Use video resources wisely
Remember all those tapes of proficient ASL signers you have access to? Use them in more than one fashion. Perhaps the first time, leave the sound off and see how well you understand the discourse. Sometime in the future, practice your voicing technique, comparing yourself to the voice interpreter if one is available on the tape. Again, at a later date, try changing the register of your voicing style. Pretend you are interpreting for a business meeting, then try again as if explaining the same material to a second grader. Finally, use that proficient signer as a model to improve your own signing style and grammatical structures. Mimic the signs and facial grammars until they become a tool you can use without thinking.
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Thursday
Friday
Another tip...
Become familiar with your own process.
The truth of the matter is, 90 percent of interpreting takes place in the brain, not on the hands or out the mouth. And none of us can get inside your head as well as you can. Learn what works for you, what helps your clients to understand you better.
What can you do to make your nerves subside? How can you learn to trust you more?
Take advice when offered, but only keep what works for you. Become your own diagnostician. It may put me out of business, but the profession will be the better for it.
The truth of the matter is, 90 percent of interpreting takes place in the brain, not on the hands or out the mouth. And none of us can get inside your head as well as you can. Learn what works for you, what helps your clients to understand you better.
What can you do to make your nerves subside? How can you learn to trust you more?
Take advice when offered, but only keep what works for you. Become your own diagnostician. It may put me out of business, but the profession will be the better for it.
Public Speaking
As interpreters we tend to focus much of our attention on improving our signing skills. Just as often we need to attend to our ability to speak effectively. A theater class can teach one to project clearly, analyze a text and modulate one's voice to match mood and manner. A speech class can also help one analyze a text but adds the skills of persuasion, exposition and improvisation to one's bag of tricks.
Interpreter's need an expansive vocabulary and a clear understanding of register in order to make their English production match the source text. Theater and speech classes are a good way to start. Continue by joining Toastmasters or a neighborhood theater company to further hone the skills. Besides, it might be fun!
Interpreter's need an expansive vocabulary and a clear understanding of register in order to make their English production match the source text. Theater and speech classes are a good way to start. Continue by joining Toastmasters or a neighborhood theater company to further hone the skills. Besides, it might be fun!
Thursday
Cold Weather Tips
Clearly cold weather is soon upon us. We all know the warning:
Keep your hands as warm as possible.
Here are some suggestions for doing so.
1. Wear mittens (best because each finger warms the one next to it)
2. Wear warm gloves (i.e. those with fur or cashmere lining)
3. Purchase hand warmers (i.e. some are chemically activated and designed for hunters)
4. Warm your hands by holding a hot cup of water or other beverage.
5. Hold your hands under warm running water.
6. Dip your hands in a warm wax machine, if available.
7. Warm-up by performing some gentle exercises.
Keep your hands as warm as possible.
Here are some suggestions for doing so.
1. Wear mittens (best because each finger warms the one next to it)
2. Wear warm gloves (i.e. those with fur or cashmere lining)
3. Purchase hand warmers (i.e. some are chemically activated and designed for hunters)
4. Warm your hands by holding a hot cup of water or other beverage.
5. Hold your hands under warm running water.
6. Dip your hands in a warm wax machine, if available.
7. Warm-up by performing some gentle exercises.
Friday
Tip of the week 4
Students are always asking me how to improve receptive fingerspelling skills. My favorite?
Play "Wheel of Fortune" as often as possible.
Knowing the topic, the approximate number of letters and a few of those letters is often all we catch the first time around a word is fingerspelled. This program helps develop closure skills which will prove useful in filling in the gaps while reading fingerspelling.
Besides, it is still fun to watch after all these years.
Play "Wheel of Fortune" as often as possible.
Knowing the topic, the approximate number of letters and a few of those letters is often all we catch the first time around a word is fingerspelled. This program helps develop closure skills which will prove useful in filling in the gaps while reading fingerspelling.
Besides, it is still fun to watch after all these years.
Tip of the week
Access some current events every day.
Read a newspaper, surf the web, follow network news or the Headline News Network. Being familiar with who, and what is in the news provides invaluable schema for personal interaction in various settings. Once I worked with a woman who did not read the paper or watch television for religious reasons. She was stunned to enter an assignment and learn for the first time of the horror that as the Columbine shootings. We need to be prepared for any topic at any time and the only way to do that is to stay caught up and read-read-read!
Read a newspaper, surf the web, follow network news or the Headline News Network. Being familiar with who, and what is in the news provides invaluable schema for personal interaction in various settings. Once I worked with a woman who did not read the paper or watch television for religious reasons. She was stunned to enter an assignment and learn for the first time of the horror that as the Columbine shootings. We need to be prepared for any topic at any time and the only way to do that is to stay caught up and read-read-read!
Monday
Tips and Tricks 2
Tip:
Sign to yourself in a mirror.
Once your body gets used to doing the movements required of ASL, non-native users will develop bad habits. Anything from brushing hair out of the face to thrusting your hand forward forcibly when fingerspelling, if it distracts you in the mirror, it probably distracts your clients. By the way, I've done both of those examples smile. Everyone develops bad habits. The goal is to find them and change them.
Sign to yourself in a mirror.
Once your body gets used to doing the movements required of ASL, non-native users will develop bad habits. Anything from brushing hair out of the face to thrusting your hand forward forcibly when fingerspelling, if it distracts you in the mirror, it probably distracts your clients. By the way, I've done both of those examples smile. Everyone develops bad habits. The goal is to find them and change them.
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