ds_0049_graybilltranslation_cap_01.mp4

ds_0049_graybilltranslation_cap_01.mp4

Translation as an educational tool

Graybill, Patrick

American Sign Language

Translating and interpreting

Interpreters for the deaf

American Sign Language literature

Deaf wit and humor

Patrick Graybill defines the terms translation (to translate meaning from one language to another language), transliteration (spoken message signed very similarly word for word in Signed English), and interpretation (listening to English and interpreting into ASL or watching a signed ASL presentation and rendering it into spoken English) as he begins his presentation. He believes that translation is a powerful educational tool which assist students in comprehending English using ASL, and promotes cultural understanding, appreciation and respect for both languages and cultures. There are challenges in translating cultural information, especially humor, and he gives examples.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT Libraries - RIT Archive Collections

Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections

1987

2018

moving image

mp4

VHS

53 minutes

American Sign Language

English

RITDSA.0049

Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections

ASL Lecture Series DVDs

2018-2019 CLIR Grant-ASL Poetry and Literature

https://albert.rit.…

https://archivesspa…

New York - Rochester

Henrietta Campus

RIT Libraries makes materials from its collections available for educational and research purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.

CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives 4.0 International

MY NAME IS, UM...
MEG DAIS,

AND I AND SUSAN FISHER
AND KEITH

COORDINATE
THE LECTURE SERIES.

IF YOU HAVE
YOUR LOOP MONITORS...

ARE THEY WORKING OK?

MAN: I CAN GET
A SOUND CHECK.

ACTUALLY, THEY'RE
WORKING OK, YES.

MEG: UM, A FEW DETAILS

BEFORE KEITH INTRODUCES
PATRICK GRAYBILL, OUR LECTURER.

FIRST, OUR DISCUSSION GROUP
IS IN THE VISITORS CENTER.

IT'S...IT STARTS AT 2:00,
AND IT GOES UNTIL 3:00.

UM, THE NEXT THING IS
THERE'S A SIGN-UP SHEET...

RIGHT HERE, AND I WANT PEOPLE TO
WRITE YOUR NAMES AND ADDRESSES,

AND IF YOU WANT NOTES,
WRITE THAT, WRITE THAT ALSO.

[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

MEG: THAT'S FINE.
THAT'S FINE.

BUT I WANT
ALL OF YOUR NAMES.

THANKS.

OH, ANOTHER QUESTION.

[LAUGHTER]

AND YOU CAN PAY FOR IT.

[LAUGHTER]

UM...OUR NOTE...
OUR NOTE TAKER IS SAM...

IS IT S-C-A-E-R-E-R?
YEAH? OK. THANKS.

UM, AND OUR INTERPRETERS
ARE, FOR VOICING, UM,

YOUR...YOUR SIGN NAME
IS AARON?

[LAUGHTER]

AND FOR, UM,
THE ASL INTERPRETING,

IT'S AARON BRACE.

ENGLISH?

THE NEXT LECTURER
IS TORI ARLER,

AND THAT'S ON...
I HAVE TO CHECK.

FEBRUARY 16th.
IT'S A TUESDAY.

UM, WE HAVE MORE BROCHURES
RIGHT HERE IF YOU NEED THEM.

AND THAT'S ALL.

I THINK THAT YOU KNOW THE
PURPOSE FOR THE LECTURE SERIES,

AND THAT'S TO INTRODUCE
NEW IDEAS AND RESEARCH TO YOU

FOR USING IN THE CLASSROOM
AND IN YOUR OWN RESEARCH.

AND I HOPE THAT YOU GET
THAT KIND OF INFORMATION.

ANYWAY, NOW IT'S TIME FOR KEITH
TO INTRODUCE OUR LECTURER.

THANK YOU.

KEITH: THANK YOU.
I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR

WITH PATRICK GRAYBILL'S
SIGN NAME,

WHICH IS "PEACHY"
ON THE CHEST.

I'VE KNOWN PATRICK
ABOUT 7 YEARS,

AND WHEN I READ HIS VIDA,
CURRICULA VIDA,

I WAS AMAZED.

[LAUGHTER]

ALSO, IT MEANS WE HAVE
3 AARONS HERE TODAY.

HIS MIDDLE NAME IS AARON,
SO IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.

PATRICK WAS BORN,

AND AS HIS MOTHER WAS
CONSIDERING WHAT TO NAME HIM--

HE HAS TWO OLDER SISTERS.

HIS OLDEST SISTER
IS DEAF.

AND THEY WERE CONSIDERING
CALLING HIM PAT.

THEY WERE THINKING
FOR A MIDDLE NAME

AND NAMED HIM AARON.

THEN, LATER ON,
PAT WAS TELLING ME A STORY

ABOUT HIS MIDDLE NAME, AND I
THOUGHT PERHAPS HE WAS JEWISH.

IT WAS CONFUSING
BECAUSE HE WAS SO INVOLVED

IN THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY.

I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT
WHAT WAS GOING ON.

LATER I MET HIS MOTHER.

AND WE CHECKED
WITH HIS MOTHER

TO FIND OUT WHY
HIS MIDDLE NAME WAS AARON.

I WAS TOLD
NONE OF HIS BUSINESS.

POSSIBLY FROM HIS FATHER.

MAYBE SOMETHING RELATED
WITH THE MAILMAN.

I'M NOT REALLY SURE.

PATRICK GREW UP
IN KANSAS,

ATTENDED THE KANSAS
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF,

GRADUATING IN 1958,

AND THEN WENT
TO GALLAUDET COLLEGE,

WHERE HE GOT
HIS B.A. IN ENGLISH...

IN 1963.

HE RECEIVED HIS MASTER'S
IN DEAF EDUCATION IN 1964

AND TRANSFERRED
TO CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY.

HE WAS ALSO AT AMERICAN
UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,

WHERE HE STUDIED.

HE WENT TO ST. BERNARD'S
SEMINARY,

AND THEN HE'S BEEN
HERE IN ROCHESTER,

WHERE HE'S BEEN
STUDYING THEOLOGY.

HE ALSO WORKED AT THE KENDALL
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,
AS AN INSTRUCTOR

FROM 1964 TILL 1967

AND THEN PURSUED
AN ACTING CAREER

WITH THE NATIONAL THEATER
OF THE DEAF FROM 1969 TO 1979,

10 YEARS.

THAT'S WHERE HE REALLY PICKED UP
HIS SIGNING EXPERTISE.

THEN HE CAME HERE
TO NTID IN 1979,

HIRED AS AN ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR,

AND HE'S BEEN
WORKING HERE SINCE.

PATRICK HAS MUCH EXPERIENCE
AS AN ACTOR

AND ALSO TRANSLATING PLAYS
FROM ENGLISH INTO ASL.

HE HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE
IN ASL IN DRAMA,

AND HE'S AIDED
WITH MANY TRANSLATIONS

FOR THE PLAYS
HERE AT NTID.

