If as an ASL interpreter, you are often plagued by concerns surrounding how you can improve your language skills, you have come to the right place.
Skill improvement and the consequent career growth is a thought that is likely to cross every professional’s mind. With professional ASL interpreters, the journey to starting one’s career is often known by most, if not all. Certain training programs and certifications are prerequisites to becoming an interpreter. Once you meet these requirements, you can start working as a professional ASL interpreter.
However, what happens when you have spent adequate time working as a professional ASL interpreter and see no improvements in your language skills? It is easy to fall under the trap of complacency when everything seems to be going right for you. If you find yourself wondering if you are becoming complacent, chances are, you are. Even when the trajectory of your career seems to be going as you expect it to, it is important to realize the importance of brushing up your skills. You do not want your skills to get rusty and give other interpreters an advantage over you.
Language skills are of utmost importance to interpreters. Let us take a closer look at how you can improve your ASL language skills as a professional ASL interpreter. These tips can be used by all— those who have freshly entered into the field as well as by those with intermediate experience.
Retrospecting
Learning from your own mistakes can be embarrassing but equally exhilarating. You can pull out your previous interpreting work, if you have it on record, and use it as a source to learn and improve. Going back to your own work can be beneficial and easy since you already know the context of interpreting. You can watch it once or twice or as many times as you might like. With time, as you continue brushing up your linguistic skills, you will find that you would have interpreted certain things differently. Reflecting on previous work puts you in the seat of the audience, and can help you find flaws that you otherwise might not have noticed. You might find that your rhythm is off, or that you signed too hastily or not quickly enough. It is possible that you now think there is a better way to interpret something. If you’re feeling extra motivated, you can record this new interpretation as a practice and use this new recording as a source for further retrospection. It is an endless process, really. Retrospecting on your work never fails and can go a long way!
Analyzing
This is very similar to the Retrospecting approach discussed above. Except, here instead of analyzing your own work, you analyze the work of those in your field. From recordings of concerts to political events, there are various sources that you can use for this exercise. You can also switch between the work of deaf interpreters and hearing interpreters to gain more perspective. Highly publicized events are most likely to contract the services of proficient professionals. By following their work, you can learn a thing or two.
The interpreter on-screen might sign a certain communication differently than you would have, or they might make better use of the space available to them. You can use these videos to observe different aspects of interpreting. Replaying the same videos might be helpful when trying to analyze.
Translating
Translation can be very different from interpreting in the sense that it is not bound by time constraints. Interpreting can also require you to rely on your memory. Translation, on the other hand, removes the need to memorize the content. You can employ this method by either translating spoken words to ASL or vice versa. The aim of going back to translation as a way to hone your language skills is to shift your focus from timeliness to the actual content.
Focusing on the content can lead to increased comprehension, and, therefore, better translation. Over time, this practice can help you deliver more effectively as an interpreter. By removing the restraint of time, you allow yourself to be fully immersed in the process. You can make the most of this technique by challenging yourself to come up with multiple translations for a single piece of communication. The same piece of communication can be translated (and interpreted) in various ways, depending on the audience and the environment. While it may take some time, translation can stretch your abilities and expand your linguistic skills.
Mirroring
They say, “Practice makes perfect,” and they got it right. This saying holds especially in the context of honing your language skills.
Also commonly known as shadowing, mirroring might be one of the most effective ways of practicing your language skills as an ASL interpreter. It simply involves the act of copying what someone says or does. As a professional trying to improve your language skills, you can practice mirroring by copying another ASL interpreter or an ASL video. You can choose among different sources for this exercise. Using the source, you can carefully observe how the interpreting is being done, and then start copying what you see i.e., the interpretations. By repeatedly doing this exercise, you can-
- Practice ASL interpreting in various scenarios
- Work on your comprehension skills by using the same source multiple times.
- Practice gestures and movements that you might not otherwise get to.
- Focus on different aspects of interpreting- you can take turns doing the same.
- Challenge your memory- you can do this by introducing a deliberate lag time.
- Practice interpreting quickly.
- Keep a check on your rhythm.
ALT Text: A close-up of a woman using sign language
Paraphrasing
Can you express the same thing using different signs? Can you change the interpretation while maintaining the essence of the communication? Practicing paraphrasing to improve your language skills can be an answer to these questions.
Paraphrasing a message can help you come up with different sets of signs and cues. It challenges your linguistic abilities by making you think of different ways to sign the same thing. It can force you to introduce flexibility in your work and think beyond the obvious. You can employ this method to sharpen your memory, too.
Conclusion
It is crucial to keep honing your language skills as an ASL interpreter. Whether you are a seasoned professional or a novice, you can employ the tips and techniques discussed above. By continually practicing, you are sure to improve your linguistic skills and your overall interpreting skills. Another thing that can help improve your language skills is constant practice and use of the language. If you are looking for an opportunity to grow as an interpreter, Unspoken Language Services is on the lookout for professional interpreters who are dedicated to bettering themselves. Become an Unspoken Interpreter to join a community of like-minded interpreters!
Thumbnail Photo Credit to: Photo by SHVETS Production
