Eleanor Roosevelt once said  – “Do one thing every day that scares you”, well I can say that before I got up on the platform to deliver my presentation on behalf of the BSL Legal Network – I was pretty scared – enough to cover quite a few months worth! They also say, go outside of your comfort zone, which I did and glad I did too! 

In another life/career I was a Transport Consultant, working in a multinational, engineering corporation. Whilst doing many presentations to clients, I rarely did any for peers. I believe presenting in front of your own peers is a different challenge. In the words of my sister “Well done for doing that, I didn’t want to say at the time but presenting in front of your peers is probably one of the hardest things you can do!” There is no hiding in front of your colleagues. Whilst what I am presenting might be new information to them, they are still knowledgeable around the subject area. There is no room for ‘bluffing’ / ‘fudging’. Despite my fears however, I was met with overwhelming support and positive feedback. Why did I torture myself so much? I recently read that worrying about what could happen only means you may end up reliving the hell you have imagined  – twice! (Once when you have imagined it and the other when it actually happens in real life – if, it happens in real life). It was nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be and this experience has given me a boost to continue to do more things which push me outside of my comfort zone. 

It was great to be part of something which felt accepting and supportive to all who attended and presented. We were very fortunate with the presenters who agreed to attend and deliver their presentations which provided such a wealth of varied information regarding the legal setting for BSL/English Interpreters. We hope to hold another conference next year, possibly focusing on interpreting in police settings. Watch this space!