HE ALSO TEACHES A COURSE
IN TRANSLATION

FROM ENGLISH TO ASL
RELATED TO THEATER.

TODAY HE'LL BE SPEAKING
ON TRANSLATION INTO ASL.

SO LET'S WELCOME
PATRICK GRAYBILL.

[APPLAUSE]

THANK YOU, KEITH.
HELLO, EVERYONE.

I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE
PRESENTING TODAY.

I'M NOT SURE IF THIS INFORMATION
WILL BE ENTIRELY NEW TO PEOPLE

OR IF YOU'RE ALREADY
FAMILIAR WITH IT.

BUT I'D LIKE TO SHARE
SOME OF THE INSIGHTS

I'VE GAINED
AS I WAS GROWING UP.

LET ME OPEN BY PRESENTING
AN OVERHEAD.

[LAUGHTER]

TRANSLATION.
AS WE CONSIDER TRANSLATION,

YOU KNOW THE KENTUCKY
FRIED CHICKEN ADVERTISEMENTS

TALK ABOUT
"FINGER-LICKIN' GOOD."

REALLY DELICIOUS.

AND PEOPLE HAVE BOUGHT A LOT
OF KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN.

IT'S REALLY HELPED
THEIR MARKETING.

NOW, IF YOU TRY AND DO
A TRANSLITERATION

FROM THE ENGLISH
INTO CHINESE CHARACTERS

OR CHINESE LANGUAGE...

IT DOESN'T REALLY WORK
SUCCESSFULLY.

[LAUGHTER]

BECAUSE THE TRANSLATION,
THE IDIOM COMES OUT IN CHINESE

AS "EAT YOUR FINGERS OFF."

NOT EXACTLY
A DELIGHTFUL PROPOSITION.

NOW, I WANT TO ADDRESS TODAY
USING TRANSLATION

AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL

TO SEE HOW WE CAN USE
TRANSLATION IN THE CLASSROOM

TO AID STUDENTS
IN COMPREHENDING ENGLISH

AS ONE LANGUAGE THEY USE

AND ASL AS ANOTHER
LANGUAGE THEY USE,

SO THEY'LL HAVE CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION,

EQUAL RESPECT
FOR BOTH LANGUAGES.

KEITH BRIEFLY DESCRIBED
SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES

I HAVE IN TRANSLATION.

AS I WAS GROWING UP, I LEARNED
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE.

I HAVE 48 YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE,

AND I AM STILL
LEARNING ENGLISH.

SECONDLY, I HAVE
10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

AS AN ACTOR WITH NTD,

THE NATIONAL THEATER
OF THE DEAF,

AND HAVE A LOT
OF EXPERIENCE THERE

TRANSLATING PLAYS IN ASL.

IT REALLY HELPED ME TO DEVELOP
AN INTERNAL UNDERSTANDING

OF THE TRANSLATION PROCESS.

NOW, I KNOW THAT ONE CAN'T DO
TRANSLATIONS 100% ACCURATELY,

BUT WE WORKED
ON TRANSLATIONS

AND KEPT COMING UP
WITH NEW IDEAS,

NEW WAYS OF APPROACHING
OUR TASK.

SO THIS WILL PERHAPS SPARK
SOME DISCUSSION.

AND I DON'T THINK WE'LL HAVE
FINAL SOLUTIONS

HERE TODAY DURING
THE PRESENTATION,

BUT IT CAN SERVE AS THE BASIS
FOR DISCUSSION.

NOW, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
IS USING TWO LANGUAGES,

ASL AND ENGLISH.

ASL USERS WHO SEE ENGLISH
OFTEN HAVE A LOT

OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT
THE LANGUAGE AND THE CULTURE,

AND SIMILARLY,
ENGLISH SPEAKERS

HAVE A LOT OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS
ABOUT ASL.

GOOD TRANSLATIONS CAN HELP
MEDIATE THIS PROBLEM.

THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS WE CAN
APPROACH USING TWO LANGUAGES

AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL.

THERE'S A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL
TOOLS WE HAVE--

MEDIA SUCH AS OVERHEADS
AND SLIDES, TRANSPARENCIES,

CAPTIONING.

ALL OF THESE CAN SERVE AS
BRIDGES BETWEEN TWO LANGUAGES.

BUT WHAT I WANT
TO EMPHASIZE TODAY

IS THAT TRANSLATION ITSELF

CAN BE AN OUTSTANDING
EDUCATIONAL TOOL

TO USE IN THE CLASSROOM.

BEFORE I PROCEED
WITH THE LECTURE,

I'D LIKE TO CLARIFY
SOME TERMINOLOGY.

FIRST, "TRANSLATION."

SECONDLY, "TRANSLITERATION."
TRANSLATE.

AND THIRD, "INTERPRET."

YOU KNOW THAT WE USE
THE SIGN "INTERPRET,"

AND USUALLY WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT LISTENING TO ENGLISH

AND INTERPRETING INTO ASL

OR WATCHING A SIGNED
PRESENTATION IN ASL

AND RENDERING THAT
IN SPOKEN ENGLISH,

WITH THE APPROPRIATE
TIME LAG.

AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
TRANSLITERATE,

I THINK IT'S SIMILAR
TO THE PROCESS

YOU SEE USED
BY KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN.

THERE MIGHT BE
A SPOKEN MESSAGE,

AND IT'S SIGNED
VERY SIMILARLY,

PRETTY MUCH
WORD FOR WORD...

IN SOME FORM
OF SIGNED ENGLISH...

SO THAT THERE'S
A SOURCE MESSAGE

AND IS TRANSLITERATED
INTO ENGLISH,

ALMOST A WORD FOR WORD CLAUSE
IN ENGLISH WORD ORDER.

NOW, TYPICALLY, THE WAY
THOSE WORDS ARE USED,

OFTEN "TRANSLATE"
IS USED TO TRANSLATE

FROM ONE WRITTEN LANGUAGE
TO ANOTHER WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

IT'S A WRITTEN PROCESS,

AND THERE'S A LOT
OF TIME AVAILABLE

TO STUDY
THE SOURCE LANGUAGE

AS YOU'RE WORKING INTO
YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE.

CAN EVERYONE SEE
THE OVERHEAD OK?

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRANSLATION,
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BRIDGE

BETWEEN TWO LANGUAGES.

IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER

WHICH TWO LANGUAGES
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE
ENGLISH AND ASL.

IT COULD BE ANY LANGUAGE
USED IN THE WORLD.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
THE SOURCE LANGUAGE,

IT MIGHT BE WRITTEN
MATERIAL, A NOVEL.

IT COULD BE A PLAY.

SO YOU HAVE
THE SOURCE-LANGUAGE MESSAGE

THAT THEN HAS TO BE DECODED
INTO THE MEANING.

