Metaglossia: The Translation World

As a sign language interpreting student about eighteen years ago, I was told that the term client was falling out of use in our profession. If only that dream had come true by now. Sadly, the word is still far too commonly used.

A SIGN language interpreter from Astley is running the London Marathon to raise at least £2,000 for a deaf children’s charity.

The new Ice Age Blu-ray contains a special picture-in-picture sign language track for hearing-impaired children.

As an Interpreter Educator, I like to use real-life scenarios in my classroom, where one of the courses I teach is Professional Ethics for Interpreters. This one is an excellent teaching tool on what effect self-interest—even at the higher...

Sign language that African Americans use is different in some respects from that of whites.

Carolyn McCaskill remembers exactly when she discovered that she couldn’t understand white people. It was 1968, she was 15 years old, and she and nine other deaf black students had just enrolled in an integrated school for the deaf in Talledega, Ala.

When the teacher got up to address the class, McCaskill was lost.

News: Sign-language students to join performance of SCHS play | sign, language, school, students, class, play, town, high, thursday, schs...

When ASL interpreter Lydia Callis joined the stage with the NYC Mayor for a Sandy update, she didn't know she'd leave it as a social media star.

Ecuador presenta su primer diccionario de señas para personas sordas
El Gobierno de Ecuador presentó su primer diccionario de señas, dirigido a personas con discapacidad auditiva y para fortalecer el sistema educativo para ese colectivo.

El vicepresidente ecuatoriano, Lenin Moreno, que presidió la ceremonia de presentación del nuevo texto, aseguró que el diccionario pretende equiparar la condición de las personas sordas, con el fin de que tengan igualdad de oportunidades.

«Así como hay una lengua castellana, inglesa o china, también hay una lengua de señas. Tiene tanta riqueza en matices y emociones como cualquier otra y además posee sus modismos locales», afirmó Moreno.

El Diccionario Oficial de Lenguas de Señas fue elaborado en cooperación con la Federación Nacional de Personas Sordas de Ecuador, el Ministerio de Educación y la Agencia de Cooperación de Estados Unidos (Usaid).

El vicepresidente ecuatoriano lleva adelante varios programas de atención a personas con discapacidad en su país, una estrategia elogiada a nivel internacional y que ha sido replicada en varios países de América Latina.

Uno de eso programas, «Manuela Espejo», el nombre de una prócer independentista del país, hasta el momento ha atendido a 337.781 personas con discapacidad auditiva, señaló Moreno.

Asimismo, dijo que el programa ha dado prioridad a niños y que se han implementado 874 servicios audiológicos y 30 centros de rehabilitación de lenguaje en la red nacional de salud pública.

Las personas sordas en el país, y las personas oyentes, tienen ahora un nuevo elemento didáctico que permitirá mejorar la comunicación entre ambos grupos. Con esto se espera superar las barreras que generan distanciamiento entre ambos grupos.

Fecha de Publicación: 2012-10-20 00:00

Por primera vez, Ecuador reconoce a las señas como una lengua. Luego de un trabajo de dos años entre entidades como la Federación Nacional de Personas Sordas del Ecuador, Fenasec; UDAIS, del Pueblo de los Estados de América, el Ministerio de Educación, entre otras, se logró unificar las señas que utilizan las personas sordas en Ecuador para comunicarse, pues estas señas no son universales y en el país se caracterizan por ser muy expresivas a través del cuerpo, explicó Silvana Moreno, representante de Fenasec.

Así, luego de unificar las señas, se publica el primer Diccionario Oficial de Lengua de Señas Ecuatoriana, que se presentó ayer en el Salón de la Ciudad.

Este trabajo está conformado por dos ejemplares a color, que cuentan con más de 4.000 señas, además de la explicación de cada una.
También incluye tres guías y un disco interactivo en el que se puede consultar qué señas se utilizan para nombrar cada cosa, lo que facilita la comprensión de señas, en personas oyentes.

Este diccionario se repartirá sin costo en las provincias del país, se puede obtener en las diferentes federaciones de personas sordas.
Los diccionarios no se entregarán a personas de forma individual, serán entregados únicamente a entidades, fundaciones o establecimientos educativos que los requieran como material didáctico.

