Sign Languages Commons^™

Impact And Utilization Of Asl Lab Spaces In University Settings, Nathan J. Dutra, Michele Vincent

Journal of Interpretation

American Sign Language (ASL) is a challenging yet rapidly growing language taught at both secondary and higher education levels. Despite its increasing popularity, there is limited literature on utilizing ASL labs as learning centers. This quantitative study examines the implementation of a new ASL lab at a large four-year university in California. It investigates the factors influencing participation, the motivations behind students' involvement, and their perceptions of the lab's effectiveness. Results indicate significant associations between course modality, instructor influence, and lab participation. The study suggests that ASL labs function as cultural and educational spaces that promote visibility of Deaf culture …

Toward Professionalization: Insights From Sign Language Interpreters In Vietnam, Anh P. Doan

Journal of Interpretation

This study examines how sign language interpreters in Vietnam perceive the professionalization of their field and the strategies they propose for establishing it as a recognized profession. Despite growing demand for communication access, sign language interpreting in Vietnam remains an emerging field with limited institutional infrastructure and no formal interpreter education programs. Data were collected through an online qualitative survey of 28 hearing interpreters working in sign language interpreting across Vietnam. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes in interpreters’ experiences and perspectives. Findings show that many interpreters enter the field through informal pathways such as community …

Lights, Camera… Interpretation: Navigating The Challenges Of Irish Sign Language Interpreting In Broadcast Settings, Kristina Cregan, Sarah Sheridan

Journal of Interpretation

Sign language interpreters working in broadcasted settings face added pressures due to its public nature. This research sets out to explore what the effects of being video recorded during assignments are on interpreters, and to examine how interpreters adapt to the challenges of broadcast assignments. To achieve this, an anonymous questionnaire was sent to Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreters who have experience working in broadcasted environments or being video recorded for public contexts. The questionnaire used a combination of open and closed questions to discover what the challenges are for these environments and how interpreters cope. A thematic analysis was …

The Problem With People: Signed Language Interpreter Disposition Match And Attrition, Dawn M. Wessling

Journal of Interpretation

In the United States, communication access is a legislated right for Deaf people in many settings; however, recent data suggest that the number of signed language interpreters does not meet current service demand. This multiple‑case study contributes to understanding interpreter attrition by examining how disposition mismatches between novice interpreters and more experienced co‑interpreters influence early exit from the field. Attrition among novice interpreters may exacerbate demand–supply imbalances and contribute to persistent shortages in interpreting services.

This study draws on applied and organizational psychology frameworks, specifically attraction, selection, and attrition (ASA) theory and person–organization fit (P–O fit). Using these theoretical lenses, …

Draw To Breathe, Ranran Ma

Masters Theses

This thesis explores visual expression in drawing as an intuitive mode of thinking suited to everyday life—a form of expression that runs parallel to language and surpasses it.

The project begins with a daily Post-it note drawing practice. These drawings often emerge before conscious understanding, subsequently accompanied by brief text, allowing image and word to resonate through emotion and intuition. Through the use of small-scale, portable, low-pressure materials, and with immediacy and intuitive freedom as the foundation of making, a visual language system grounded in the self develops. Through this sustained practice, I developed an instruction-based card system titled Draw …

Fragmented Foundations: Interpreter Educator Resources And Uneven Student Preparation, Kierstin S. Muroski

Journal of Interpretation

The readiness-to-work gap among graduates of signed language interpreting programs has been widely acknowledged for decades. Efforts to address the gap have primarily focused on training methods and student performance. This paper shifts the focus to interpreter educators, examining whether the inconsistencies in their awareness and use of discipline-related books may contribute to the disparate educational outcomes of students entering the workforce. Drawing on survey data from 75 interpreter educators in the United States, this study explores demographic patterns of their book awareness and usage in teaching. Results indicate that awareness and utilization of discipline-related books to support teaching are …

Against Audiepistemic Injustice: Claiming Deaf Futurity, Pamela R. Conley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation proposes a new theoretical framework: Audiepistemic Injustice (AEI). Expanding upon existing theories of epistemic injustice (EI), I identify AEI as the systemic marginalization and dismissal of deaf ways of knowing. AEI is a multidimensional phenomenon rooted in the nineteenth century, when auditory and linguistic biases became codified across education, law, and literature. This interdisciplinary study interrogates three nineteenth-century literary narratives as primary case studies to examine AEI: (1) Ivan Turgenev’s “Mumu,” (2) Guy de Maupassant’s “The Deaf Mute,” and (3) Abigail Bradley Hyde’s “The Deaf and Dumb Child: A True Narrative.” I synthesize these literary works with legal …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Transgender & Gender-Diverse Interpreter Experiences, Atlas Rideout