YOU NEED TO PRESERVE
THAT MEANING

AND FIND WAYS
TO EXPRESS IT ACCURATELY

IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE.

YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THE PEOPLE
WHO USE THAT TARGET LANGUAGE.

PERHAPS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
A POEM OR A STORY OR A PLAY

IN ENGLISH
AS A SOURCE LANGUAGE.

ONE CAN READ THAT,
COMPREHEND THE MEANING,

AND DETERMINE HOW TO
APPROPRIATELY TRANSLATE IT

INTO ASL,
AND DEAF USERS OF ASL

WILL COMPREHEND
THE MESSAGE.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT
IS COMPREHENDING THE MEANING

BEHIND THAT ENGLISH MESSAGE.

IT WOULD BE
VERY EASY FOR US

TO LOOK AT
THE SOURCE LANGUAGE

AND THEN SIGN IT
ALMOST WORD FOR WORD

IN A TRANSLITERATION,

GLOSSING, PICKING ONE SIGN
FOR EACH ENGLISH WORD.

WHEN THAT'S DONE,
THE COMPREHENSION LEVEL

OF THE ASL USERS
WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATE.

PERHAPS YOU'RE NOT USING

APPROPRIATE GRAMMATICAL
FEATURES, AS ONE DOES.

LET ME GIVE YOU
SOME EXAMPLES.

[LAUGHTER]

LET ME DEMONSTRATE
THE FIRST SENTENCE.

IT'S EASY FOR ME
TO TRANSLITERATE THIS.

[LAUGHTER]

THE MEAT,
FINGER-SPELLING "LOAF,"

DID NOT AGREE WITH HIM.

PERHAPS ASL USERS WHO AREN'T
SKILLED IN ENGLISH YET

BUT WHO ARE STILL ACQUIRING
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS

WOULD BE CONFUSED BETWEEN
A MEATLOAF THAT YOU EAT

AND A PERSON
WHO IS LAZY.

ONE NEEDS TO TRANSMIT
THE SPECIFIC MESSAGE.

LET ME TRANSLATE THIS.

IN THAT TRANSLATION,
THE MEANING IS PRESERVED.

IT TAKES SOME TIME
TO EXPLAIN A GLOSS.

WAIT A MINUTE.
BEFORE I PROCEED WITH THAT,

I'M CURIOUS--HOW MANY PEOPLE
IN THE AUDIENCE

WOULD LIKE ME TO TAKE TIME
TO EXPLAIN MY SIGN CHOICES

OR HOW I'M DOING
THE SENTENCE IN ASL?

DO I NEED TO ELABORATE
ON THAT FOR ANYONE?

THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE.
OK. GOOD.

FOR FOLKS WHO ARE FLUENT IN ASL,
PLEASE BEAR WITH US,

BECAUSE I'D LIKE
TO MAKE THIS CLEAR.

WE CAN BORROW
THE WORDS OF ENGLISH

AND GLOSS THOSE
INTO SIGNS.

YOU KNOW THAT ASL HAS
NO WRITTEN FORM ITSELF.

SO...ONE THING I COULD DO IS
BORROW THESE WORDS FROM ENGLISH.

FIRST, I SIGNED THIS
FOR "MEAT,"

FINGER-SPELLED "LOAF,"

AND USED THE CLASSIFIER
TO SHOW THE MEATLOAF

A SIZE AND SPACE
SIGNIFIER.

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT LOAF,
A LAZY PERSON

WHO LIES AROUND
AND DOES NOTHING,

THE SIGN I JUST SIGNED.

I'M TALKING ABOUT
A SLAB OF MEAT.

FOR HIM, I USED THE SIGN
INDICATING A PERSON

SET APPROPRIATELY
IN SPACE

AND SHOWED HIM EATING
AND SWALLOWING THE MEAT,

INDICATED THE STOMACH,

AND TOGETHER, THE SIGN
I MADE AN UPSET STOMACH.

SO I USED APPROPRIATE
GRAMMATICAL FEATURES OF ASL,

WHICH REALLY HELPS
OUR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND

AND CLARIFIES THE MEANING
BEHIND THAT WRITTEN SENTENCE.

LET ME SHOW YOU
THE SECOND SENTENCE.

IT SHOULD BE
PRETTY EASY.

RIGHT. I WOULD SUGGEST
THAT THE CHILDREN WERE ALL EYES,

SIGNED THIS WAY AS
THE CHILDREN WERE AMAZED.

YOU MIGHT GLOSS THAT.

AT THE CIRCUS,

THE CHILDREN WERE JUST AMAZED
OR FASCINATED.

SURE, ANOTHER WAY TO SIGN IT
IN ASL WOULD BE THIS,

STILL PRESERVING THAT SAME
MEANING OF FA...

MEANING OF FASCINATION
AND AWE.

WHETHER ONE SIGNS "FASCINATION"
OR "AWE" IN A VARIETY OF WAYS,

IT PRESERVES THE MEANING
OF THE SOURCE-LANGUAGE SENTENCE.

ALL RIGHT.
THIRD SAMPLE SENTENCE,

THAT "ACTIONS SPEAK
LOUDER THAN WORDS,"

IS NOT QUITE AS EASY.

MANY OF OUR STUDENTS...

MIGHT LEARN THE MEANING BEHIND
THAT WRITTEN ENGLISH SENTENCE

THROUGH A TRANSLATION PROCESS.

LET ME TAKE SOME TIME
TO EXPLAIN,

SETTING UP ACTIONS
AND WORDS.

WE HAVE ACTIONS.
WE HAVE WORDS.

WHICH CARRIES MORE STRENGTH?
THE ACTION DOES,

APPROPRIATELY SETTING UP
EACH CONCEPT IN SPACE

AND THEN COMPARING
AND CONTRASTING THOSE.

SO IT'S EASY FOR US PERHAPS TO
PRESENT A MEANING OF LANGUAGE,

THE VOCABULARY
AND GRAMMAR, UH...

BUT IT'S NOT EASY
FOR US TO DO THAT,

ALTHOUGH IT'S MUCH EASIER
PERHAPS TO DO THAT

THAN TO TRANSMIT APPROPRIATE
CULTURAL INFORMATION.

THE 3 THINGS
WE NEED TO CONSIDER

ARE THE MEANING, THE GRAMMAR
OF EACH LANGUAGE,

AND THE CULTURAL BACKGROUND
OF THE LANGUAGE USERS.

WHILE THE MEANING AND GRAMMAR
CAN OFTEN BE PRESERVED EASILY,

THERE'S A REAL CHALLENGE
IN PRESENTING INFORMATION

CULTURALLY APPROPRIATELY
WITH EQUAL RESPECT AND STATUS

FOR EACH CULTURE.

IN OUR FOURTH SAMPLE SENTENCE,
IT SAYS,

"I'M SORRY
THAT YOU MISSED THE BOAT."

