Sign Languages Commons^™

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. …

Editorial Commentary, Kim B. Kurz, Danielle Hunt

International Journal of Interpreter Education

No abstract provided.

Translanguaging In Court Proceedings: How Interpreter Pedagogy Needs To Address Monolingual Ideologies In Court Interpreting That Delegitimize Litigants’ Voices, Alan James Runcieman

International Journal of Interpreter Education

The majority of court proceedings are based on monolingual ideologies that assume that the court is speaking one, specific, bounded language and the litigant another. Thus, interpreting processes in this context are framed as an L-B to L-A interchange, a bridge between two linguistically and culturally discrete entities. In increasingly superdiverse societies, however, court interpreters are finding that their clients do not always respect these rigid boundaries, often engaging instead in what has become to be known as translanguaging, a form of linguistically fluid, hybrid, and often creative discourse that sources all the client’s (para)linguistic repertoires, acquired throughout their personal …

Dynamic Sight Translation: A Simultaneous Interpreting Strategies Driver, Kun Yan, Zhongwei Song

International Journal of Interpreter Education

This paper reports on eliciting anticipation strategy, a common strategy in simultaneous interpreting (SI) via sight translation (ST). A new ST variant, the dynamic type, was designed in a modular and progressive manner to facilitate the trainees’ transition into SI at the early stage of learning. The new tool was used and tested under a framework of action research that was conducted continuously over 3 years. Despite some limitations, the longitudinal study finds that the newly designed set of exercises is not only a skill development and transfer enabler but also a contributor to eliciting SI-related strategies. This article explains …

Public Service Interpreter Education In The Gulf States: Ideas For Curriculum Design And Teaching, Mustapha Taibi

International Journal of Interpreter Education

The Gulf States host large numbers of non-Arabic-speaking residents and visitors. These non-nationals need to deal with such public services as hospitals, schools, courts, and other local administrations. In many cases, English is used as a lingua franca; however, not all public service staff or clients are able to speak or communicate effectively in this language. The communication needs in such situations require the assistance of professional public service interpreters, which, in turn, calls for appropriate education. In this paper, I outline education needs in public service interpreting in the Gulf States; provide an overview of common curricular contents and …

Re-Examining “Practice” In Interpreter Education, Rachel E. Herring, Laurie Swabey, Elisabet Tiselius, Manuela Motta

International Journal of Interpreter Education

In this commentary, the authors explore “practice” in interpreter education. They outline differences in meaning and usage of the term, including the notions of “reflective practice” and “deliberate practice,” discuss the importance of high-quality skill development-focused practice (SDFP) in skill acquisition, and call for a systematic program of research into SDFP in interpreter education, particularly within the context of dialogue interpreting.

Are Two Heads Better Than One? Interpreting Students’ Moral Reasoning Skills, Robyn Dean, Vincent Samar, Daniel Maffia

International Journal of Interpreter Education

The Defining Issues Test (DIT) is an internationally used instrument that measures an individual’s moral reasoning skills—that is, how an individual explains right and just action. DIT scores are correlated with age and education, and they are also correlated with clinical performance when administered to professional practitioners. Practicing signed language interpreters’ scores, however, were not reflective of their age and education in one study, being much lower than those of practitioners from other professions. Providing communication access for individuals who do not share the same language as their service providers is grounded in social justice and equity, yet practicing interpreters’ …

Shades Of Us: The Need For Culturally Pluralistic Educational Tools And Practices In Asl-English Interpreter Education, Pamela Collins

International Journal of Interpreter Education

The aim of this paper is to detail one professor’s use of storied experience as a strategy to engage and stimulate interpreting students. It also maps out a proposed dream project intended to move students past the confines of interpreting classrooms and toward an exploration of community that spans time.

Book Review: Theorising Interpreting Studies, Rui Du, Weiwei Wang

International Journal of Interpreter Education

No abstract provided.

Exploring Healthcare Interpreting For Chinese Immigrants In New Zealand: Current Practices And Stakeholder Perspectives, Yunduan Gao

International Journal of Interpreter Education

No abstract provided.

Cai Tool-Supported Si Of Numbers: A Theoretical And Methodological Contribution, Francesca Maria Frittella

International Journal of Interpreter Education

Numbers are an area of interpreting that is particularly prone to human error. Thanks to recent advancements in automatic speech recognition (ASR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, computer-assisted interpreting (CAI) tools may soon be used to enhance delivery accuracy for numbers during simultaneous interpreting (SI).

