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The article offers information on academic conferences through computer assisted real-time captioning (CART) and sign language interpreting. Topics discussed include spoken presentations and oral-aural social interactions; using sign language and/or spoken English in different capacities, with different degrees of comfort; and centering deaf and disabled people's lived experiences and knowledge about effective communication practices.

One of the aims of assistive technologies is to help people with disabilities to communicate with others and to provide means of access to information. As an aid to Deaf people, in this work we present a novel prototype Rule Based Machine Translation (RBMT) system for the creation of large and quality written Greek Sign Language (GSL) glossed corpora from Greek text. In particular, the proposed RBMT system assists the professional GSL translator in speeding up the production of different kinds of GSL glossed corpora. Then each glossed corpus is used for the production/creation of Language Model (LM) n-grams . With the GSL glossed corpus from Greek text, we can build, test and evaluate different kinds of Language Models for different kinds of glossed GSL corpora. Here, it should be noted that it does not require grammar knowledge of GSL but only very basic GSL phenomena covered by manual RBMT rules as it assists the professional human translator. Furthermore, it should also be stressed that Language Models for written GSL gloss are missing from the scientific literature, thus this work is pioneer in this field. Evaluation of the proposed scheme is carried out for the weather reports domain, where 20,284 tokens and 1000 sentences have been produced. By using the BiLingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU) metric score, our prototype RBMT system achieves a relative score of 0.84 (84%) for 4-grams and 0.9 (90%) for 1-grams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the development of a system that translates German train announcements of the Swiss Federal Railways ( Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, SBB) into Swiss German Sign Language ( Deutschschweizerische Gebärdensprache, DSGS) in real time and displays the result via an avatar. The system used to animate the avatar is called JASigning. Deliverables of the projects during which JASigning was developed are the main source of documentation for the system along with notes on the Web site. Not all planned features have been fully implemented: some because they are used very infrequently; others because there is insufficient linguistic research on which to base an implementation. The team of hearing and Deaf researchers identified the avatar functionality needed for the project and built a first version of the avatar. A focus group study with seven Deaf signers was then carried out to obtain feedback on how to further improve the avatar. This paper reports the evaluation results. It also discusses the workarounds introduced for features that were not yet directly available in the JASigning system. These features were not specific to train announcements. Hence, knowledge of how to achieve their designated effects in JASigning can be useful to persons working with other types of sign language data as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have used various theories to explain deaf individuals’ reading skills, including the dual route reading theory, the orthographic depth theory, and the early language access theory. This study tested 4 groups of children—hearing with dyslexia, hearing without dyslexia, deaf early signers, and deaf late signers (N = 857)—from 4 countries using both shallow and deep orthographies (American English, Hebrew, German, and Turkish) to evaluate which of these theories best describes variances in deaf children's reading development. Results showed that deaf participants were unlike participants with dyslexia, suggesting that they do not have a phonological processing deficit. Rather, the early language access theory more readily explained the similarities between hearing and deaf early signer participants, stressing the importance of early access to visual language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among spoken language interpreters, a long-standing question regarding directionality is whether interpretations are better when working into one's native language (L1) or into one's 'active' non-native language (L2). In contrast to studies that support working into L1, signed language interpreters report a preference for working into L2. Accordingly, we investigated whether signed language interpreters actually perform better when interpreting into their L2 (American Sign Language, ASL) or into their L1 (English). Interpretations by 30 interpreters (15 novice, 15 expert), delivered under experimental conditions, were assessed on accuracy (semantic content) and articulation quality (flow, speed, and prosody). For both measures, novices scored significantly better when interpreting into English (L1); experts were equally accurate, and showed similar articulation quality, in both directions. The results for the novice interpreters support the hypothesis that the difficulty of L2 production drives interpreting performance in relation to directionality. Findings also indicate a disconnect between direction preference and interpreting performance. Novices' perception of their ASL production ability may be distorted because they can default to fingerspelling and transcoding. Weakness in self-monitoring of signing may also lead novices to overrate their ASL skills. Interpreter educators should stress misperceptions of signing proficiency that arise from available, but inappropriate, strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 200 television channels in China broadcast news with signed language interpreting, making this one of the most visible forms of public accessibility for Deaf citizens. However, previous surveys have reported that most viewers have difficulty understanding the sign language interpreter. This experimental study examines how well a group of 49 Deaf individuals do, comparing their level of comprehension with that of twenty hearing viewers whose medium of access to program content is spoken Mandarin. All participants completed simple comprehension questions, in written form, after viewing twenty short news clips. These were shown once to the hearing viewers, and twice to Deaf viewers so as to compensate for any intrinsic difficulty related