NOW, YOU COULD STRING TOGETHER
TWO SIGNS GLOSSED,

LIKE THE SIGN FOR "MISS"
AND THE SIGN FOR "BOAT."

BUT THE MEANING
IS NOT PRESERVED.

PERHAPS A SIGN CHOICE
LIKE "TRAIN GONE,"

IF I CAN GLOSS IT
THAT WAY,

WHICH IS USED IN ASL,
HAS THE SAME MEANING.

IT'S SIMILARLY IDIOMATIC
IN BOTH LANGUAGES.

THAT WAY, THE COMPREHENSION
OF THE MEANING IS PRESERVED,

AND THE INFORMATION
IS TRANSMITTED

LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY
ACCURATELY FOR ASL USERS.

SO...WHAT IS THE TRANSLATOR
RESPONSIBLE FOR?

ONE NEEDS TO ANALYZE
THE SOURCE LANGUAGE

AND COME UP WITH A TRANSLATION
THAT'S ACCURATE.

SOMETIMES
A TRANSLATION...

SOMEONE DOING A TRANSLATION
HAS DIFFICULTY

UNDERSTANDING ACCURATELY
THE CLARITY

OF THE SOURCE-LANGUAGE MESSAGE.

THERE'S A TENDENCY
TO WATER DOWN THE INFORMATION,

TO SPOON-FEED...
THE SPEAKERS OR HEARERS

IN THE TARGET-LANGUAGE
MESSAGE.

REALLY, IT'S THE TRANSLATOR'S
RESPONSIBILITY

TO PRESENT AN ACCURATE
EQUIVALENT MESSAGE,

AND THE PRESENTATION,
WHETHER SIGNED OR SPOKEN,

NEEDS TO BE CLEAR.

YOU NEED TO CLEARLY
PRESERVE THE MEANING

WITH APPROPRIATE GRAMMAR.

A THIRD CRITERIA
OF A GOOD TRANSLATION

IS IT NEEDS TO BE NATURAL.

THE TRANSLATION
INTO THE TARGET LANGUAGE

MUST PRESERVE NATURAL LANGUAGE
PRINCIPLES AND CHARACTERISTICS.

I'VE BEEN THINKING
FOR A LONG TIME

HOW I MIGHT SHOW
AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING

THAT EVERYONE'S
FAMILIAR WITH,

THAT THEY'VE GROWN UP WITH,
THAT THEY'RE ACCUSTOMED TO...

AND ANALYZE THAT
FOR THE MEANING.

I THINK A SENTENCE
MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH.

WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR
WAS A PASSAGE, AN ENTIRE TEXT

THAT WE COULD ANALYZE...

PERHAPS A FORM
OF DISCOURSE ANALYSIS.

SO I'VE TRIED TO
COME UP WITH SOMETHING

WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH,

I'M SURE ALL OF US
HAVE SEEN BEFORE.

I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR
WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

NOW, AS I THINK BACK
AT HOW WE SIGN THAT

GROWING UP IN SCHOOL...

IT WAS ALMOST
A WORD-FOR-WORD GLOSS.

THIS WAY, LITERALLY
"FOR WHICH IT STANDS."

"INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL."

THOSE WERE THE SIGN
CHOICES WE'D SEE

AS WE GREW UP IN SCHOOL.

AND THEN IMAGINE, HEARING PEOPLE
DID THE SAME THING IN SCHOOL,

RECITED THIS OVER
AND OVER AGAIN BY ROTE...

SIMILARLY TO HOW
DEAF PEOPLE SIGNED IT,

PERHAPS NOT UNDERSTANDING
THE MEANING,

UH, ACCEPTING IT
WITHOUT DISCUSSION AT ALL.

BUT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
A FUN EXERCISE PERHAPS

TO TRY AND SIGN IT
IN A WAY THAT REALLY SHOWS

THE MEANING,
WHAT IT REPRESENTS,

TO LOOK AT THAT
TRANSLATION PROCESS

AND SEE IF IT MIGHT HELP
STUDENTS UNDERSTAND

THE MEANING AND THE FEELING
BEHIND THE WORDS.

I DON'T KNOW WHO FIRST
CAME UP WITH THAT TRANSLATION,

THE WORD-FOR-WORD GLOSS

OF "I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
TO THE FLAG."

I HAVE HERE A STATEMENT

FROM THE COMMISSION
ON THE EDUCATION OF THE DEAF

FROM THEIR...
ONE OF THEIR REPORTS

I'D LIKE TO SHARE
WITH YOU.

NOW, THIS IS WHY I SUPPORT
THE IDEA SO STRONGLY

OF USING TRANSLATION
AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL

TO HELP BOTH HEARING CHILDREN
AND DEAF CHILDREN

UNDERSTAND THEIR LANGUAGE
AND THEIR CULTURE

AND ALSO GAIN INSIGHTS
INTO OTHER LANGUAGES

AND OTHER CULTURES.

I THINK PERHAPS
SOME PEOPLE HERE HAVE

SOME NEGATIVE BIASES TOWARDS ASL
AS A LANGUAGE AND A CULTURE.

PERHAPS SOME DEAF STUDENTS
HAVE NEGATIVE BIASES

TOWARDS ENGLISH
AND THE MAINSTREAM CULTURE.

THROUGH TRANSLATION PROCESS,
IT'S EASY...

IT'S AN EASY WAY TO TRY
AND GAIN INFORMATION

AND SHARE EXPERIENCES

IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
AND CULTURE.

I REALLY STRUGGLED
WITH TRYING TO COME UP WITH

AN ACCEPTABLE TRANSLATION.

I LOOKED OVER
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

WRITTEN IN ENGLISH,

AND CERTAINLY I HAVE
A SIGN FOR EACH WORD,

BUT THAT'S NOT SUFFICIENT.

I COULD MAKE SOME APPROPRIATE
GRAMMATICAL CHANGES,

AS I MENTIONED BEFORE.

AND THEN WE GET
TO THE POINT OF CULTURE,

THE CULTURE OF ASL USERS.

GRAMMATICALLY, A DISCOURSE
ALWAYS STARTS WITH THE TOPIC,

THE SUBJECT OF WHAT
THE TEXT WILL BE ABOUT.

IT SEEMS THAT THE TOPIC
IS THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES

AND THE REPUBLIC...
THE GOVERN...

AND THE MEANING
BEHIND A REPUBLIC

IS REALLY OUR FORM
OF GOVERNMENT.

NOW, YOU COULD...

GO ON AND TALK ABOUT
HOW THIS IS MODIFIED.

LET ME GIVE YOU
AN EXAMPLE.

YOU MIGHT HAVE A RED CAR
THAT I BOUGHT YESTERDAY.

IN ASL, FIRST YOU SET UP
THE TOPIC, THE CAR,

AND THEN THAT IT WAS RED
AND I BOUGHT IT YESTERDAY.

THAT'S THE TYPICAL WORD ORDER
IN THE ASL GRAMMAR.

