Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

What Is Higher Mathematics? Why Is It So Hard To Interpret? What Can Be Done?, John Tabak

Journal of Interpretation

Courses and seminars in higher mathematics are some of the most challenging assignments faced by academic interpreters. Difficulties interpreting higher mathematics can adversely impact the academic and professional aspirations of deaf mathematics students and professionals. This paper discusses the nature of higher mathematics with the goal of identifying what distinguishes higher mathematics from other subjects; it then reviews the history of attempts to sign/interpret higher mathematics with particular attention to current challenges associated with expressing higher mathematics in sign. The final part of the paper discusses strategies for more effectively expressing higher mathematics in American Sign Language.