El anunciado diccionario oficial ecuatoriano de lengua de señas ecuatoriana llega al país con un detalle peculiar: de los más de 50 presidentes que ha tenido Ecuador, solamente tres cuentan con una seña única y exclusiva para ellos: Gabriel García Moreno, Eloy Alfaro y Rafael Correa. También tienen una el vicepresidente, Lenín Moreno, quien aparece junto a Correa y a Simón Bolívar. Entre ellos, también están personajes como Rumiñahui y Cristobal Colón.
Este texto será la base para que exista un leguaje común para la comunicación de los sordos ecuatorianos, y será utilizado también en instituciones públicas.
Las críticas por este detalle, sin embargo, no se hicieron esperar. “Es una injusticia pavorosa”, dijo tajante el secretario general de la Academia Nacional de Historia, Francisco Salazar, debido a que hay otras personas que son dignas de representar por sus méritos, pero que no han sido tomadas en cuenta.
Según el experto, existe una parcialización en el diccionario, donde persisten actitudes de división de Correa. “Los méritos no se conquistan con discursos, sino con acciones”, recalcó, haciendo referencia al Presidente. “Se deben crear los honores para quienes los merezcan”, añadió.
También considera necesario diferenciar la gestión de Correa y la de Moreno, ya que el primero es “injurioso con quien no piensa como él”, mientras que el segundo, “ha cumplido con el mandato de servicio social”.
El diccionario, en cuya pasta asoman los sellos de la Vicepresidencia de la República y del Ministerio de Educación, tiene dos tomos, con 4.363 señas, un CD interactivo y guías informativas. Las palabras tienen sus significados, gráficos y sinónimos. En los anexos, luego de los nombres de las provincias y sus capitales, están los ‘personajes importantes’, que se reducen a 14 en toda la historia, entre ellos los nombres ya citados.

Sign language interpreters come to the profession from a variety of avenues; each possessing a range of life experience that makes their daily work distinct. Though the work from interpreter to interpreter is unique, it occurs to me that there are 4 primary preoccupations shared by qualified practitioners.

Some might consider them obsessions, the non-clinical type of course.

Whether obsessions or preoccupations, qualified sign language interpreters are driven to excellence in their work by 4 dominating thoughts:

1) Cohesion: It is the role of a sign language interpreter to unite the parties participating in the communication by proactively considering and responding to the specific needs of their consumers, team interpreters, and meeting/event participants and organizers.

The qualified practitioner has fervor for cohesion because they fundamentally understand that a stellar individual performance does not necessarily equate to a job well done. Further, that it is the success of all parties to the communication that ultimately determines if an interpreter has been effective.

2) Professionalism: It is the duty of a sign language interpreter to ensure they are familiar with both current developments and best practices within the field.

The qualified interpreter is passionate about professionalism because they understand that it is more than a state of mind or verbal declaration. They understand that it is the active pursuit of excellence; one that requires an interpreter to be informed and engaged within the profession and to uphold the social agreements that allow them to do their best work.

3) Accountability: It is the ethical obligation of a sign language interpreter to own, in real-time where possible, the inaccuracies found in their work.

The qualified practitioner is resolute in their view that the fear of being viewed to possess an inferior skill-set or to not be invited back to an assignment is insufficient reason to compromise the trust needed to do their work. They summarily avoid this temptation and accept that their best work is not error free and compensate accordingly.

4) Connectedness: It is the responsibility of a sign language interpreter to recognize that they are part of a larger system of stakeholders.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Gallaudet University's chief diversity officer said Tuesday she believes she should be reinstated to her job after university leadership put her on administrative leave for signing a petition to put same-sex marriage on the ballot for voters to decide in November.

Angela McCaskill, speaking publicly for the first time after she was put on leave last week, sharply criticized the administration of the nation's leading university for the deaf and hard of hearing for placing her on leave, simply for exercising her rights as a citizen.

"I think that the university has allowed this issue to escalate out of control and it could have been handled much differently," McCaskill said through an interpreter using sign language. "They have allowed misinformation to be circulated throughout the campus community. They have attempted to intimidate me. They have tarnished my reputation and my 24 years of service."

Gallaudet University President T. Allan Hurwitz said in a statement Tuesday that the university wants to work with McCaskill and that he believes a resolution can be reached that would enable McCaskill to continue in her job.

