August 25, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to fully support awarding tenure and promotion to Dr. Keith Cagle.
Gallaudet University is well known for its undergraduate and graduate degree programs in ASL-English interpreting. As a
flagship institution, it is imperative that Gallaudet have highly qualified faculty for both ASL and Interpreting & Translation
Studies programs at the BA, MA and PhD level. Dr. Cagle is a highly qualified professor with an outstanding national
reputation who brings credibility and expertise to your department.
Dr. Cagles CV provides ample evidence that he has mastery of his subject matter, as well as knowledge of current
developments in the discipline. He is a nationally certified ASL instructor with many years of experience in teaching,
evaluation and assessment. He has served on several national boards and is a highly regarded expert in these areas. I have seen
Dr. Cagle present at national ASL and Interpreting conferences, as he is highly sought out for his expertise. I have always
found him to be extremely well prepared, engaging, well organized and knowledgeable in his presentations.
Dr. Cagles scholarship is innovative because it focuses on new or under-researched areas. His work is also noteworthy
because it not only makes a scholarly contribution but also has practical implications for interpreters, translators and educators.
As an example, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Dr. Cagle on a research project investigating the translation processes
used by Deaf translators. From this study, an article was published in the Journal of Interpretation in August, 2016. This
research was also presented at the International Critical Link Conference (Edinburgh, Scotland June 2016) and has been
accepted for presentation at the CIT conference in October, 2016.
Another notable scholarly contribution by Dr. Cagle was the co-edited volume Signed Language Interpretation and
Translation Research: Selected Papers from the First International Symposium (Gallaudet University Press, 2015). This
symposium drew international attention and acclaim, and the volume Dr. Cagle co-edited contains cutting edge research on
signed language interpretation and translation.
A third scholarly presentation I believe is worthy of note was Dr. Cagles presentation Are Some ASL Lexical Signs a Thousand
Years Old? for the Colloquium Lecture Series sponsored by The Department of Interpretation and Translation (DOIT),
Gallaudet Regional Interpreter Education Center (GURIEC), and the Center for the Advancement of Interpreting and
Translation Research (CAITR). This presentation was well received and watched not only by students, faculty and staff at
Gallaudet, but also by hundreds of people around the world who watched it online.
These recent scholarly contributions by Dr. Cagle also have another feature that speaks highly of his work. His publications are
collaborative; he has worked diligently with colleagues from Gallaudet, as well as with other nationally known scholars. All of
these contributions advance knowledge of signed language interpreting and translation, as well as promoting the production
and dissemination of research.
I fully support the recognition of Dr. Cagles work. He has proven himself to be a dedicated and active professor and scholar.
His work is of great value to the department, the institution and the future of the discipline. I highly recommend him for
promotion and tenure.
Sincerely,

Laurie A. Swabey, Ph.D.

Professor, ASL and Interpreting
Director, CATIE Center/NCIEC
Chair, ASL & Interpreting Department
laswabey@stkate.edu