“It’s a duck!”

The beauty of ASL is seen clearly in the hands of the young.

Whether it’s identifying a duck in the water or relating signs of the season, we can see the simplicity and clarity of language in motion.

We look to the experts for language modeling when sometimes the beauty lies in the hands of the innocent.

Photo contributions from Amber Ceffalio & Susanne Morgan Morrow

“Pumpkin”

The post Language in Motion… appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

SignTalk affiliate, Jon Wolfe-Nelson, hard at work.

Dilemma Question:

Jon, what do you do when you are
interpreting in front of a large room of
people while being simultaneously broadcast
across the web to multiple states and countless
viewers and someone comes to “adjust” your video camera?

And in this adjustment you are distracted
from your work, irritated that you were not
consulted as to the needs of the camera,
and now you are less centered in the picture
than before.

How do you handle this scenario?

The post Dilemma Question #1 appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

Ethical dilemmas. We are faced with them everyday. Interpreters are very often put into the position of Constant-Ethical-Dilemma-Decision-Maker or CEDDM for short – yes, we need another acronym! There are many times when the “right” decision feels wrong and the “wrong” decision feels right.  The decisions that interpreters make can have significant impact on the outcome of a meeting, shift the cultural platform and cultivate or destroy relationships.

So how do interpreters handle these scenarios? Naturally we have the RID Code of Professional Conduct to refer to. However, the CPC is merely a guideline for parameters of professional behavior, not a rule book to abide by. So interpreters need other guidance. This guidance is often difficult to seek out given the parameters of confidentiality. However, with experience, an interpreter begins to realize that there are ways to gain insight in safe and neutral ways.

As a working professional, any interpreter should be a member of the national organization representing his/her field and should be a member of the local chapter of interpreters. Through these memberships an interpreter will remain abreast on current trends in the field and have access to colleagues who may be more seasoned and who can act as confidential mentors. These mentorships often happen organically through conversations among professionals.

But perhaps a larger platform is needed, one to put real, hard, what-in-the-world-should-I-have done types of issues out there for a bigger group to hear and chew on. To address this issue SignTalk is offering a platform to discuss these issues. So we are asking you to submit some real life scenarios that were perplexing or challenging for you. These situations can be from you as a receiver of interpreting services or from the interpreting side of things.

So let’s ask the “tough” questions, the “oohh, ouch” questions, the “I’m not so sure of the answer” questions. Send your scenarios/dilemmas to smorrow@signtalk.org and we will walk through these scenarios together with perspective from representatives from the deaf and interpreting communities.  

Let’s grow our awareness together – with each other – through community.

Susie

The post When Sometimes Wrong is Right & Right is Wrong appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

Language through the eyes of love.

Photography by Amber Ceffalio

Yes, sign language is beautiful. However, capturing brief snapshots of a language in motion is a challenge as you can lose some of the nuances that are richly unique to American Sign Language. Here Amber Ceffalio is able to catch a few of these beautiful glimpses in the language of young people.

Do you have any pictures that captures the beautiful of American Sign Language and the culture? Send them to us SignTalk Staff on Facebook and @SignTalkLL on Twitter.

EVERY child needs to know how to sign ‘cookie’!

Stay tuned as we share more beauty in motion.

The post Sign Language in Action appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

“Accurate Fingerspelling & Number Production for 

with Miriam Morrow, CDI

Sunday, 10/5/14  9:30am – 1:30pm

SLC Conference Center

15 W 39th St New York, NY 10018

Cost: $25

CEUs: .4 PS

To Register: ddavid@signtalk.com

Workshop Overview

Research shows that adult learners who attempt to acquire a second language have more difficulty achieving fluency than those that are native or near-native learners. Research through Gallaudet University speaks specifically about the importance of lexicalization of fingerspelling and the expansion outside of ‘neutral fingerspelling’ that is commonly used by hearing people. Given the current trend in the field of interpreting, most practitioners enter the field as non-native signers, thus raising the concern of true fluency, particularly as it relates to the reception of ASL. This session will focus on native-like strategies to increase reception and expression of fingerspelling and numerical production, specifically for interpreters working in the educational setting.

Learner Objectives:

• Identify the challenges with fingerspelling & numerical production.
• Demonstrate native-like strategies to enhance production.
• Identify ways in which these strategies can be applied as an interpreter within the educational setting.

The post 10/5/14 Workshop: “Accurate Fingerspelling & Number Production for Educational Interpreters” appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

July 25-29, 2014 TERPExpo – Orlando, FL

SignTalk representative, Maria Jimenez, attended the TERPExpo in Orlando as an official sponsor of the event. Maria shared information about professional development opportunities for SignTalk affiliated interpreters and got to observe, first hand, talented interpreter educators in the field. Stay posted for SignTalk’s professional development calendar for in-person and virtual classes!

The post SignTalk Foundation Supports TERPExpo in Orlando! appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.

SignTalk Foundation is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the upcoming International Deaf-Blind Expo that’s taking place in Las Vegas, NV from July 30 – August 3, 2014. This expo is the first time that experts in the field of deaf-blindness are coming together to display state-of-the-art technological devices for people with combined hearing and vision loss. Leaders from the Deaf-Blind community will also be present sharing current trends in the field.

A $500 scholarship was awarded to Barbara Russ Smith of Chestnut Ridge, NY. An affiliate of SignTalk’s, Barbara is a nationally certified interpreter and is very motivated to continue her work in the Deaf-Blind community. She most recently participated in an intensive interpreter education seminar through Helen Keller National Center on deaf-blind interpreting strategies, facilitated by Susanne Morgan Morrow.

Congratulations, Barbara and good luck with the expo!

The post International Deaf-Blind Expo – Scholarship appeared first on Signtalk Foundation.