Anna-Lena Nilsson

About

I am professor of Signed language and interpreting at the Department of Language and Literature, and the program leder for the Section for Signed language and Interpreting Studies. I have a PhD in Signed Language Linguistics from the Department of Linguistics at Stockholm University, and am a trained Swedish Sign Language/Swedish/English interpreter.

In our BA-program in Norwegian Sign Language, I mainly teach in courses on language, communication, professional ethics, and interpreting theory.

Membership of editorial boards

Member of the editorial board of Deaf Worlds, 2003–2005.

Member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Interpreter Education from 2009–.

International work

I am a member of the Registration Panel of The Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters (www.risli.ie), and a member of the ISO Expert Group of WASLI (The World Association of Sign Language Interpreters) which provides expert advice to Technical Committe 37 Language and Terminology of the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO).

During the academic years 2020/2021 – 2022/2023 , I am the external examiner for the European Master in Sign Language Interpreting program: https://www.eumasli.eu/#:~:text=EUMASLI%20%E2%80%93%20European%20Master%20in%20Sign,interpreters%20from%20across%20the%20world

As of the academic year 2022/2023, I am the external examiner for the MSC program Advancing Practice in Signed/Spoken Language Interpreting: https://www.qmu.ac.uk/study-here/postgraduate-study/2023/msc-advancing-practice-in-signed-spoken-language-interpreting/

Research

Research interests:

- Sign Language Linguistics, with a special interest in sign language discourse produced during simultaneous interpretation.

- Corpus-based approaches to signed language research.

- Discourse structure and cohesion in signed language.

- Signed language interpreting, and how interpreters and the deaf community can cooperate and encourage mutual trust.

- M2L2-learning of signed languages

• Since 2014 I have been working in Trondheim, and my main research here has been on how sign language interpreters move their whole body in space – described as the embodiment of conceptual metaphors – and on the M2L2-acquisition of Norwegian Sign Language by our interpreting students. I am also interested in the relationship between interpreters and the deaf community, and in how research results can reach more people.

Selected research projects

• In 2022, I was a consultant for a report on the information available to parents of deaf and hard of hearing children regarding language acquisition and sign language: Kartlegging av støtteapparatets veiledning av foreldre om døve barns språkutvikling og tilgang til tegnspråk: https://osloeconomics.no/publication/kartlegging-av-stotteapparatets-veiledning-av-foreldre-om-dove-barns-sprakutvikling-og-tilgang-til-tegnsprak/

• I have recently conducted a study in cooperation with Dr Rachel McKee, from Auckland, New Zealand, running parallel projects in Norway and New Zealand. The project was called "Interpreters as Agents of Language Policy". : https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/tis.21041.mck

• Our department is involved in a network for signed language corpora in the Nordic countries: https://www.ntnu.no/web/isl/nordisk-tegnsprakkorpus

• During 2012–2014 I ran the research project Use of Signing Space in Simultaneous Sign Langauge Interpreting., which was financed by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).

• During 2010-2012 I was one of the researchers involved in the EU-financed project MEDISIGNS - Medical Sign Language & Interpreter Training: http://www.medisignsproject.eu/MEDISIGNS/About_MEDISIGNS.html

Partners included experts from Ireland, Cyprus, Poland, Sweden and the UK.

Publications

2023

Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2023) Exploring Real Space blends as indicators of discourse complexity in Swedish Sign Language .
Chapter

2022

Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2022) Tolktrycket
Feature article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2022) Tolktrycket
Feature article
Ferrara, Lindsay Nicole; Anible, Benjamin Donald; Hodge, Gabrielle; Jantunen, Tommi; Leeson, Lorraine; Mesch, Johanna. (2022) A cross-linguistic comparison of reference across five signed languages. Linguistic Typology
Academic article
McKee, Rachel; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2022) Interpreters as agents of language planning. Translation and Interpreting Studies
Academic article

2021

Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Haualand, Hilde. (2021) ‘We hope to encourage more dialogue’. NEWSLI
Popular scientific article
Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2021) Svar til Helge Edland. Døves Tidsskrift
Reader opinion piece

