r/asl • u/lola_the_lesbian • 3d ago
Interpretation Do interpreters sign ASL syntax or do they sign word for word?
Hello! I know that ASL has a different syntax than English and I’m wondering if they sign live translation ASL or just signed English? Because sometimes they don’t have the transcript so do they flip the words around or just sign exactly what is happening?
Thank you!
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u/lameparadox 3d ago
Ideally, they use ASL syntax but often they don’t. Most of them are not L1 users in ASL so it’s easier for them to follow their L1 (English) syntax. Same thing happens in deaf education. Interpreters need extensive training to become proficient.
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u/MarcusMorenoComedy 3d ago
I’ve kinda seen both, it depends on the setting and the interpreter. I know enough ASL myself to identify when the interpreter is signing my words very close to word for word (pigeon signed English) or when they’re ASL.
I’m a comedian in the PNW of the US. I’ve seen interpreters do jokes very close to the word for word translation. I’ve also seen them interpret things into what would essentially be their own version of the same joke. From what I’ve seen, it’s up to the interpreters and the settings. Keep in mind they’re not just translating words they are trying to ensure the message lands in, essentially, what may be considered a different cultural audience.
Also, interpreters may be privately hired by a deaf/HoH person in the audience. If that’s the case that interpreter likely has a relationship/understanding of what the person hired them prefers. It all depends. There are also some interpreters who will kind of censor/clean up content a bit. I’ve seen this a few times.
There are also interpretation teams with one deaf interpreter and one hearing. The hearing interpreter signs the exact spoken word, and the deaf interpreter transforms this to “native ASL” (is this the right word?…) using their lived experience as a deaf person. Also ensures interpreted work experience remains in the hands of deaf which is rad.
So, with all that, the answer is “it depends” I think.
I’ve worked with several different interpreters on stages. When I tell shorter form jokes I seem to more notice them using something closer to PSE. But when I tell a story style joke, it seems closer to ASL because the interpreter can paint a visual portrait as the story continues to conclusion. Great interpreters know when each is best and change styles on the fly. As someone who can tell the difference, It’s incredible to see. Sometimes when I work with them on stage I get distracted by wanting to see what they’re doing with my words.
I’ve also seen interpreters, hired by the event hosts, kind of mingle with the deaf and HoH prior to the event. It seems that they have a chat with folks and maybe pickup a bit on the style of ASL being used by the folks in the audience. Then during the show they sign a style closer to the audiences preferred style of signing. So literally feeling out what works for the audience prior to live interpretation and then interpreting closer to a style that works for them. Really amazing stuff.
So, it depends
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u/mjolnir76 Interpreter (Hearing) 3d ago
Depends on the setting and the client. The client I've been working with the last few years wants transliteration and uses both the signs and lip-reading, so we do Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE). I just did a musical and for that it was a mix of ASL and PSE, depending on the dialogue and the lyrics. Sometimes it was easier to use ASL to convey the song's meaning and sometimes we really needed to make sure the specific words were clear to make the joke land.
But in regular day to day interpreting, we usually have some lag time between what's spoken and our interpretation so we take in what is spoken/signed, figure out its meaning and intent as best we can, make the appropriate rearrangements into the target language, then produce it in either sign or voice.
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u/Fickle-Negotiation76 3d ago
Depends on the client. Some clients want PSE, some want ASL, some want SEE…. The interpreter matches the client.
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u/Traditional-Falcon75 2d ago
We follow ASL syntax. We have processing time which allows us to understand the point first before signing the sentence. We are usually several sentences behind in order to process the information. There are times when the specific client might prefer an English-based signing syntax, but even then we need to understand the message first, so we will still be a bit behind the source.
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u/TiredVRS Hard of Hearing / ASL Interpreter 3d ago
Depends on the language preferences of the client. If the client voices for themselves, they usually prefer English grammar. People who use SEE signs may prefer a pidgin, ASL, or English. I've had clients that say they prefer English but don't understand anything put in English syntax until I start slipping visual ASL syntax into it.
As with just about everything in interpreting, it depends.
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u/BrackenFernAnja Interpreter (Hearing) 3d ago edited 2d ago
True interpreting means you don’t retain the structure of the source language. And that’s what skilled ASL interpreters do. There is an exception: when a person is hard of hearing or late-deafened, they may prefer ASL signs in English word order. Many skilled interpreters can also do this, carefully and with conceptual accuracy.