Malin Tesfazion
Contact
Name and title: Malin Tesfazion
Workplace: The Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism Länk till annan webbplats.
Visiting address Room D 590Universitetsvägen 10 D
Postal address Institutionen för svenska och flerspråkighet106 91 Stockholm
About me
I work as a Lecturer in Sign Language Interpreting at the Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies (TÖI). Alongside my teaching and academic studies, I have been working as a sign language interpreter since 1992.
In 2013, the first university-level programme for sign language interpreters was established—the Bachelor’s Programme in Sign Language and Interpreting. I have taught in the programme part-time since it started and full-time since 2018. Since the autumn semester of 2022, I have also served as the Director of Studies for the programme
I teach both theoretical and practical modules within the Bachelor’s Programme in Sign Language and Interpreting, where I also serve as course coordinator for several modules. Additionally, I am the coordinator for four out of the six semesters of the programme.
A major focus of my teaching is providing students with as much practical experience as possible. Consequently, much of my instruction takes place in authentic environments or involves invited deaf guests. I particularly enjoy co-teaching, collaborating with my signing colleagues from the Department of Linguistics.
I also teach sign language interpreting at the advanced level for students in the Master’s Programme in Interpreting.
I am continuously involved in programme and curriculum development for several modules and have played a key role in extensive programme restructuring. Since 2023, the programme has offered two distinct tracks: one for interpreting between spoken Swedish and Swedish Sign Language, and one focusing on intramodal sign language interpreting, designed for Deaf students with Swedish Sign Language as their first language.
My particular research interest lies in the interpretation of hearing signers into spoken language (in this case, Swedish).
My Bachelor’s thesis (2016) explored the experiences of both sign language interpreters and hearing signers in such interpreted interactions. My ongoing Master’s thesis is a case study in which I describe the collaboration between interpreters and hearing sign language users in interpreted multi-party conversations.

