About This Course

This course is an introduction to the process and skills required to produce bidirectional English-bound signing-to-spoken English language transliterations between Deaf and nondeaf people. Upon successful completion of this course, students will demonstrate they can:

1. incorporate practical applications of non-judgmental language (Colonomos, Witter-Merrithew, et al.) in evaluating personal and colleague work product (professionally talk about our work)
2. from critical reading of published field-related literature, synthesize a definition of transliteration in the signed language interpreting profession (define transliteration)
3. though these readings and class discussion, identify various historical perspectives about the development of transliteration in the signed language interpreting profession (understand transliteration’s genesis, application, and benefit)
4. identify and incorporate a best-practice taxonomy of personal and skill-based competencies and processes required to produce signed-to-spoken language and spoken language-to-signed transliterations, including a review of demand-control schema (DC-S)-based choices in the transliteration process (identify what skills are required)
5. demonstrate and self-monitor abilities required to produce equivalent sign-to-spoken language transliterations of rehearsed and/or spontaneous texts (produce equivalent work):
   • demonstrate equivalent and professional usage of spoken English in target language (tL) transliterations (signed language-to-Spoken English)
   • demonstrate competent and professional usage of various English-bound signed languages and manual codes (MCEs) in target language (tL) transliterations (Spoken English-to-signed language)
   • recognize and produce equivalent transliterations given variations in features and parts of message (register, tone, affect, voice, power/less language)
   • understand and develop practical skills for working in a team dynamic (working with colleagues)
   • recognize and properly address transliteration difference in various genres (comedy, dramatic, educational, age-appropriate, academic, narrative, legal, medical, literary/poetic, religious, entertainment, etc.
   • identify impacts on and incorporation of semantic choice, register, and ethical behavioral decisions in transliterations

A significant portion of this course requires self-directed efforts (a/sychronously working with other colleagues) and fairly good command of web-based technologies and learning environments (video creation, salient discussion and reporting skills; we’ll discuss this more in class).

This course requires a one-hour per week lab criteria; students should expect to spend at least an hour a week on skill-building exercises in a language laboratory setting.

(Source: http://thephilanews.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Gallaudet-University-Widening-Horizons-for-the-Deaf.jpg)

Note: All downloadable files — class notes, syllabi, and other handouts — are saved in PDF formats and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If the computer you are using does not have Acrobat or the Acrobat browser plugin, you can download it free.