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Transgender and gender-diverse ASL interpreters face unique challenges in their professional lives that remain largely unexamined in interpreting research. This investigational research project addresses this gap by exploring their individual lived experiences through analysis of both anecdotal and numerical data collected via a survey. Through this survey, participants were invited to share their narratives, highlighting issues such as discrimination, self-disclosure, and gender identity within professional practice. At the time of writing, very minimal research has been done on the experiences of transgender and gender-diverse ASL interpreters. The research that has been completed has either lumped transgender individuals in with the …

Preparing To Bridge The Deaf Math Gap: Exploring Preparation Materials For Asl Interpreters In Math Education, Taylor Victor

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

The gap in performance between hearing students and their mainstreamed deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) peers who use ASL interpreters expands throughout various grade levels and is not a new issue, especially in mathematics. This delay in mathematical development has been prevalent for many decades, and it is still being determined at what level it begins and what the causes are. D/HH students' academic success is often connected to high-quality academic sign language interpreting (Jones, 2017). However, there are still many college-level American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting programs that are not focused on educational interpreting. This lack of focus …

Admission Screening Into Signed Language Interpreter Education: A Longitudinal Case Study Of Readiness, Len Roberson, Sherry Shaw, Gail D. Hughes

Journal of Interpretation

Testing applicants for admission into academic interpreting programs, whether spoken or signed, centers on the attempt to recruit and retain students who are most likely to acquire interpreting skills and successfully complete programs. Despite continual experimentation with various screening instruments and procedures in interpreter education, a definitive battery of tests to predict favorable student outcomes remains elusive to researchers, and programs are justifiably reluctant to enforce admission decisions based on screenings that have not been sufficiently evaluated for validity and reliability. This exploratory study provides an analysis of nine years of admission screening data to identify variables that might significantly …

Deaf-Centric Expression Of Biblical Language And Themes, Grace M. Tang

Senior Honors Theses

Christianity contains complicated language and concepts that many individuals can struggle to express in American Sign Language (ASL) in ways that resonate with the Deaf community. Accessibility for the Deaf extends far beyond the translation of words into signs, requiring recontextualization to fit a Deaf lens and adaptation of communication methods to match the oral tradition and Deaf culture. This qualitative study evaluates how the hearing-centered language and themes of the Bible can be effectively portrayed to Deaf audiences through comprehensive interviews with three Deaf Christian pastors and three hearing Christian interpreters. This research found that Deaf churches allow for …

Evidence For Explicitation: Working From Asl Into English, Campbell Mcdermid, Carrie Humphrey, Anita Harding

Journal of Interpretation

A study was done to examine the explicitation and compression strategies used by interpreters working from American Sign Language (ASL) into spoken English. To date, most research has focused only on their work from English into ASL. A review of the literature identified several expansion and compression strategies that interpreters and translators utilize, and these served as a model of coding the data and for triangulation. The methodology for this study was qualitative and descriptive. Twenty-two interpreters volunteered to simultaneously interpret four ASL recorded texts into spoken English, for a total of 88 target texts. The researchers identified 9 expansions …

Signed Language Interpreter Education Programs In North America: A Descriptive Study, Len Roberson, Sherry Shaw

Journal of Interpretation

The objective of this study is to provide interpreter education faculty, university administrators, accrediting bodies, stakeholders, interpreters, and students (current or prospective) a descriptive snapshot-in-time of interpreter education curriculum and programs in North America. This study expands upon work done in the late 1987-1990 and 2007-2009 to capture a descriptive snapshot-in-time of the preparation of signed language interpreters. Researchers anticipated learning how programs align their curricula with CCIE accreditation standards (whether they are accredited or not), how two- and four-year programs (including Canada) allocate faculty time and resources, and how student characteristics and support systems differ among programs. This study …

The Impact Of The First Language Transfer On English Language Syntax For Arab Esl Students At Private Language Center In Mid-Size University Town, Mohammed A. S. Abdalhadi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the Impact of the First Language Transfer on English Language Syntax for Arab ESL Students at Private Language Center in Mid-Size University Town. The research population was 12 participants from Spring International Language Center through Intensive English Program and 7 participants from Adult Education center. The writing samples and interview were the main two instruments to analyze the data. I used constructive Analysis (CA), Error Analysis (EA), and coding to analyze the writing samples and the interview. The study focused on the syntax transfer between Arabic L1 and English L2, so Adjective/noun order, Subject/verb order, Number/numbered order, …