SO, FIRST WE HAVE THE TOPIC,
THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES,

OF OUR REPUBLIC,
THE GOVERNMENT.

AND THEN THE MODIFIERS,

THAT IT'S REPRESENTED
BY THIS FLAG

AND THE CONCEPTS
OF "ONE NATION UNDER GOD,

INDIVISIBLE,
WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE."

AND FINALLY YOU'D GET
TO THE SUBJECT,

THAT "I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE,

I'M IN SUPPORT
AND FAVOR OF THIS."

QUITE A CHANGE IN WORD ORDER
AND PRESENTATIONS OF IDEAS,

BUT IT ADDS GREAT CLARITY
FOR A NATIVE USER OF ASL.

NOW, I'M NOT SUGGESTING
WE SHOULD SIGN IT THIS WAY

IN THE CLASSROOM.
I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT AT ALL.

BUT AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL,

IT PRESERVES THE MEANING
AND THE CULTURE.

CERTAINLY, WE COULD LEAVE
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

IN ITS FROZEN FORM IN ENGLISH
ON THE BLACKBOARD,

AND IT'S PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE
FOR DAILY USE.

OUR STUDENTS CAN
CERTAINLY SIGN THAT.

BUT IN ASL, YOU'D HAVE
THE TOPIC FIRST,

THE FLAG AND THE REPUBLIC,
AND THEN THE MODIFIERS...

"ONE NATION UNDER GOD,
INDIVISIBLE,

WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE
FOR ALL,"

AND FINALLY, "I SUPPORT THIS,
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO."

[LAUGHTER]

TOM HOLCOMBE IN THE AUDIENCE
SAID, "I LIKE THAT TRANSLATION."

I TOLD HIM THANKS.

[LAUGHTER]

GREAT. NOW, IT'S EASY
FOR US TO SAY,

"OH, GREAT.
SWELL TRANSLATION."

AND WE CAN TRANSLATE
FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER.

IT'S ALWAYS
AN EASY PROCESS.

IT CAN ALWAYS BE DONE.

BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE.

SOMETIMES IT'S LITERALLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO TRANSLATE

FROM ONE LANGUAGE
AND CULTURE TO ANOTHER.

LET ME ILLUSTRATE THIS
WITH A JOKE I'VE USED

IN MY TRANSLATION CLASSES.

I DON'T WANT TO ENTER INTO
A LOT OF DISCUSSION.

FIRST, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO
IS PRESENT THIS ON THE OVERHEAD,

AND WHEN I'M DONE,
I'LL SIGN IT.

[LAUGHTER]

OK. I'M SINCERELY CURIOUS.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE,
PERHAPS DEAF PEOPLE,

DON'T REALLY
UNDERSTAND THIS JOKE?

BELIEVE ME, YOU'RE NOT
THE ONLY ONES.

I'VE PUT IN A LOT OF STUDY
ON WRITTEN ENGLISH,

AND I CAN UNDERSTAND IT,

BUT I DON'T REALLY FEEL
THE HUMOR BEHIND IT.

I THINK IT'S
KIND OF INTERESTING.

I'VE GOT AN INTELLECTUAL
FASCINATION WITH THAT,

WHY IT'S HUMOROUS
IN ENGLISH,

BUT FRANKLY, IT DOESN'T
TICKLE MY FUNNY BONE.

I'LL TRY AND TRANSLATE
THIS INTO ASL.

I DON'T KNOW
IF IT WILL HELP OR NOT.

THIS IS THE SIGN
I'LL BE USING FOR "HOW,"

FROM ENGLISH CULTURE.

IN ENGLISH, WE'D SAY,
"HOW DO YOU LIKE THE EGG...

HOW DO YOU LIKE
YOUR EGGS?"

AND YOU MIGHT SAY SCRAMBLED
OR POACHED OR FRIED.

LET ME GO AHEAD
AND PERFORM THIS JOKE NOW.

[LAUGHTER]

[CLAPS]

[LAUGHTER]

NOW, I WONDER, IS THAT
MORE COMPREHENSIBLE?

I'M WONDERING ABOUT
THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING.

WELL, FINALLY
UNDERSTAND IT MAYBE?

HMM...

UH, I THINK HEARING PEOPLE
CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT,

BUT IT'S FROM
HEARING CULTURE.

YOU KNOW, THE "HOW," H-O-W.
HOW DO YOU LIKE THE EGGS?

AND THE SOUND IS THE SAME
FROM THE INDIAN GREETING--"HOW."

AND THAT RESPONSE, "FRIED,"
UH-UH, JUST DOESN'T WORK.

LET ME EXPLAIN IT.

NOW, WHEN I
EXPLAIN IT THAT WAY...

HE GREETED THE INDIAN
AND SAID, "HO,"

AND IT SOUNDS LIKE "HOW,"
SO THE INDIAN ANSWERED,

"FRIED. THAT'S HOW
I LIKE MY EGGS."

AFTER 17 YEARS,
HE STILL REMEMBERED

EXACTLY WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
THE CONVERSATION.

SO THE DEVIL COULDN'T
TAKE HIS SOUL.

NOW, UNDERSTAND IT?
OK. GREAT.

IS IT FUNNY?
KIND OF CUTE, HUH?

WELL, IT'S PRETTY GOOD.
UH...OK.

BUT STRANGE THING--

MANY DEAF STUDENTS
IN MY CLASS

HAVE THE EXACT SAME RESPONSES
TO MY QUESTION.

"WELL, YEAH, I UNDERSTAND
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING NOW,

BUT YOU'RE NOT FUNNY."

WHEN I WAS WORKING ON
THE TRANSLATION FOR THE PLAY,

THE FOREIGNER FACED SOME SIMILAR
DIFFICULTIES RELATED TO HUMOR.

THE CLASS WOULD STUDY
THE PLAY TO THE POINT

WHERE THEY UNDERSTOOD
THEIR REASONS BEHIND THE HUMOR.

BUT AT THAT STAGE,
ALL THE HUMOR WAS GONE.

IT WAS AN INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY
AND NOT TRULY FUNNY.

SO THERE IS HUMOR IN ENGLISH,
IN THAT SPOKEN LANGUAGE,

WITH THAT CULTURE
THAT CAN'T BE TRANSLATED.

AND, SURE, IF IT'S...
YOU ATTEMPT TO TRANSLATE IT,

PEOPLE CAN SMILE,
PRETEND TO LAUGH POLITELY,

BUT THE HUMOR
ISN'T REALLY THERE.

IT'S SIMILAR PERHAPS
TO THE SIGN-LANGUAGE JOKE

FROM DEAF CULTURE
WHERE THE JOKE LINE...

WHERE THE PUNCH LINE IS
"PLEASE BUT."