to the limited visual clarity of televised signed language interpreting. Results show that, even with interpretation, the Deaf viewers do not benefit equally from the news clips. Analysis of the interpretations suggests that the interpreters' lack of Chinese Sign Language fluency might have contributed to the Deaf viewers' lesser comprehension. In addition to insufficient training, the high pressure the interpreters experience in relation to interpreting in media settings might have a negative effect on the quality of their interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multidimensional construct of perfectionism is well studied as it relates to coping with stress and burnout (Childs & Stoeber 2012; Flett & Hewitt 2002). Bontempo and Napier (2011) identify the personality trait of conscientiousness, which includes perfectionistic traits, as beneficial to an interpreter's job performance. In contrast, several studies suggest that constructs related to maladaptive perfectionistic traits play a role in the development of burnout among interpreters, although perfectionism has not been explicitly identified or used as a research variable (Qin et al. 2008). These studies identify key components of both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in the assessment of stressrelated outcomes, thereby laying the groundwork for a more focused study on the particular role of perfectionism among interpreters who experience burnout. The current study evaluated the relationship between perfectionism, perceived stress, coping resources and burnout in a sample of sign language interpreters. The results provided support for the mediating role of perceived stress in the association of maladaptive perfectionism and burnout within the sample. Coping resources did not serve as a moderator between perfectionism variables and burnout, or as a moderated mediator between perfectionism variables and perceived stress. The implications of these findings for sign language interpreters are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many deaf persons served in mental health settings show significant language dysfluency in the best language, usually ASL. Sign language dysfluency in deaf people has four major causes: neurological problems associated with the etiology of deafness, language deprivation, aphasias, and psychotic disorders. Each cause can effect language development and usage in a particular way. In this article, numerous examples of sign language dysfluency are offered along with a discussion of their implications for interpreting, especially in mental health settings. The authors draw upon the Demand-Control interpreting approach of Dean and Pollard to illustrate interpreter decision-making when faced with the challenge of dysfluent language. The advantages and disadvantages of collaboration with deaf interpreters are reviewed. Finally, suggestions for best practice in interpreting for language dysfluent deaf persons in mental health settings are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When hearing speakers address a mixed audience of hearing and deaf participants,' they have a choice of three methods by which to convey the information in their presentation. They may choose to use English and provide an English-to-ASL interpreter, use ASL and provide an ASL-to-English interpreter, or use simultaneous communication (SimCom). The choice to use SimCom (i.e., to speak and sign at the same time) is based in part on the idea that equivalent information will be communicated directly and simultaneously to both hearing and deaf audience members. This study examines the effects of SimCom on the degree of correct information received by deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students. Our objective is to ascertain whether a qualitative difference exists in the comprehensible input in order to determine whether all of the students are receiving equivalent information in the classroom. Previous research on SimCom shows that the auditory and visual messages produced are not equivalent; the current research seeks to determine whether the receiued messages are equivalent. Direct feedback from deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students is the indicator of message equivalence. Our methodology consisted of showing several short video clips from various presentations given using SimCom. Participants viewed the clips and then responded to one or two questions about the information presented in them. The number of correct responses was tallied and compared across groups. Results show that the messages received by the different cohorts are not equivalent; therefore, the use of SimCom in the classroom needs to be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eye-tracking experiment investigated where deaf native signers (N = 9) arid hearing beginning signers (N = 10) look while comprehending a short narrative and a spatial description in American Sign Language produced live by a fluent signer. Both groups fixated primarily on the signer's face (more than 80% of the time) but differed with respect to fixation location. Beginning signers fixated on or near the signer's mouth, perhaps to better perceive English mouthing, whereas native signers tended to fixate on or near the eyes. Beginning signers shifted gaze away from the signer's face more frequently than native signers, but the pattern of gaze shifts was similar for both groups. When a shift in gaze occurred, the sign narrator was almost always looking at his or her hands and was most often producing a classifier construction. We conclude that joint visual attention and attention to mouthing (for beginning signers), rather than linguistic complexity or processing load, affect gaze fixation patterns during sign language comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the sign language and the role of interpreters in London criminal courts in the 18th and 19th centuries in England. It is found out that signing is enhanced from the time when deaf people are in contact with each other. Unlike sign languages, home sign differs in such a way that it does not have a consistent meaning-to-symbol relationship and is not shared by one large group. However, it is noted that home signs are often the starting point for new sign languages that develop when deaf people come together. Despite the argument that signs and motions are inadequate to communicate complex ideas, the court has overruled the objection and allows no objection if the language can be interpreted to the satisfaction of the jury.