Irish Sign Language Interpreter Workplace Wellness During Covid-19: Looking Back And Moving Forward, Sarah Sheridan, Joanne O'Donnell

Journal of Interpretation

This study aims to provide insights into the impact of COVID-19 on the Irish Sign Language Interpreting profession in regards workplace wellbeing and occupational health. A two-staged mixed method data collection took place in the form of an anonymous online survey followed by focus groups. This captured work practices throughout the pandemic, the impact it had on Ssign Language Interpreters (SLIs), as well as mechanisms employed regarding wellness and self-care. The results reveal many issues impacting SLIs in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic, including drastic decreases in workload, and a forced transition into an online environment. The sudden shift to …

Tied Together, Eiko Nishida

Theses and Dissertations

The paper is about a site-specific installation that questions a viewer’s norms and perspectives, through the use of multilingual newspapers as a sculptural material.

Novice Interpreters, American Sign Language Proficiency, And The National Interpreter Certification Performance Exam, Laurie Swabey, Andrea M. Olson, Aimee M. Sever-Hall, Keith Gamache

Journal of Interpretation

More than 40 years after American Sign Language (ASL) and interpreter education were first offered as programs of study in higher education, little is known about the level of ASL proficiency of graduates from baccalaureate degree programs in interpreting and what level of ASL proficiency may be associated with passing the performance portion of the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) examination. With this in mind, we posed three questions: 1) What is the distribution of ASL Proficiency Interview (ASLPI) ratings of a national sample of novice interpreters relatively near the time of graduation from baccalaureate degree programs in interpreting? 2) What …

Resiliency: Experiences Of African American/Black Sign Language Interpreters., Jordan Satchell, Campbell Mcdermid, Lindsey Totten, Anna Yarborough

Journal of Interpretation

There is a growing body of literature on the experiences of African American/Black sign language interpreters (Carpenter, 2017; West Oyedele, 2015), but still many challenges faced by this community in the field. For example, many experience isolation in their interpreter education programs and later in the field, and they described the programs they attended as White-centric and oppressive (Carpenter, 2017; Cokey & Schafer, 2016; West Oyedele, 2015). To understand their experiences better, a qualitative study was conducted which involved interviewing ten African American/Black interpreters. The findings indicated many barriers in the field, including racism and discrimination in systems of networking. …

Demonstratives In Nsélišcn ‘Montana Salish’, Aspen A. Decker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the Nsélišcn ‘Montana Salish’ demonstrative system. I propose that there are three features encoded in the demonstratives that I examined in this thesis: (i) proximity of the speaker in relation to the referent, (ii) common ground between the speaker and addressee, and (iii) visibility of the referent. I further propose that the Nsélišcn demonstrative system distinguishes three degrees of proximity: proximal, medial, and distal. Nsélišcn is a member of the Southern Interior branch of the Salishan language family. The data analyzed in this thesis was collected from native Nsélišcn speakers.

From Interpreting Student To Deaf Interpreter: A Case Study Of Vocational Identity Development, Margie English, Brenda Nicodemus, Danielle I. J. Hunt, Stephan Kennedy, Mckenna Mcgough

Journal of Interpretation

Research indicates that the development of a vocational identity is critical to the process of adult maturation and for creating a sense of purpose in one’s life. Deaf individuals in the United States are increasingly interested in establishing a vocation in signed language interpreting, despite workplace obstacles experienced by other oppressed and marginalized populations. Career identity has been examined in several professions, but little is known about the factors underlying the vocational identity development of Deaf interpreters. To address this gap, the researchers adopted a case study approach to explore the experiences of two Deaf students during their first semester …

Gendered Translations: Working From Asl Into English, Campbell Mcdermid, Brianna Bricker, Andrea Shealy, Abigail Copen

Journal of Interpretation

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-spatial language that differs from spoken language, such as English. One way is in the use and characteristics of pronouns (Meier, 1990). Pronouns in ASL, for example, are created by pointing to objects or locations in space (written in English here as POINT), and do not have a gender assigned to them as they do in English (he, she, him, her). So, where it is not specified in ASL, interpreters must decide how to interpret pronouns into English. Limited research has been done on this topic (Quinto-Pozos et al., 2015), and so a study …

American Sign Language Interpreting For D/Deaf Individuals With Disabilities: A Qualitative Study And Practical Guide, Emily Mason