A MAN DRIVES UP
TO SOME RAILROAD TRACKS,

AND THE CROSSING GUARDS
ARE DOWN ACROSS THE ROAD,

AND HE WANTS TO...
THE TRAIN GOES BY,

BUT THE GUARDS
DON'T GO UP AGAIN.

SO HE WALKS OVER
TO A MAN AT THE GATEHOUSE

BECAUSE THE GATES
DIDN'T OPEN

AND WRITES ON THE SHEET OF PAPER
"PLEASE BUT."

AND THE GUY
DOESN'T UNDERSTAND IT.

NOW, IF YOU'RE A USER OF SIGN
AND YOU SIGN "PLEASE BUT,"

IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE,

AND YOU CAN EXPLAIN THAT PERHAPS
TO A HEARING AUDIENCE.

GO AHEAD. EXPLAIN THAT
TO A NOVICE INTERPRETER SOMETIME

OR EXPLAIN THAT
TO AN INTERPRETER.

AND THEY SAY,
"OK. FINE WITH ME. FINE."

AND THEN THEY COMPREHEND IT,
BUT THE HUMOR IS GONE.

WELL, THAT'S MY POINT.

TRANSLATION AS A PROCESS

CAN HELP STUDENTS
UNDERSTAND THEIR CULTURE,

INCLUDING HUMOR, VOCABULARY,
LINGUISTIC FEATURES,

GRAMMATICAL FEATURES.

FOR HEARING PEOPLE
WHO STUDY ASL,

CERTAINLY THEY CAN UNDERSTAND
THE VOCABULARY OF THE LANGUAGE,

THE HUMOR IN ASL.

EACH LANGUAGE HAS
ITS OWN SET OF PUNS.

AND THAT'S REALLY
AN ENJOYABLE PROCESS

WHERE YOU BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND
MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE.

THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART
OF EDUCATION

AND THE ENJOYMENT
AND VITALITY OF LIFE.

LAST YEAR, I DIRECTED A PLAY
CALLED "THE FOREIGNER"...

AND WORKED ON
TRANSLATING THAT.

THE PROCESS I USED
WAS READING THE ENGLISH.

AND FIRST...WELL, I COULDN'T
WRITE INTO ASL.

SO I'D HAVE TO BORROW SOME
OF THE WORDS AND TERMINOLOGY

FROM THE ENGLISH
AND WRITE DOWN A GLOSS,

ALMOST AN OUTLINE
OF ENGLISH KEYWORDS.

THEN, IN THE FIRST WEEK
OF REHEARSAL,

WE GOT TOGETHER
WITH THE CAST,

AND I TOOK TURNS SIGNING SOME OF
THOSE, UH, GLOSSES THAT I HAD,

SOME KEY SENTENCES.

AND SO, WHAT WAS WORKING,
AND WHAT WASN'T?

AND SOME OF THE STUDENTS
WHO GREW UP IN DEAF CULTURE

HAD SOME SUGGESTIONS
FOR ALTERNATE WAYS TO SIGN IT,

AT LEAST ON HOW
THEY UNDERSTOOD THE MEANING.

SO WE WENT THROUGH A PROCESS
OF WORKING ON A TRANSLATION.

AND I LOOKED BACK, AND I SAW
SOME OF THEM I REALLY LIKED,

INCORPORATED
THOSE SUGGESTIONS.

BUT THEN WE DID PASSAGES

THAT JUST SEEMED
IMPOSSIBLE TO TRANSLATE.

WE PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT
AND THOUGHT INTO IT.

FINALLY, I HAD TO ELECT
TO ELIMINATE SOME PASSAGES

THAT JUST COULDN'T
BE TRANSLATED.

THEY COULD BE VOICED IN ENGLISH,
BUT THEY COULDN'T BE TRANSLATED.

IF WE TRIED
TO GLOSS THOSE,

THEY WOULDN'T BE
HUMOROUS AT ALL

FOR DEAF PEOPLE
IN THE AUDIENCE

OR FOR SIGNERS
IN THE AUDIENCE.

SO WE JUST HAD TO
ELIMINATE THOSE.

THE TROUBLE...
THE PROBLEM WAS

THEY COULDN'T BE TRANSLATED
IN TERMS OF THE CULTURE.

IF YOU LOOK AT
THE SAMPLE HERE,

THE FIRST SENTENCE,
"HERE WE GO."

THEN CHARLIE--
"HERE WE GO."

IF YOU LOOK
AT THE FIRST PASSAGE,

WHERE FROGGY IS SPEAKING...

THAT'S ENGLISH,
SPOKEN ENGLISH FROM BRITAIN.

NOW, HOW DO WE
TRANSLATE THAT INTO ASL?

SHOULD WE USE
A SIGN LIKE THIS,

"FROM NOW ON" OR "WHERE
ARE WE GOING FROM HERE"?

FOR ASL USERS, YOU KNOW
WHY I'M USING THIS,

WHY I WAVE
MY HAND LIKE THAT.

IT'S AN ATTENTION-GETTER.

YOU KNOW, IN ASL,
YOU CAN HOLLER A PERSON'S NAME.

I'M SORRY. IN SPOKEN ENGLISH,
YOU CAN HOLLER A PERSON'S NAME.

SIGNERS DON'T TEND
TO CALL PEOPLE BY NAME.

IT'S A CHARACTERISTIC WAVE
THAT WOULD BE USED

TO GET SOMEONE'S
ATTENTION.

SO IT'S CULTURALLY EQUIVALENT.
IT'S COMPLEMENTARY.

THE CHOICE I USED WASN'T...
WELL, "HERE WE GO FROM HERE."

I USED WHAT? "WE'VE ARRIVED.
WE'VE ARRIVED HERE."

THE PART HERE,
"HELLO, BETH,"

HEARING ACTORS COULD HOLLER,
"HELLO, BETH OR BETTY,"

USING THE NAME SIGN,
BUT IN DEAF CULTURE,

YOU CERTAINLY CAN'T HOLLER
TO GET SOMEONE'S ATTENTION

LIKE THAT, SO WE HAD TO MAKE
SOME MODIFICATIONS

WHERE THEY COULD WALK
TO THE DOOR, OPEN IT UP,

AND WAVE HELLO.

"HELLO, BETTY."
OR "MISS BETTY."

THE SPOKEN ENGLISH LINE
WAS "BETTY, MY LOVE.

"BETTY, MY LOVE.
WHERE IS SHE?"

AND FOR THE SPOKEN LINE
"WHAT TIME DO YOU MAKE IT?"

COULD BE TRANSLATED
PRETTY CLOSELY.

BRENDA.

AARON HAD A QUESTION.

AARON: I'M CURIOUS. AS I'M
WATCHING THE WRITTEN ENGLISH

YOU HAVE WRITTEN
DOWN THERE...

UH, THE SPELLING
IS REALLY DIFFERENT.

INSTEAD OF W-H-A-T,
YOU HAVE W-O-T.

BRITISH OR PERHAPS...