"Because of her position at Gallaudet as our chief diversity officer, many individuals at our university were understandably concerned and confused by her action," Hurwitz said in the statement.

"Dr. McCaskill has been, and can continue to be, a valued member of this community and we are very much interested in working with everyone to come to a shared understanding in an environment that allows the community to rebound and move forward."

Consider career with sign language

Published on Friday 12 October 2012 14:05

A interpreter who learned to sign with a Durham-based charity is encouraging more people to think about signing as a career.

Bibi Lacey-Davidson has interpreted live performances of Beauty And The Beast and for international music acts at Glastonbury since she completed her training.

The 26-year-old, who started learning sign language as a teenager, is hoping that by sharing her experiences it will inspire others to realise the potential career opportunities that British Sign Language (BSL) can present.

Bibi was training to lead children's workshops at the age of 15 when she received her first taste of BSL from Signature, a national charity which teaches people how to sign and interpret.

Bibi, from Tower Bridge, in London, said: "Two deaf children joined our group so we decided some of us should learn BSL so we could easily communicate with them. BSL is such a visual language and I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed completing my Level 1 qualification so I decided to carry on my training."

She worked through qualifications with Signature, which was set up in 1982, and achieved Level 6 in both BSL and interpreting.

Bibi said: "I really enjoyed all of my courses. Naturally as I progressed the courses became much harder and more involved, but the support I received from my teachers and the people I met within the deaf community was fantastic, as well as peer support from other students and colleagues."

Sign language users drop politically incorrect signs
Britain’s deaf community has dropped politically incorrect signs to refer to groups such as gay people, Jews and the Chinese, a study has found.
By Rosa Silverman6:02PM BST 08 Oct 2012
The first UK-wide survey into how different generations use British sign language (BSL) shows signs such as the flick of a limp wrist to signify a homosexual have fallen out of favour.
Instead, signers now indicate a gay person with an upright thumb on one hand in the palm of the other, wobbling from side to side.
Miming a hook nose to refer to Jewish people is also now deemed unacceptable by signers, who have replaced the old sign with one involving a hand resting against a chin and making a short movement down, in the shape of a beard.
Pointing to an imaginary spot in the middle of one’s forehead to signify India has meanwhile been replaced by a mime of the triangular shape of the subcontinent.

Signs of the times: deaf community minds its language
First major study of how British sign language has evolved shows younger users are more reluctant to use 'offensive' signs

Amelia Hill
The Guardian, Sunday 7 October 2012 15.43 BST

The letter 'A' fingerspelled in British sign language. Younger BSL users are less likely to draw attention to the eyes when describing something Chinese. Photograph: David Levene
Political correctness has caught up with Britain's deaf community. It is no longer acceptable to sign a slanted eye when talking about the Chinese or to mime a hook nose when referring to Jewish people. The flick of a limp wrist is now an offensive signal for homosexuals. A finger pointing to an imaginary spot in the middle of a forehead is no longer appropriate as the sign for India.

The first UK-wide survey into how British sign language (BSL) is used by deaf people of different ages has found a seismic shift has taken place in the signs used by different generations.

For deaf people aged between 16 and 30, the only culturally sensitive way to indicate China is to draw the right hand from the signer's heart horizontally across their chest, then down towards the hip, indicating the shape of a Mao jacket.

Their sign for a Jewish man or woman is a hand resting against the chin and making a short movement down, in the shape of a beard. A gay person is indicated with an upright thumb on one hand in the palm of the other, wobbling from side to side. India is

Lithuania has launched a unique project for people with hearing disabilities that will facilitate their interaction with others.

From now on, sign language interpretation services will be provided remotely using online chat applications and video calls through mobile phones. Such services have not been provided so far; the project is first of this kind, Lithuania's Ministry of Social Security and Labour reports.

This project will be implemented by Lintel, the winner of the tender announced by Kaunas County Sign Language Interpreters Centre. Lintel Contact Centre, situated in Kaunas, is equipped with five workstations where sign language professionals will help hard of hearing people to more easily find necessary information and use public and social services.

