Translation and Interpreting Studies. The Journal of the American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association - Volume 13, Issue 1, 2018

This study describes how temporal discourse content is expressed in signing space in Swedish Sign Language (SSL) and identifies and describes the differences between L1- and L2-interpreters’ signed target language output. The study found that L1-interpreters systematically use complex simultaneous combinations of lexical signs and various hand, arm and body movements on and along time lines. The L2-interpreters stand more still, and their use of body movements differs from that of the L1-interpreters. Though the L2-interpreters in the study often succeed in showing that two or more entities/events are separate, they are less successful in showing the more specific, temporal and/or other, relationship(s) between them. This crucial aspect of idiomatic signed language production, therefore, should be included in interpreter training to improve the quality of interpreted target language output.

Interpreting requires a nuanced understanding of language, and Wilcox and Shaffer (2005) propose that interpreting is enhanced by adopting a cognitive model of communication rather than the conduit model implicit in many interpreting pedagogy models. The present study used a cognitive linguistic approach to investigate affective constructions in American Sign Language (ASL). Relative cognitive linguistic principles are reviewed in the context of English affective constructions and applied in reporting the ASL findings. Then the article explores how these theoretical concepts can support meaning-transfer work. Specifically, Langacker’s Stage Model ( 2008 ) is expanded as a framework for comparing source and target text construals of events and for presenting a message with equivalent impact through different language-specific strategies.

Humans have the unique capability of using language to talk about language ( Jakobson 1957 ). For example, one can say, “The Italian word for dog is cane.” These metalinguistic references can create a dilemma for interpreters because the critical linguistic term (i.e., cane) must be maintained in the target language to create meaning. Spoken language interpreters can render the original form since both working languages are expressed in the same modality (speech-speech). However, signed language interpreters who work between languages having distinct modalities (speech-sign), thus, must interpret forms between different phonological structures. We videorecorded ten experienced American Sign Language-English interpreters as they interpreted a mock training session containing metalinguistic references. Results showed interpreters employed numerous strategies to manage and coordinate the target language output.

This study investigates the ways in which trilingual (American Sign Language, English, and Spanish) interpreters pronounce names that commonly appear with either English or Spanish phonology. Twenty trilingual interpreters interpreted an ASL mock videophone call into English of a Deaf caller attempting to leave a message for the Social Security Administration. Results suggest that self-reported strategies for pronouncing Spanish-influenced names generally do not align with observed behavior. Instead, a relationship was noted between reported language proficiency and pronunciation; their dominant language influenced their pronunciations. Those interpreters who report a “balanced proficiency,” however, patterned differently. The results are contextualized using Gile’s Sequential Model of translation and Effort Model of simultaneous interpreting.

The initial paradigm of Video Relay Service (VRS) in the United States viewed interpreters as merely conduits for telephone communication; however, this paradigm has begun to shift. Recent research suggests that VRS interpreters are actively involved in coordinating interpreted interaction ( Marks 2015 ; Warnicke and Plejert 2012 , 2016 ). This study aims add to the body of VRS research by analyzing features of turn management in ASL-English video relay interpreted calls. These features of turn management are grouped into two categories: techniques and strategies. Techniques denote acts that are performed in addition to the rendition, and strategies refer to instances of turn management that are embedded within renditions. Results show that VRS interpreters employ a variety of turn management techniques and strategies, especially in cases of overlapping talk between Deaf and hearing callers. The findings presented are relevant to the shifting paradigm of VRS interpreter work and training.

We report here on strategies used in the art of literary translation between ASL and English through the self-reflections of three ASL-English “translators” as they grapple with the varying degrees of translator visibility that push them beyond the traditional expectations of faceless translators into becoming performers of the translated texts. During translation, their faces, hands, and/or voices embody the text, becoming an integral part of the piece, which adds layers of complexity to the ways we think about the translator’s role and the process of translation. We hope that our reflections will challenge prevailing notions about creating, performing, and translating ASL literature, as well as raise questions about recasting the role of the translator and the body in sign language translation.

This article investigates the roles that text modalities play in translation from written text into recorded signed language. While written literacy practices have a long history, practices involving recorded signed texts are only beginning to develop. In addition, the specific characteristics of source and target modes offer different potentials and limitations, causing challenges for translation between written and signed language. Drawing on an ideological model of literacy and a social-semiotic multimodality approach, this article presents findings of a qualitative case study analyzing one practitioner’s strategies translating an academic text from written English into British Sign Language. Data generated through interviews and text analysis reveal an event influenced by the affordances of the media and the translator’s consideration of source and target literacy practices.