SIGHT TRANSLATION…
HOW??
WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
SUSIE GRONA
LAURA HILL

ADJUNCT
PROFESSOR, TYLER
JUNIOR COLLEGE

FULL-TIME
PROFESSOR, TYLER
JUNIOR COLLEGE

DEAF CULTURE
VISUAL GESTURAL
COMMUNICATION
FINGERSPELLING

AMERICAN SIGN
LANGUAGE I, II, III,
IV, & V
SPECIAL TOPICS



Workshop Objective

Participants will develop interpreting
techniques in various settings with
sight/text translation.

Participants will analyze signed and
written texts for both meaning and
form through discussion, small group
work, and lecture to develop the
knowledge and competencies of ASL
and English.
Workshop Agenda
I.
Brief Description of Sight
Translation
II. Small Group Sight Translation
Practice/Feedback – “Cold” (twice)
III. Sight Translation Video
Presentation (2 times)
IV. Large Group Presentation
IV. Small Group Sight Translation
Practice/Feedback (4 times)
Workshop Agenda – Part II
V.
Sight Translation Video
Presentation (4 times)
VI. Discussion/Answers/ Feedback
and Evaluation
***Each group will get sight translation
handouts. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON
THE HANDOUTS!
Turn in the handouts after each sight
translation activity
WHAT IS SIGHT
TRANSLATION??
When do you utilize
Sight Translation?
As an interpreter, sight translation
assignments occur in most interpreting
settings such as legal, medical,
employment, education, and religious
settings.
Thus, you should always be prepared
with on-the-spot sight translation
interpreting.
Small Group
Sight Translation Activity – Cold
Participants will be divided into six
groups (8-10 people per group)
Each group will receive a printed
document in English. Participants
will analyze the printed document
and discuss with the group how to
sign the document in ASL.
Video Presentation #1
Privacy Option
Video Presentation #2
Hospital Discharge
Large Group Presentation
I.
What is the difference between ASL
and English?
II.
How to prepare yourself for sight
translation assignments
III.
Strategies for sight translation
What is the difference between
ASL and English?
ASL
I. Modality:
-visual/gestural/spatial
II. Word Order/
Grammatical Structure
-Topic-Comment
-Object-Subject-Verb
-Subject-Object-Verb
English
I. Modality
-Auditory/vocal/linear
II. Word Order/
Grammatical Structure
-Subject-Verb-Object
(fairly strict word
order)
ASL
V. Adjectives
-mouth morphemes
-classifiers
-signed adjectives
are used alone or
with combination
of sign vocabulary
English
V. Adjectives
-are usually added
preceding the noun
ASL
VI. Use of space
-very critical aspect of
ASL to use absent
referents in place of sign
vocabulary because ASL
is a visual language
English
VI. Use of space
-NONE
How to prepare yourself for sight
translation assignments
1. Have a strong short-term memory skills
a) practice reading newspaper articles by
skimming the first and last sentence of
the article.
2. Use SAT-GRE practice books for practicing
reading comprehension.
a) practice chunking skills
b) use context and cohesion clues
c) know the topic area and how to
analyze it.
3. Practice using closure skills instead of
reading word for word. Occasionally take a
quick look at the document, but not
continually
4. Highlight the important details you might
forget
Strategies for Sight Translation
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Treat the monolingual consumer as a highly
intellectual individual.
Have a wide sign vocabulary background
knowledge for specific type of document
presented.
Have the ability to scan and understand the
main points.
Be able to “chunk” the passage or sections
of the document.
Be able to accurately interpret the
document into equivalent meaning in ASL.
Small Groups
 Sight
Translation Practice and
Feedback (4 times)
 Between
each small group section,
you will see a Sight Translation
Video Clip four times
Video Presentation #3
Backpack
Video Presentation #4
(Swine Flu)
Video Presentation #5
Financial Aid
Video Presentation #6
Library Policy
Large Group Presentation
Discussion/Answers/Feedback
and Evaluation
Workshop Bibliography
-Board for Evaluators of Interpreters –
www.dars.state.tx.us
-Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf –
www.rid.org
-Diana Gorman Jamrozik, MA, CI and CT
Columbia College Chicago, “Sight
Translation: What, Why, and How?”