Active and passive voice sentences describe the same action in different ways. Active voice is generally preferable for writing and formal speaking because it is clear and consice.
People tend to fall into passive voice very easily when they are trying to describe something or tell a story. Lecturing professors and off-the-cuff speakers are notorious for stringing together long stretches of prose that is entirely passive.
How do you tell the difference between passive and active voice when you hear it?
The linguistic explanation is that active voice sentences have a subject-verb construction, while passive sentences have a verb-subject construction.
Active: The dog bit the man.
Passive: The man was bitten by the dog.
Both sentences mean the same thing, but say it very differently.
One way to spot a passive sentence is to look for a series of unnecessary words. "The man was bitten by the dog" uses 7 words to say the same thing that "The dog bit the man" accomplished in 5. It doesn't seem like a huge difference in a short example, but it can get really cumbersome in a more complex sentence.
Passive voice also tends to make the listener wait until the entire sentence is over before the meaning is clear. Active voice tells you who did what right away. You can remove the linking words from an active sentence and still understand what is being said: dog bit man.
Take out the links from a passive sentence and it is a little strange: man bitten dog.
In some cases, passive sentences leave out the subject entirely. "The man was bitten" doesn't say who - or what - did the biting.
Understanding the difference between active and passive voice can help you communicate more effectively in many different situations. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/5cc99h.
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Friday
First Tip of 2011
Watch an action show without sounds or captions.
Here's a great way to practice gleaning information from only visual cues. Look for relationships and emotions. See how well you can figure out the point of the show. Later, play it back or watch the re-run and see what you missed.
A second reason to employ this tip is to understand a little more about the culture we serve. In the years before captioned media, the most popular movies among the Deaf community were action films. Dramas were poorly lit and had too much talking to lipread, even if one were good enough to lip read around the camera angles. Comedies had their moments, but also relied often upon verbal puns that were easy to miss. If it wasn't a slapstick comedy, most of my Deaf friends skipped it. Musicals were also hit and miss. The old MGM musicals had enough dancing to keep my friends interested, but later shows like Moulin Rouge were again dark and relied upon the words too much to make sense.
But action shows were a hoot. The dialogue was only as important as the plot. No one really cared why Harrison Ford was jumping off a train or a dam, my friends just though it was exciting to watch. Their parents would share the same feeling about Hitchcock thrillers. The intricacies of the storyline were lost but a plane chasing a man down in a corn field was exciting regardless!
So give it a try. You may understand your Deaf friends more - and have a great opportunity to improve your observation skills and by extension, your interpreting skills.
Here's a great way to practice gleaning information from only visual cues. Look for relationships and emotions. See how well you can figure out the point of the show. Later, play it back or watch the re-run and see what you missed.
A second reason to employ this tip is to understand a little more about the culture we serve. In the years before captioned media, the most popular movies among the Deaf community were action films. Dramas were poorly lit and had too much talking to lipread, even if one were good enough to lip read around the camera angles. Comedies had their moments, but also relied often upon verbal puns that were easy to miss. If it wasn't a slapstick comedy, most of my Deaf friends skipped it. Musicals were also hit and miss. The old MGM musicals had enough dancing to keep my friends interested, but later shows like Moulin Rouge were again dark and relied upon the words too much to make sense.
But action shows were a hoot. The dialogue was only as important as the plot. No one really cared why Harrison Ford was jumping off a train or a dam, my friends just though it was exciting to watch. Their parents would share the same feeling about Hitchcock thrillers. The intricacies of the storyline were lost but a plane chasing a man down in a corn field was exciting regardless!
So give it a try. You may understand your Deaf friends more - and have a great opportunity to improve your observation skills and by extension, your interpreting skills.
Wednesday
Tuesday
Fun with Idioms: Acid test
With Idioms: Acid Test
The English language is just full of little phrases that say one thing but mean something completely different. Most people go through life hearing idioms daily but never thinking about exactly what those idioms really mean.
As an interpreter, it is vital to understand the meaning behind the words. Since idioms don't really make literal sense, they can be incredibly confusing if they aren't translated properly. That's why it's important to learn the real meaning behind as many idioms as possible so that you are prepared for any interpreting situation.
Today's idiom is "acid test." The literal meaning of an acid test would be to perform a test on acid, right? The truth is, the phrase does come from a real test involving acid. Scientists use litmus paper to determine the acidity or baseness of a chemical. It is also called a "Litmus test."