We studied if and when people detect the beginning of a gesture, in our case a sign in Sign Language of the Netherlands (SLN), by presenting movie fragments consisting of sequences of rest positions, fidgets, and signs to deaf signers, hearing signers and non-signers. Participants were instructed to respond as soon as they saw that a SLN sign had begun. All participants showed themselves highly capable of responding to sign beginnings. Signs that are two-handed, performed in signing space, have a highly marked hand shape, and contain path movement were discriminated best. Considering a sign as having a preparation, a stroke, and a recovery, response times showed strong clusters around 500 milliseconds after the beginning of sign preparation, or 200 ms after the onset of the stroke. The non-signers needed more time before responding; deaf signers took more time than hearing signers. Response time was influenced by three factors (shorter for signs that have a highly marked hand shape, are one-handed, and are preceded by fidgets). The results show that it is possible for people to discriminate fidgeting and signs based on appearance, even if one does not know sign language. No single feature of the movement appears necessary to detect the beginning of a sign. In most cases visual information available up to an early stage of the stroke is sufficient but in some cases the information in the preparation is enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the empowerment of deaf consumers through the use of deaf and hearing interpreter teams. It states that the use of Deaf and hearing interpreter teams provides a more level playing field for deaf consumers. The deaf and hearing interpreter team can maximize on the communication that is possible and necessary in order to have a successful communication experience. According to the author, the use of a team approach may be more cost effective since the actual time in meetings can be reduced.

The expansion of interpretation research projects across national boundaries contributes to improved personal, professional, and intellectual outcomes for researchers and practitioners. Establishing and maintaining these collaborative teams may be especially beneficial to strengthening the research agenda of new researchers. Conducting international studies requires intercultural sensitivity in all stages of a project (Deaf culture as well as ethnicity-related cultures) and has the potential to combine culture-specific perspectives and expertise for a more comprehensive application of results. The project design, supported by literature on international joint ventures, was a process of organizing stable international research collaboration that incorporated interdisciplinary expertise at three universities (University of Arkansas-Little Rock, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and the Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Austria). This article follows the project through its conceptualization and initial study (2002), expansion beyond the initial research project (2004), data collection, analysis, and dissemination (2005). It presents potential options for data analysis and a description of the sample (n=1,546). Topics of discussion include applying international joint venture stability research to establishing and maintaining research alliances, improving communication and collaborative skills, identifying mutually beneficial research topics with international universities, and applying results to the participating programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specialized psychotherapy for deaf people in the Dutch and Western European mental health systems is still a rather young specialism. A key policy principle in Dutch mental health care for the deaf is that they should receive treatment in the language most accessible to them, which is usually Dutch Sign Language (Nederlandse Gebarentaal or NGT). Although psychotherapists for the deaf are trained to use sign language, situations will always arise in which a sign language interpreter is needed. Most psychotherapists have the opinion that working with a sign language interpreter in therapy sessions can be a valuable alternative option but also see it as a second-best solution because of its impact on the therapeutic process. This paper describes our years of collaborationship as a therapist and a sign language interpreter. If this collaborationship is optimal, it can generate a certain ‘therapeutic power’ in the therapy sessions. Achieving this depends largely on the interplay between the therapist and the interpreter, which in our case is the result of literature research and our experiences during the last 17 years. We analyze this special collaborative relationship, which has several dimensions and recurrent themes like, the role conception of the interpreter, situational interpreting, organizing the interpretation setting, or managing therapeutic phenomena during therapy sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the sources of the estimates of the number of American Sign Language users in the United States. A variety of claims can be found in the literature and on the Internet, some of which have been shown to be unfounded but continue to be cited. In our search for the sources of the various (mis)understandings, we have found that all of the data-based estimates of