I DON'T KNOW
IF IT'S LOWER-CLASS OR WHAT,

BUT HOW DID YOU SIGNIFY THAT
OR TRANSLATE THAT?

PATRICK: THE QUESTION WAS,
IN THE WRITTEN SCRIPT,

AS YOU READ THROUGH IT...

YOU SEE A VERY BRITISH
WAY OF SPEAKING--

W-O-T FOR "WHAT."

AND "D'YER,"
D'-Y-E-R.

SOMETIMES IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO PRESERVE THAT SORT OF THING

GOING FROM ONE LANGUAGE
TO ANOTHER.

YOU CAN TRY IT
IN THE WAY YOU SIGN.

I COULD FORMALLY SIGN,
"WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?"

OR, HITTING A DIFFERENT
REGISTER, "WHAT TIME IS IT?

HEY, MAN, WHAT TIME?"

SO YOU COULD DO IT
PERHAPS WITH REGISTER.

KEITH...

KEITH WAS ASKING ME...

PERHAPS THROUGH CLOTHING,
DRESSING APPROPRIATELY,

YOU COULD SHOW
SOME OF THAT, SURE.

THAT'S A DIRECTOR'S DECISION,

ANY TIME YOU'RE DOING A PLAY
AND THAT TECHNIQUE HELPS.

WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
FOCUS ON NOW

IS THE LANGUAGE CONSIDERATIONS,
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.

UH, WE'RE...
TIME IS REALLY SHORT.

I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU
ONE MORE OVERHEAD.

[LAUGHTER]

I STRUGGLED TRYING TO
TRANSLATE THAT INTO ASL.

WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION,
PUT A LOT OF EFFORT

INTO WORKING ON
THE TRANSLATION PROCESS

AND ULTIMATELY DECIDED
IT WAS TOTALLY PART

OF A SPOKEN-LANGUAGE
HEARING CULTURE.

WE HAD TO CUT THIS
OUT OF THE PLAY.

MY CURRENT FEELING IS,
IF I WAS DIRECT...

IF I WERE DIRECTING
THIS PLAY AGAIN

WITH A DIFFERENT CAST, MAYBE
I COULD FIND A WAY TO DO IT,

BUT MY DECISION,
WHEN I WAS DIRECTING IT,

WAS TO JUST CUT IT OUT
AND DELETE IT.

OR THEY'RE MAKING
THAT COMPARISON

ABOUT CALLING
A TONGUE FLOPPY.

IT'S JUST SUCH A PUN,
SUCH A DOUBLE MEANING INVOLVED,

THE DOUBLE ENTENDRE.

IN DEAF CULTURE,
A SIGNED LANGUAGE,

YOU DON'T SPEAK
WITH YOUR TONGUE.

YOU COMMUNICATE
WITH YOUR HANDS.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU COULD
SIGN SOME WAY APPROPRIATELY

AS "FLOPPY HAND" OR DO
SOMETHING TO SIGNIFY THAT,

BUT IT'S NOT EASY.

IT'S CERTAINLY NOT EASY
TO TRANSLATE APPROPRIATELY.

BUT I HAVE TO EMPHASIZE
IT'S A MARVELOUS TOOL

FOR STUDYING LANGUAGE,

AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR STUDYING
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE,

TWO LANGUAGES
AND TWO CULTURES

IN A COMPLEMENTARY WAY
WITH EQUAL RESPECT AND STATUS.

THANK YOU.

[APPLAUSE]

NOW WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT
OF TIME FOR QUESTIONS.

I'LL WARN YOU, I MIGHT NOT
HAVE THE ANSWERS.

BUT WE COULD GO AHEAD,
START WITH SOME QUESTIONS.

CAROL.

CAROL: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
COMPARISONS IN TRANSLATIONS

WITH ENGLISH AND ASL.

I'M REALLY ENJOYING
WATCHING THE COMPARISONS.

YOU TALKED ABOUT ENGLISH
BEING A WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

UH...I'M WONDERING HOW YOU CAN
DO ALL THOSE TRANSFORMATIONS

IN TERMS OF WORD ORDER,

MAKING ALL THE GRAMMATICAL
AND LINGUISTIC CHANGES

YOU NEED TO MAKE.

WHERE DO YOU GET
THE TIME TO DO THAT?

I MEAN, HOW WOULD I HAVE
ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE

ALL THOSE CHANGES
AND PRESENT THEM TO A TEACHER?

PATRICK: OK. SO YOU'RE SAYING
THAT PERHAPS YOU'D WANT TO...

YOUR FINAL PRODUCT, YOUR TARGET
IS A WRITTEN ESSAY IN ENGLISH,

AND PERHAPS YOU WANT TO START
WITH A SOURCE LANGUAGE,

CREATING IN ASL BECAUSE YOU KNOW
YOUR OWN LANGUAGE.

NOW, WE KNOW ASL DOESN'T
HAVE A WRITTEN FORM.

SO YOU'D HAVE TO PERHAPS
BORROW SOME WORDS FROM ENGLISH,

GET DOWN A ROUGH DRAFT.

AND THEN YOU HAVE PERHAPS IN ASL
GRAMMATICAL ORDER.

THEN LOOK OVER
WHAT YOU'VE WRITTEN,

SEE WHEN YOU'RE SATISFIED
WITH THE MEANING,

WHAT YOU'VE COME UP WITH
FROM THAT THOUGHT PROCESS,

AND THEN GO THROUGH A PROCESS
OF TRANSLATING IT INTO ENGLISH,

WHICH IS
YOUR SECOND LANGUAGE.

PERHAPS THAT APPROACH
WOULD WORK FOR YOU.

IT'S CERTAINLY
WORTH A TRY.

BUT IT REALLY REQUIRES THAT
THE PERSON KNOW TWO LANGUAGES.

AND GARY MOWELL
JUST SUGGESTED

THAT PERHAPS YOU COULD
SIGN YOUR ESSAY,

VIDEOTAPE YOURSELF
WHILE YOU'RE SIGNING IT,

SEE IF YOU'RE SATISFIED
WITH THAT PRESENTATION.

IF NOT, MAKE SOME REVISIONS,
VIDEOTAPE YOURSELF AGAIN,

AND WHEN YOU'RE SATISFIED
WITH THE PRODUCT

IN THAT SOURCE
LANGUAGE OF ASL,

THEN GO THROUGH
YOUR TRANSLATION.

YES, FARLEY?

FARLEY: LET ME STAND UP.

I NOTICED YOU TALKING
ABOUT CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

AND A METHOD
OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION.

I'VE NOTICED
THAT DEAF TEACHERS

TEND TO REALLY GIVE A LOT
OF EXAMPLES, EMPHASIZE EXAMPLES,

AND THEN FINALLY GET
TO ENGLISH...

AN ENGLISH PRESENTATION.