Senior Honors Theses

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting for d/Deaf individuals with disabilities (DWD) is a complex task, and one which lacks an adequate research-base to inform best practices. Using the foundation of existing literature on closely related topics such as the field of ASL interpreting, educational interpreting, education of DWD individuals, and research about specific disabilities occurring with d/Deafness, I compiled a literature review and created a theoretical conceptual framework concerning this topic. In further investigation of this subject, I also conducted a qualitative study through online questionnaires sent out by email to ASL interpreters located through snowball sampling. The data collected …

Social Isolation, Anxiety, And Stress Among Vrs/Vri Sign Language Interpreters During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kolten Schnack

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in increased Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) and increased remote working for interpreters who work in Video Relay Services (VRS) as many have received temporary permission to work from home rather than a central call center. While certain occupational health risks such as stress and burnout for sign language interpreters who work in VRS have been studied, no one has studied general mental health among VRS sign language interpreters under the current pandemic (Dean et al., 2010; Schwenke, 2015; Wessling & Shaw, 2014). This study aimed to collect data on sign language interpreters’ experiences of social …

From Gestuno Interpreting To International Sign Interpreting: Improved Accessibility?, Anna-Lena Nilsson

Journal of Interpretation

In order to shape the future of our profession, I believe it is necessary for us to also take a critical look at both past and present practices. With that goal in mind, this commentary presents a case study of the sign language interpreting services provided at the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) Congresses held between 1983 and 2019.

During the 1980s and 1990s we witnessed both the professionalization of signed language interpreting at international conferences, and improved accessibility for official delegates of various National Associations of the Deaf (NADs) as well as for other participants. Increasing numbers of …

Forced Transitions: Learning Asl In A Virtual Environment, Kara Gournaris

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Engagement with native language models is essential for second language acquisition. Social distancing mandates made this interaction nearly impossible for students learning American Sign Language (ASL), at a small rural university in western Oregon. COVID-19 brought with it many challenges, not the least of which was a hurried transition from face-to-face to online learning. The author found that some courses degraded in content and instruction when shifting to an online platform. Without access to community events where native language models were present, ASL students had less opportunities for incidental learning, legitimate peripheral participation, and connection within Deaf communities of practice.

Deaf Translators: What Are They Thinking?, Janis Cole Ms.

Journal of Interpretation

The examination of work performed by Deaf translators in creating translations between written texts and signed languages is an emerging area of inquiry in Translation Studies. Deaf people have been performing ad hoc translations within their community for hundreds of years (Adam, Carty & Stone, 2011; Bartley & Stone, 2008). More recently, Deaf translators have begun to work as paid professionals, creating a new subfield of Translation Studies, one that, to date, is largely unexplored. Using qualitative data, this pilot study examines the thought processes of two Deaf individuals in the rendering of an academic text from written English into …

Pronouns In Asl-English Simultaneous Interpretation, David Quinto-Pozos, Kierstin Muroski, Emily Saunders

Journal of Interpretation

Pronominal systems across languages mark grammatical categories in different ways, and this can pose challenges for simultaneous interpretation. Pronouns can also be ambiguous, for example, by collapsing distinctions in some forms or by resembling demonstratives. We examine pronouns produced by a Deaf signer of American Sign Language (ASL) within a TEDx talk and how they are interpreted (simultaneously) by an ASL-English interpreter. Pronouns from both languages were coded and scrutinized for semantic correspondence across the two languages. Robust correspondences were found with some personal pronouns, especially first-person forms. However, mismatches across languages, in particular third-person forms and demonstratives, provide evidence …

Student Interpreters Show Encoding And Recall Differences For Information In English And American Sign Language, Jesse R. James, Kara I. Gabriel

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

This study investigated whether student interpreters encode and recall words differently in signed and spoken languages. Participants viewed and then recalled word lists, half of which were related through specific encoding strategies (i.e., experimental lists), and half of which lacked the availability of those strategies (i.e., control lists). Total words recalled and the temporal recall order were compared across experimental and control lists. Student interpreters utilised different strategies to remember words in English and American Sign Language (ASL), suggesting that student interpreters do not default to first-language (English) spoken strategies when encoding second-language (ASL) signed lists. However, the total number …

Increasing Staff Use Of Sign Language, Melanie Hepworth Neville

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of two procedures, a visual cue and performance posting, to modify the use of sign language by psychiatric technicians. The visual cue was first introduced alone, then paired with performance posting to encourage staff use of sign language with the developmentally disabled children in their charge. Application of the visual cue alone produced little change in staff sign useage. The visual cue plus performance posting condition increased staff use of sign language during mealtimes. Four weeks of follow-up data indicated that the use of sign language remained at a level well above baseline.