the number of people who use ASL in the United States have their origin in a single study published in the early 1970s, which inquired about signing in general and not ASL use in particular. There has been neither subsequent research to update these estimates nor any specific study of ASL use. The article concludes with a call to action to rectify this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sign language acquisition is a relatively new field and is still developing its own good practice. This paper gives an overview of the most common procedures in research design, choice of subjects, transcription and documentation. The paper concludes with a brief overview of the chronology of development of sign languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on attention-getting strategies during adult–child interaction in a BSL-language nursery. The data come from a small study conducted at the School of Education at Leeds University, in which deaf children in a Deaf nursery run by Deaf adults were filmed. Deaf adults and deaf children both used waving and tapping to gain attention. Deaf adults used waving strategies more than the children did, while the children used more tapping strategies than the adults did. Additional ways of seeking attention and a range of different types of tapping and waving were identified, providing insights into the different uses of waving and the tapping in different situations. Findings also revealed possible developmental stages in attention-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This listing provides directory information about programs for training interpreters in the United States. The Kapiolani Community College in Hawaii is offering certificate of competence and associate in science degrees in interpreting. The MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois have a bachelor and associate degrees in interpreting. The William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri is offering a bachelor of science degree in interpreting.

Twenty-eight sign language interpreters participated in a battery of tests to determine if a profile of cognitive, motor, attention, and personality attributes might distinguish them as a group and at different credential levels. Eight interpreters held Level II and nine held Level III Virginia Quality Assurance Screenings (VQAS); the other 11 held Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification. Six formal tests, the Quick Neurological Screening Test-II, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, the Test of Visual-Motor Skills (TVMS), the d2 Test of Attention, the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test, and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), were administered to the interpreters. Average scores were high on most of the tests; differences across the three groups were not statistically significant. Results from only one test, the d2 Test of Attention, were significantly correlated with interpreter level. Comparisons between educational and community interpreters also revealed no differences. Personality traits were widely distributed, but one trait, abstract reasoning, tested extremely high in 18 interpreters. Discussion of the potential implications of these results, particularly for educational interpreters, is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sign language interpreters working in schools often face isolation in terms of their sign language vocabulary development opportunities. The purposes of this study were to determine the key demographic characteristics of educational interpreters in British Columbia, to identify the resources they use to learn new vocabulary, and to shed light on their Internet use and access levels, with a view to exploring the viability of this resource as a tool for vocabulary development for interpreters working in educational settings. Key demographics associated with interpreters' access to time and materials in advance of a lesson were job title and graduation from an interpreter training program. Interpreters with job titles that reflected their status as interpreters had more preparatory time each week than interpreters who had job titles focused on their roles as educational assistants. Interpreters overwhelmingly expressed the need for continuing professional development with respect to vocabulary development. In terms of the resources currently used, human resources (colleagues, deaf adults) were used significantly more often than nonhuman (books, videotapes, Internet). The resource use results showed that convenience was more important than quality. Books were used more often than videotapes, CD-ROMs, and the Internet, although the latter three had higher percentages of very satisfied users than did books. The design and content of online vocabulary resources and limited interpreter preparation time were identified as current issues keeping the Internet from reaching its potential as an easily accessible visual resource. Recommendations aimed at enhancing the viability of the Internet as a vocabulary development tool for educational interpreters are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lists schools and programs for training deaf and sign language interpreters in the United States. Program and service information; Contact information and program program director of each institution.