Signed Language Translation Progress in the Americas
October 4, 2012 by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA

By Angela Nelson

Did you know that Deaf people need an entirely different Bible translation than the hearing people around them in order to best understand and relate to God’s Word? People often think that a Deaf person is able to read and understand something written in whatever language is being spoken around them. But signed languages follow a completely different structure and thought process, using visual concepts to convey meaning instead of words. This means that Scripture translations for the Deaf are usually in the form of videos of someone signing. Without a translation in their own language, Deaf people often grow up never understanding the Gospel, even if the hearing people around them have known their whole lives.

With nearly four hundred unique signed languages in the world, the majority of them still wait to be translated. But the good news is that there are teams working in some of these languages all over the world.

Here’s a report from work in three countries in the Americas.

ARGENTINA
Tamara, a Deaf student, recently said to one of the translation team members, “Do you remember the Bible DVD that you gave me? I gave it to my boyfriend and he watched it with his friends. They saw all the stories, and at the end of the DVD, my boyfriend and all of his friends accepted Christ as their Savior.”

The team also recently received a call from a ministry, saying, “We know that you have portions of the Bible translated into Argentine Sign Language on DVD, and we have Deaf people attending our churches for the first time. We’ve informed them about this DVD and they are anxiously waiting to see the Word of God in their own language. How can we get a DVD for each of them?”

Crystal Porter hopes to make Deaf Awareness Week more eventful next September.The last full week in September is an opportunity for people like Porter, a certified sign language interpreter, to raise awareness about hearing disabilities and also to empower those who deal with deafness.

Porter, who can hear, interprets for five students at Allie Ward Elementary School.

Next fall, she plans to devote each day of Deaf Awareness Week to a different concept about deafness, from technological support for the hearing-impaired to social courtesies to keep in mind when communicating with a deaf person.

Porter teaches sign language classes every Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ward. Last Monday, Porter told her class of 11 adults that the Abilene community needs to be informed about the city's deaf population. She wants to break stereotypes that limit people with hearin.......

Facial expressions and posture can say a lot about what a person is thinking or feeling. One Harvard Business School professor, however, says that body language is more powerful than that--it may even change how you see and feel about yourself, particularly in the workplace.

We're all familiar with how a leader looks--he or she typically stands tall and straight rather than hunched over and small. According to Life Inc., Amy Cuddy, a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School, refers to that kind of posture as "power posing" and says that it can actually make you more powerful and successful.

"...[W]e make sweeping judgments and inferences from body language. And those judgments can predict really meaningful life outcomes like who we hire or promote, who we ask out on a date," said Cuddy at a TED conference.

In an interview with Inc., Cuddy explained that she observed a gender grade gap among her MBA students where men tended to participate more and, therefore, outperform women. One thing she noticed was that male and female students had very different postures--women usually had their legs crossed or ankles wrapped. Men, on the other hand, were more spread out, with their arms open or draped over the seat next to them. Cuddy hypothesized that forcing students to carry themselves more confidently would give them a sense of power, which in turn would make them more successful inside and outside the classroom.

Note: Though the term "deaf and hard of hearing" is more inclusive, the word "deaf" will be used through most of this article for brevity's sake.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing listen with their eyes. They see little smirks that others might not notice, and body language that sends negative messages. That's one reason why the people charged with linking the non-hearing and hearing worlds — American Sign Language interpreters — need to know much more than how to translate sign language into speech.

Just imagine going to a doctor's office for an invasive procedure, and needing to bring along a third party who must remain in the room. It's a communication triangle fraught with tension and possibilities for ruffled feelings. Making such an awkward situation work out well for the doctor and the patient is the interpreter's job. Doing it well calls for tact and compassion, as well as expert signing skills.

Ads by Google CaLabo Language Lab - Fully Digital Language Lab System Superb sound quality. Made-in-Japan - www.chieru.com That is exactly what computing scientists at Technabling Ltd, a spin-off company of the University of Aberdeen, are working towards, as those attending a free public talk taking place in the city next Wednesday (October 10) will learn. The software application being developed by is the first of its kind in the world which can be used on portable devices and allows users to customise sign language to their own specific needs. The technology has the potential to transform how sign language users communicate, whether they are profoundly deaf or have lost hearing in later life. A dedicated team at Technabling, which is composed of software engineers and British Sign Language users, are behind the technology which aims to bridge the gap between sign language and more standard forms of communication. One of its main focuses is to help young deaf people gain employment opportunities. Dr Ernesto Compatangelo, who is also a founder of Technabling, said: "The aim of the technology known as the Portable Sign language Translator (PSLT) is to empower sign language users by enabling them to overcome communication challenges through portable technology. "The user signs into a standard camera integrated into a laptop, netbook, Smartphone or other portable device such as a tablet.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-portable-language-traslator-automated-text.html#jCp

Sign Language Interpreters: The Unintended Victims of VRS Regulation Change
Karen Kozlowski Graham | October 1, 2012 | 1 Comment

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About a year ago the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) implemented new rules regarding the structure and practices of Video Relay Services (VRS). A year later we ask: Is the VRS industry a better place for having implemented the new regulations?

