Sharon Neumann Solow. Interpreting with Your Hands

Everything you wanted to know about American Sign Language but were too afraid to ask. How does it work? What about grammar and style? What’s simultaneous interpretation into and out of ASL like? How can spoken-language and ASL interpreters learn from each other’s experience? And what’s the ASL for Sputnik? We sit down with the inimitable Sharon Neumann Solow to discuss a kind of interpretation that’s very unique and, at the same time, much more like traditional interpretation than some might think. 1:36 Growing up with deaf parents 8:30 Grammar in ASL 10:48 Redundancy in ASL 14:20 Facial expressions as markers of meaning 16:20 Semiotic use of space 18:54 Iconicity in ASL 21:48 ASL and charades 24:15 Stylistic flourishes in ASL vs. bad signing 27:44 Dismissing ASL out of ignorance 29:37 Rendering proper names in ASL 35:05 ASL interpreters’ work standards 40:14 Teamwork between ASL interpreters 46:41 Good and bad interpreters and giving honest feedback to colleagues 51:55 Preparing for interpreting difficult