This comment addresses two aspects of the Supreme Court of Canada's recent decision in Eldridge v. British Columbia (A.G.) -- a case involving a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge to the British Columbia government's failure to fund interpreters for deaf health care consumers. First, the authors examine the equality analysis under section 15 of the Charter and argue that the Court was correct in applying a standard of the services available to the "able" health care consumer. However, it is more difficult to apply an "able-bodied" standard in cases in which the nature of the benefit is less clear or where the claimant's disability is more diffuse. The authors use the Court's decision in Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education as an example of a case in which the Court had difficulty in construing the claimant as sufficiently "like" other students entitled to mainstream education. Second, the authors examine the Court's analysis of whether the denial of interpreters is a reasonable limit under section 1 of the Charter. The authors argue that the Court's failure to address the role of fiscal necessity as a justification for limiting Charter rights makes the decision of limited applicability to other equality challenges on the grounds of disability. In addition, it is argued that the Court's equation of the Oakes minimal impairment test under section 1 with the undue hardship test from human rights law puts inappropriate weight on the issue of cost in assessing the reasonableness of limits on rights. Such a focus diverts attention from the importance of the equality interest at stake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the influence of society on deaf signers and the effect of larger social tradition on the describers of deaf signers. It reports on the impact of social life on the sign languages of the deaf and the manner in which intellectualized knowledge of sign languages of the deaf has been influenced by social and noetic context. The article also explores the external conditions interfering with the normal acquisition of sign language, the acquisition of sign languages outside parent-child relationships, the adoption of sign language from the social relations between the deaf and hearing persons, and the stimulation of complex linguistic processes by social pressures.

The paper discusses the use of interpreters in family therapy with deaf person families. Issues from the perspective of the therapist, the interpreter, and the family are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the proper execution of interview and examination for deaf patient. It notes that information must be gathered first before the interview, and interviewer must read carefully the patient's medical record. It also considers the giving of written medical questionnaire beforehand. Insights on how to find appropriate sign-language interpreter, and the types of manual language are offered. Prevention and preparation for deaf patient's interview and examination are discussed.

The article presents abstracts for articles published in this issue of "Sign Language Studies." The article "The Undesirability of Admitting Deaf Mutes: U.S. Immigration Policy and Deaf Immigrants, 1882-1924," looks at how during the period disabled immigrants, including deaf immigrants, to the U.S. were viewed as undesirables, which increased the stigmatization of disability. Other topics covered in this issue include the distribution of signs in New Zealand Sign Language, automatic speech and sign recognition, and international collaboration for interpretation research.

Deaf academics who navigate aspects of their professional lives through signed language interpreting services face a range of issues, including handling perceptions of their Hearing peers, identifying and negotiating their own communication preferences, and balancing personal and professional relationships with their interpreters. Interpreters bring individual sets of schemas and skills to their work, which impacts the interpreted interaction. In this paper, a Deaf academic and her interpreter/colleague discuss various challenges in having an interpreter--and being an interpreter--in academia. Topics include being "outed" as a person with a disability because of the presence of an interpreter; the need for interpreters with specialized academic vocabulary; the responsibilities of the Deaf academic and the interpreter in interpreted interactions; and the sense of vulnerability, intimacy, and autonomy experienced by the Deaf academic and the interpreter. The article is a shared reflection about the evolution of a relationship, beginning with the authors' respective roles as client and interpreter, and leading into to their present alliance as colleagues and friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist scholars have suggested a broader conceptualization of work to include paid and unpaid, visible and invisible labor. Employing this broader conceptualization, this paper examines a new form of service delivery for deaf people, video relay service, as an example of the growing trend in the United States that shifts labor from the service provider to service recipient. The data discussed in this paper were collected from two focus groups with deaf people who shared their experiences with and feelings about video relay service. The findings suggest that although video relay service is preferred to text relay service by deaf people, there are still misunderstandings that occur. And, in responding to those misunderstandings, deaf people must determine whether it is worth their time and energy to confront less than adequate sign language interpreters, hang up and call back in order to get another interpreter, or do nothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the population of Great Britain who are profoundly deaf and the daily challenges they face when attempting to communicate with health care professionals. The impact the ineffective communication is having on the deaf person's ability to access and receive adequate health care is discussed. The need for interpreters who can sign and are well versed in medical terminology is discussed.