Of course, when someone uses the phrase in conversation it means something completely different. Outside of the laboratory, an acid test is a severe or crucial trial. Something is going to happen that will expose the true nature of the person or thing being considered.
Idioms are signed in different ways depending on the context, but one suggestion for acid test would be to sign "investigate" with an affect showing intensity.
The English language is just full of little phrases that say one thing but mean something completely different. Most people go through life hearing idioms daily but never thinking about exactly what those idioms really mean.
As an interpreter, it is vital to understand the meaning behind the words. Since idioms don't really make literal sense, they can be incredibly confusing if they aren't translated properly. That's why it's important to learn the real meaning behind as many idioms as possible so that you are prepared for any interpreting situation.
Today's idiom is "acid test." The literal meaning of an acid test would be to perform a test on acid, right? The truth is, the phrase does come from a real test involving acid. Scientists use litmus paper to determine the acidity or baseness of a chemical. It is also called a "Litmus test."
Of course, when someone uses the phrase in conversation it means something completely different. Outside of the laboratory, an acid test is a severe or crucial trial. Something is going to happen that will expose the true nature of the person or thing being considered.
Idioms are signed in different ways depending on the context, but one suggestion for acid test would be to sign "investigate" with an affect showing intensity.
Merry Christmas!
We will be taking the holidays off blogging to spend time with the families.
To keep you entertained, here is my favorite you-tube video of a Christmas carol.
May your days be merry and bright...
See you in the new year!
To keep you entertained, here is my favorite you-tube video of a Christmas carol.
May your days be merry and bright...
See you in the new year!
Thursday
New Tip of the week
Develop Sense memory
Sense memory is that wonderful sensation of your body knowing what to do without you having to think about it. Remember when you first learned to ride a bicycle, or roller skate. Before there was success, there was this tricky little thing called "balance.' Your body had to learn how to shift your weight minutely to keep you from falling to one side or the other. In the same way, the muscles of your hands can learn patterns and actions that can reduce the amount of time you put into thinking about the interpreting process.
Consider how much easier it is now to spell your own name than the day your first learned to fingerspell. With practice, you are spelling it because it is your name, not because of each letter identified with the spelling. In the same way, we can practice words to spell, or commonly signed phrases so our multi-tasking brain can trust the hands to handle certain things. Just remember, this is not permission to interpret on auto-pilot. Just train yourself to trust what you know how to do.
Sense memory is that wonderful sensation of your body knowing what to do without you having to think about it. Remember when you first learned to ride a bicycle, or roller skate. Before there was success, there was this tricky little thing called "balance.' Your body had to learn how to shift your weight minutely to keep you from falling to one side or the other. In the same way, the muscles of your hands can learn patterns and actions that can reduce the amount of time you put into thinking about the interpreting process.
Consider how much easier it is now to spell your own name than the day your first learned to fingerspell. With practice, you are spelling it because it is your name, not because of each letter identified with the spelling. In the same way, we can practice words to spell, or commonly signed phrases so our multi-tasking brain can trust the hands to handle certain things. Just remember, this is not permission to interpret on auto-pilot. Just train yourself to trust what you know how to do.
New Tip of the week
Test yourself
Video tape yourself interpreting an unfamiliar piece. Put the tape away and listen/ watch the source material until you can make an outline of the major points (introduction, 3 main points, conclusion) and some pertinent details. Ask a colleague for assistance if you are unsure you got it all. Wait three weeks. Now, watch the interpretation while checking off the major points and details from your notes. Did you get 90%? If not, consider what was missed. Were they major details or minor? Did you struggle with pronouns? These are the areas to focus on while practicing over the next months.
Anyone who tells you they got 100% is fibbing. We do have two languages involved and exact duplication is virtually impossible due to culturally-bound information. Transliteration may get closer, but even there minor details are likely to be changed or dropped.
Video tape yourself interpreting an unfamiliar piece. Put the tape away and listen/ watch the source material until you can make an outline of the major points (introduction, 3 main points, conclusion) and some pertinent details. Ask a colleague for assistance if you are unsure you got it all. Wait three weeks. Now, watch the interpretation while checking off the major points and details from your notes. Did you get 90%? If not, consider what was missed. Were they major details or minor? Did you struggle with pronouns? These are the areas to focus on while practicing over the next months.
Anyone who tells you they got 100% is fibbing. We do have two languages involved and exact duplication is virtually impossible due to culturally-bound information. Transliteration may get closer, but even there minor details are likely to be changed or dropped.
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