I-Search Career Paper
ASL Interpretation
American Sign Language (ASL) is almost a completely separate language, other than the words being used. It has its own grammar and word placement. A sentence in ASL usually will not make sense when literally translated. An interpreter must sign the subject before the action. “Talk louder do not” is the way an English speaker would say “Do not talk louder.” Just like a normal language, sign language differs in other countries based on their vernacular. ASL and SEE (Signed Exact English) are used in the United States. Juan Pablo Bonet wrote the first well-known book on the signed alphabet in 1620. In 1760, Deaf education was offered for free in a French school. In 1788, France published the first sign language dictionary. America soon caught on and offered Deaf education as well. Subsequently, the New York Institution for Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb was founded in 1818. Similar schools were created in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia in following years. In the 1850’s, the idea of a Deaf state was proposed to allow other Deaf people to interact within their own “kind” and not having to live up to hearing people’s expectations. It was denied. In 1890, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was founded. The invention of the electrical hearing aid classified some Deaf people as “hard at hearing”. Hearing aids, however, could not fix everyone’s hearing, so President Eisenhower established captioning for the Deaf around 1958. In 1965, the first “ASL Signs and Linguistics Dictionary” was published, and now it is 2013, and I hope to advance sign language further.
In a career like this, one must have the love for signing, rather than just the ability or knowledge. My motivations to make this love into a career are very personal. One of them would be being able to let those who can’t hear have a chance to listen. A major motivation is receiving financial compensation for being bilingual. Although the money is a great factor, I like
American Sign Language (ASL) is almost a completely separate language, other than the words being used. It has its own grammar and word placement. A sentence in ASL usually will not make sense when literally translated. An interpreter must sign the subject before the action. “Talk louder do not” is the way an English speaker would say “Do not talk louder.” Just like a normal language, sign language differs in other countries based on their vernacular. ASL and SEE (Signed Exact English) are used in the United States. Juan Pablo Bonet wrote the first well-known book on the signed alphabet in 1620. In 1760, Deaf education was offered for free in a French school. In 1788, France published the first sign language dictionary. America soon caught on and offered Deaf education as well. Subsequently, the New York Institution for Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb was founded in 1818. Similar schools were created in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia in following years. In the 1850’s, the idea of a Deaf state was proposed to allow other Deaf people to interact within their own “kind” and not having to live up to hearing people’s expectations. It was denied. In 1890, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was founded. The invention of the electrical hearing aid classified some Deaf people as “hard at hearing”. Hearing aids, however, could not fix everyone’s hearing, so President Eisenhower established captioning for the Deaf around 1958. In 1965, the first “ASL Signs and Linguistics Dictionary” was published, and now it is 2013, and I hope to advance sign language further.
In a career like this, one must have the love for signing, rather than just the ability or knowledge. My motivations to make this love into a career are very personal. One of them would be being able to let those who can’t hear have a chance to listen. A major motivation is receiving financial compensation for being bilingual. Although the money is a great factor, I like