What Did it Achieve?

The intent of the rule was to root out fraud and make VRS a more manageable industry for the federal government. Did their action lessen the probability of VRS companies acting in a fraudulent manner? Most importantly, are Deaf people receiving better service now than they were a year ago? How did the great VRS shake-up shake out?

My VRS Story

I co-owned a company that rode on the VRS train virtually since its inception, SignOn: A Sign Language Interpreter Resource, based in Seattle. We started out, as many things do in Seattle, with lots of collaboration, good intentions, and smudging with sage.

VRS played an important part in companies like ours because the volume of income gave us the opportunity to become a traditional workplace.

Our early endeavor with a VRS center and our community interpreting program allowed our sign language interpreters to work alternatively in the community or on a video platform; they’d get full- or part-time status complete with benefits, paid time off, and a 401K option. All that without having to track down payments from customers, find and schedule jobs for themselves, or worry about vacation time.

For more than 20 years, Alicia Martin has worked to help students get the most out of their education.

Martin is the head sign language interpreter and the associate director of OU’s Disability Resource Center. Each semester, she works with students to make sure they have equal access to information in their classes despite disabilities.

There are currently eight students on campus who have interpreters or real-time transcriptionists, said Suzette Dyer, director of Disability Resource Center.

Martin said the most gratifying thing about her job is being able to watch students succeed.

“The ultimate [reward] is to see students graduate and succeed in what they love,” Martin said.

Martin started studying sign language when she was 13 years old. She enrolled in a class out of curiosity, she said.

That curiosity manifested into something much more.

By her second semester of college, Martin already was interpreting for 20 students.

Interpreting turned into a career for Martin, who served as an independent contractor at OU for 15 years before she was hired as a full staff member eight years ago. Martin was promoted to her current position as associate director four years ago.

Martin currently works with three students on campus. Her days are spent either in the classroom or working to coordinate resources for other registered students.

The relationships she has with students are very professional, Martin said, but former students frequently reach out to her after graduation to update her on their accomplishments — which she finds very fulfilling.

Special education junior Amy Galoob said it is very easy to communicate and connect with interpreters like Martin. Galoob is one of the eight students registered with Disabilities Research Center as deaf or hearing impaired.

The topic of the conference is civility conference for American Sign Language Interpreter Educators at the Robert G. Sanderson Center of the Deaf in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 28, 2012.

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

A symposium on leadership and civility seeks to smooth interactions between American Sign Language interpreters and their hearing and deaf clients, and to increase civility in the ASL interpreter industry and beyond.
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Note: Though the term "deaf and hard of hearing" is more inclusive, the word "deaf" will be used through most of this article for brevity's sake.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing listen with their eyes. They see little smirks that others might not notice, and body language that sends negative messages. That's one reason why the people charged with linking the non-hearing and hearing worlds — American Sign Language interpreters — need to know much more than how to translate sign language into speech.

Just imagine going to a doctor's office for an invasive procedure, and needing to bring along a third party who must remain in the room. It's a communication triangle fraught with tension and possibilities for ruffled feelings. Making such an awkward situation work out well for the doctor and the patient is the interpreter's job. Doing it well calls for tact and compassion, as well as expert signing skills.

Smoothing interactions

Civility is a hot topic throughout today's business world, and is as pertinent to the interpreting profession as any other, said Carolyn Ball, director of Salt Lake City's VRS Interpreting Institute. Ball conducted a symposium on civility and leadership for educators who train ASL interpreters in Salt Lake City this weekend.

"If you are a freelance interpreter, you work for yourself," Ball said. "Without being a civil person with good business skills, people are not going to ask you to come back and work again. I've got to be that person who is very civil, very good to others, so I can get asked to work again."