2020

Haualand, Hilde; Bø, Vibeke; Vonen, Arnfinn Muruvik; Hjulstad, Johan; Ringsø, Torill; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2020) Når fagfolks manglende kunnskap om språk hindrer hørselshemmede barns utviklingsmuligheter – et tilsvar til Skaug (2020). Norsk tidsskrift for logopedi
Article in business/trade/industry journal
Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Haualand, Hilde. (2020) Dövas Tidning
Popular scientific article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Haualand, Hilde. (2020) Tolktrycket
Popular scientific article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2020) From Gestuno Interpreting to International Sign Interpreting: Improved Accessibility?. Journal of Interpretation
Academic article
Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2020) Døves Tidsskrift
Popular scientific article

2019

Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2019)
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2019) Working with Active Interpreters: A Commentary about Interpreting Terminology and Concepts. International Journal of Interpreter Education
Feature article

2018

Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Raanes, Eli. (2018) Gyldendal Akademisk Gyldendal Akademisk
Academic anthology/Conference proceedings
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Gyldendal Akademisk
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Raanes, Eli; Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Gyldendal Akademisk
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Foreward. The Federation Press
Foreword
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Expressing time through space: Embodying conceptual metaphors in an L1 vs. an L2 signed language. Translation and Interpreting Studies
Academic article

2017

Ferrara, Lindsay Nicole; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2017) Describing spatial layouts as an M2 signed language learner. Sign Language and Linguistics
Academic article

2016

Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2016) Embodying metaphors: Signed language interpreters at work. Cognitive Linguistics
Academic article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2016) Interpreting from signed language into spoken language: The skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper

Journal publications

Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2022) Tolktrycket
Feature article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2022) Tolktrycket
Feature article
Ferrara, Lindsay Nicole; Anible, Benjamin Donald; Hodge, Gabrielle; Jantunen, Tommi; Leeson, Lorraine; Mesch, Johanna. (2022) A cross-linguistic comparison of reference across five signed languages. Linguistic Typology
Academic article
McKee, Rachel; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2022) Interpreters as agents of language planning. Translation and Interpreting Studies
Academic article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Haualand, Hilde. (2021) ‘We hope to encourage more dialogue’. NEWSLI
Popular scientific article
Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2021) Svar til Helge Edland. Døves Tidsskrift
Reader opinion piece
Haualand, Hilde; Bø, Vibeke; Vonen, Arnfinn Muruvik; Hjulstad, Johan; Ringsø, Torill; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2020) Når fagfolks manglende kunnskap om språk hindrer hørselshemmede barns utviklingsmuligheter – et tilsvar til Skaug (2020). Norsk tidsskrift for logopedi
Article in business/trade/industry journal
Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Haualand, Hilde. (2020) Dövas Tidning
Popular scientific article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Haualand, Hilde. (2020) Tolktrycket
Popular scientific article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2020) From Gestuno Interpreting to International Sign Interpreting: Improved Accessibility?. Journal of Interpretation
Academic article
Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2020) Døves Tidsskrift
Popular scientific article
Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2019) Working with Active Interpreters: A Commentary about Interpreting Terminology and Concepts. International Journal of Interpreter Education
Feature article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Expressing time through space: Embodying conceptual metaphors in an L1 vs. an L2 signed language. Translation and Interpreting Studies
Academic article
Ferrara, Lindsay Nicole; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2017) Describing spatial layouts as an M2 signed language learner. Sign Language and Linguistics
Academic article
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2016) Embodying metaphors: Signed language interpreters at work. Cognitive Linguistics
Academic article

Books

Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena; Raanes, Eli. (2018) Gyldendal Akademisk Gyldendal Akademisk
Academic anthology/Conference proceedings

Part of book/report

Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2023) Exploring Real Space blends as indicators of discourse complexity in Swedish Sign Language .
Chapter
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2019)
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Gyldendal Akademisk
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Raanes, Eli; Haualand, Hilde; Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Gyldendal Akademisk
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2018) Foreward. The Federation Press
Foreword
Nilsson, Anna-Lena. (2016) Interpreting from signed language into spoken language: The skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper

Teaching

Courses

Media