Experience to Winter Workshop-- Establishment of Zentsuken and History to Start Up The National Meeting of JSLInterpretation.
In 1968, we discussed for the first time the issue of how to secure the information for deaf
people and necessity of sign language interpretation at a national level. The 1st National
Meeting of JSL Interpretation was held as an annex to The 17th National Congress of the DeafJapanese in Fukushima.
Then, in 1974, "National Research Association of Sign Language Interpretation (Zentsuken)"
was established. And In 1976, The 9th National Meeting of JSL Interpretation held in Kyoto, itwas the first Meeting held independently from JFD Congress.
It was in 1985 that The National Meeting of JSL Interpretation started to hold twice a year,
Summer Session and Winter Workshop.
-- Beginning of the Winter Workshop
The National Meeting had provided three types of opportunities, study, lecture and discussion.
Increasing the number of the participants and the issues to discuss, it had become difficult todevelop the discussion of the previous year. Therefore, the Winter Workshop would hold adiscussion style, which would be held independently from the Summer Session lecture style.
The Winter Workshops were planned for participants to hold discussions based on thediscussions of the previous year. At the beginning, there held 10 workshops which one
participant from one prefecture would apply. Hopefully, 500 participants in total would attend.
The aim was to increase of the number of affiliate chapters of NRASLI (Zentsuken). At thattime, we were able to cover just half the numbers of prefectures then.
To hold discussions based on the discussion of the previous year, it is important for allparticipants to have common background information of the previous year. A rule wasestablished to have reports about the activities of each prefecture. The chairman of eachworkshop was assigned to the board members of Zentsuken, and the co-reseacher wasassigned to the members of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, co-operator of movement.
Winter Workshops were held in Kinki and Kanto areas where the transportation system iseasily accessible for people to participate nationwide.
While keeping convience of transportation in mind, we have held workshops in other areas
such as Tokai, Tohoku and Chugoku.
With the Winter Workshop having been established, it has help bring together a nationwide
experience of activities, reports, and exchange of information. Participants would share thisknowledge with their affiliate chapters to build upon or develop new activity from theexperience of workshops. Following up to the next year’s workshop, participants would havediscussions about what they learned and new activities they have been able to implement.

-- Significance of Making a ReportIt is important to have activities with deaf people in each area. Making a report is to makeclarifying problem by shared experiences. In the workshop, these experiences areexchanged with each other. Each report is based on the discussion of each affiliate
chapter. However, there is written contribution by each member. By extracting significant
points from various reports, we have a better understanding of what needs to do be done
nationwide.
-- Reconstruction of Each Workshop
Composed of 10 workshops at first, construction has been reviewed according to change of
topics of movement. For example, in 1982 the workshop’s theme was "Healthcare and Status
Guarantee of Sign Language Interpreters" and in 1983 the workshop’s theme was "Televisionand Sign Language Interpretation" and "How to Teach Sign Language in college"
Particularly in 1997, the construction of workshop was widely reviewed. From the viewpoint ofthe life of deaf people, based on four categories:
1) Sign Language Interpretation System
2) Sign Language Interpreter as a Profession3) Life of Deaf People
4) Movement of Sign Language Interpreter
Before, 13 workshops were held. These 4 categories are subdivided even more and there
are special workshops which have been added. Now, there are 15 workshops in all.
-- Problem to be solved
1. Organizing a report. The 20th Winter Workshop in Hyogo in 2004, there were noreports presented in 3 workshops. It didn't mean there were no activities, but that
there were no challenges to put in with existing activities. For example, in the activities
of affiliate chapters, you can find a process, such as, recognizing the problem, thinking
over the solution, trying to solve the problem and evaluating the various procedures. Itis very beneficial for participants to keep reports of the various procedures.

2. Organizing participants. Recently, you can find the process of participating in WinterWorksh op. First, participants discuss about their prefecture in the workshops. Second,
they discuss about the region from last year’s Winter Workshop. This process and theadjustment of participants in each workshop is to go forward.