I THINK THE HEARING TEACHERS
I'VE OBSERVED

OFTEN WILL GO AHEAD,
GIVE A LECTURE,

THEN GIVE EXAMPLES
NEAR THE END.

I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S
AN IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE PERHAPS

TO GIVE EXAMPLES FIRST
AND THEN EXPLAIN THE MEANING.

FOR EXAMPLE,
IN YOUR PRESENTATION,

FIRST YOU GAVE EXAMPLES
OF TRANSLATION

AND THEN WENT INTO

SOME OF THE MORE THEORETICAL
PARTS OF YOUR TALK.

PATRICK: OK. I GUESS
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING

IS YOU FEEL
THAT DEAF TEACHERS

OFTEN WILL START OUT INITIALLY
BY PRESENTING SOME EXAMPLES

AND THEN WILL SHOW THE ENGLISH,
HOW THAT'S DONE IN ENGLISH,

WHEREAS HEARING TEACHERS USE...
WILL PRESENT

THE ENGLISH SENTENCE
OR ENGLISH DISCOURSE FIRST

AND THEN USE SOME EXAMPLES
TO EXPLAIN HOW THAT WORKS.

IT MAY BE A CULTURAL
DIFFERENCE.

YES, PERHAPS IT IS,
BUT I CAUTION YOU

THAT I THINK IT'S EASY
FOR US TO START WITH EXAMPLES

AND PERHAPS MAKES IT EASIER
FOR OUR STUDENTS

TO LEARN AND COMPREHEND.

ONE CAUTION IS WE NEED
TO AVOID SPOON-FEEDING.

PERHAPS WE COULD START
WITH THE ENGLISH,

SEE WHAT'S UNDERSTOOD FROM
THE ENGLISH SOURCE LANGUAGE,

AND THEN START
TRANSLATING,

AND AFTER WE GO THROUGH
THAT PROCESS,

PROVIDE MORE EXAMPLES
THAT MIGHT AID IN COMPREHENSION.

I THINK IF WE PROVIDE
TOO MUCH FOR THE STUDENTS,

THEY WON'T BE CHALLENGED,
HAVE TO THINK ON THEIR OWN

AND WORK ON THE PROBLEM
INDEPENDENTLY.

IS TRANSLATION THE SAME
AS PRESENTING EXAMPLES TO YOU?

OK. TO ME, TRANSLATION
IS EQUIVALENT

TO PRESENTING THE MEANING.

THE QUESTION IS
IS, TO ME,

IS TRANSLATION EQUIVALENT
TO GIVING EXAMPLES?

NO.

[LAUGHTER]

I WANT TO FIND MY OVERHEAD
WITH THE 4 SENTENCES ON IT.

[LAUGHTER]

I DIDN'T REALLY
GIVE EXAMPLES.

I SIGNED IT ONE WAY
AND PRESENTED A TRANSLATION

IN SIGN LANGUAGE, PRESERVING
GRAMMATICAL FEATURES OF ASL,

CHANGING WORD ORDER
WHEN NECESSARY.

SO I THINK TRANSLATION
ISN'T EXACTLY EQUIVALENT

TO GIVING A SERIES
OF EXAMPLES.

OK. YOU'RE ASKING WHAT TYPE
OF EXAMPLES YOU MIGHT GIVE.

I'M SURE YOU'VE PROBABLY
HAD AN EXPERIENCE BEFORE

OF EATING MEATLOAF
OR VEGETABLES,

AND THE NEXT DAY
YOU HAD INDIGESTION.

THAT MIGHT BE AN EXAMPLE
OR EXPLANATION YOU COULD USE

BUT THAT'S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
FROM THE STRAIGHT TRANSLATION

OF THE SOURCE-LANGUAGE
SENTENCE.

OK. BARBARA, RAY HOLCOMBE.

RAY: OK. WHEN THE STUDENTS
HAVE A SCRIPT,

DO YOU FEEL
THAT THE STUDENTS

SHOULD READ THROUGH
THE SCRIPT FIRST

AND THEN LOOK AT THE SENTENCES
AND THE DIALOGUE,

OR DO YOU PRESENT
THE TRANSLATION FIRST,

BEFORE THEY'RE EXPECTED
TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE PLAY?

PATRICK: OK.
THE QUESTION IS,

WHEN I HAND OUT
A SCRIPT TO A CAST--

AND WE'RE FOCUSING
ON A PLAY--

DO WE LOOK
AT A SENTENCE LEVEL,

TRANSLATING SENTENCE
BY SENTENCE,

OR DO WE REQUIRE THEM
TO READ THROUGH

THE WHOLE SCRIPT FIRST,
DEVELOP A BASIC UNDERSTANDING,

AND THEN GO BACK
AND PERFORM THE TRANSLATION,

PERHAPS AT A SENTENCE LEVEL?

WE CAN SAY IT THIS WAY--

I THINK I'VE DONE IT INCORRECTLY
OR INEFFICIENTLY IN THE PAST.

I USED TO GO THROUGH
SENTENCE BY SENTENCE,

TRANSLATING EACH SENTENCE.

THEN, AT THE END
OF A PASSAGE,

I'D REALIZE, "OH, WAIT A MINUTE.
THAT'S NOT WHAT IT MEANS."

I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK
AND START OVER.

SO WHAT I DO NOW IS TAKE
AN ENTIRE PASSAGE FIRST,

UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THAT PASSAGE,

ANALYZE THE DISCOURSE
AT THAT LEVEL,

AT A PASSAGE LEVEL,

THEN GO BACK AND START
TRANSLATING AT A SENTENCE LEVEL.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.

[APPLAUSE]

[INDISTINCT]

HOLD ON ONE MOMENT.
ONE MOMENT.

I HAVE TWO ARTICLES

THAT INCORPORATE
BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

ONE IS BY M.J. BIENVENU.

THE OTHER ARTICLE
IS WRITTEN BY AN INSTRUCTOR

AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY,

DR. TOM THOR, WHO TALKS
ABOUT GOOD TRANSLATIONS

OR POOR TRANSLATIONS AND WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS.

I HAVE 60 COPIES
HERE WITH ME.

I HOPE THAT WILL BE ENOUGH.

IF IT'S INSUFFICIENT,
YOU COULD PUT YOUR NAME DOWN

ON THE SAME LIST
AS WE USED FOR THE NOTES,

AND I'LL GET YOU A COPY.

[WOMAN SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY]

PLEASE REMEMBER TO TURN OFF
YOUR LOOP MONITORS

AND PUT THEM BACK
ON THE CART IN THERE.

SECONDLY, JUST A REMINDER,
IF YOU WANT NOTES,

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THEM.

YOU WILL GET THEM
EVENTUALLY.

AND THIRDLY,
THE DISCUSSION SECTION

IS IN THE VISITORS
CENTER THERE.

IT'S TEA AND COOKIES
AND COFFEE.

SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR A WONDERFUL LECTURE.

[APPLAUSE]

"This project is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."

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