Given the novelty of the topic, the impact of in-booth CAI tool support on the SI of numbers is still largely under-researched. First, only a few studies have addressed the topic. Second, due to a number of methodological limitations, their findings yield only a partial understanding of the issue. The present work aims to make …

International Journal Of Interpreter Education, Volume 14, Issue 1

International Journal of Interpreter Education

No abstract provided.

Adjusting To Change: Learning American Sign Language Online During A Global Pandemic, Kara Gournaris

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Second language acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) requires opportunities for engagement with native language models (Krashen, 1988). The shift to online instruction due to the impact of COVID-19 presented unique challenges for ASL programs across the United States. With little time to redesign courses, instructors and students had to navigate the experience of online learning together. The students who participated in this 2020 study at Western Oregon University (WOU) shared their raw experiences related to this transition, and unfortunately, one year later, many of the same barriers reported by students persist. The purpose of this article is to share …

Mixed Reality Prototype Device Showcase: Using Smart Glasses To Enhance Language Access, Aaron Parker, Connor Switenky, Roshan Mathew, Wendy Dannels

Frameless

While the use of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and real-time captioning significantly increases deaf individuals’ ability to participate in a wide variety of functions, there are some limitations. The major problem is that current ways of providing communication and information access to deaf people require them to split their attention between the visual focus of the specific content and the interpreter/captioning display. At any given point in time, deaf people are forced to decide what explanation to miss with subsequent effects on topic comprehension and perceptions of the interaction and environments.

Vr Sound Mapping: Make Sound Accessible For Dhh People In Virtual Reality Environments, Ziming Li, Roshan Peiris

Frameless

In-game audio plays an important role in enhancing the sense of reality and immersion in the gaming experience. In many games, sounds are also used to provide notifications and clues, which are essential to the gameplay. However, in this case, the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) players may fail to access the information conveyed by sounds, which degrades their gaming experience (Jain et al. 2021).

Vr Sound Mapping: Make Sound Accessible For Dhh People In Virtual Reality Environments, Ziming Li, Roshan Peiris

Frameless

In-game audio plays an important role in enhancing the sense of reality and immersion in the gaming experience. In many games, sounds are also used to provide notifications and clues which are essential to the gameplay. However, in this case, the DHH (deaf and hard of hearing) players may fail to access the information conveyed by sounds, which degrades their gaming experience (Jain et al. 2021).

Interview With Natasha Ofili, Monica Blizek

Journal of Religion & Film

Natasha Ofili, the star and screenwriter of The Multi, was interviewed by Monica Blizek about the process that led to the creation of the film.

Afterword: Can We Return To Martha’S Vineyard?, J. Albert Bickford

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Reverse Integration: Centering Deaf Children To Enrich Everyone, Bryan K. Eldredge

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

American Sign Language For Everyone: Considerations For Universal Design And Youth Identity, Samuel J. Supalla, Anita Small, Joanne S. Cripps

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Asl In The Academy: We Have Come A Long Way, But More Work Remains, Russell S. Rosen

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

American Sign Language And The Academy: The Little Language That Could, Brenda Jo Brueggemann

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Origins Of The American Deaf-World: Assimilating And Differentiating Societies And Their Relation To Genetic Patterning, Harlan Lane, Richard Pillard, Mary French

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Assimilating And Differentiating Societies And Their Relationship To Genetic Patterning: Does It Take A “Them” To Make An “Us”?, Judy Kegl

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

“Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language”, Nora Groce

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

The Resilience, Adaptation, And Evolution Of American Sign Language, Robert J. Hoffmeister

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Martha's Vineyard As An Inspiration, Jody Cripps

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Sasl Journal, Volume 4, Number 2 (Full Issue)

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Patterns In Eipa Test Scores And Implications For Interpreter Education, Deborah Michele Cates

Journal of Interpretation

The present study addresses existing skill gaps of sign language interpreters by analyzing a database of 1,211 scores from the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) to answer four primary questions: what patterns are there in EIPA Romans across score levels, what patterns are there in EIPA indices within Romans across score levels, which discreet language and processing skills correlate most strongly with overall EIPA scores, and how does performance on those discreet language and processing skills compare between graduates and non-graduates of interpreter training programs. Characteristics of score patterns and correlations between indices on the test are examined and discussed …