Download sign language (auslan) interpreting vs. real time captioning

Victorian Deaf Society ABN 56 004 058 084
Level 4, 340 Albert Street East Melbourne, Victoria 3002
p 03 9473 1111 tty 03 9473 1199 f 03 9473 1122
e [email protected]
w www.vicdeaf.com.au
hearservice: Audiology 1300 30 20 31
SIGN LANGUAGE (AUSLAN) INTERPRETING VS. REAL TIME CAPTIONING
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Auslan & English
Auslan is the first or preferred language of
approximately 16,000 – 20,000 Deaf people in
Australia as well as being used by family
members, friends and interpreters in their
everyday life.
Auslan is definitely not a form of English. It has its
own distinct lexicon, syntax and grammar just as
any other language does. The morphology of
Auslan is defined by five parameters: hand shape,
orientation, location, movement and expression.
Facial expression is as important to Auslan as
tone of voice is to spoken language. Without it,
meaning would be ambiguous.
English is a second language for most Deaf people
living in Australia; Auslan is their first and/or
primary language. English usage varies from Deaf
person to Deaf person depending on their
careers, the need to use English in everyday life
and how much they communicate via email and
written text.
The grammar and syntax and linguistic structure
of Auslan are vastly different to that of English.
One basic grammatical structure commonly used
in Auslan takes the ‘topic-comment’ form (which
is quite similar to a number of Asian languages.
When some Deaf people wish to write, they will
often use English words that are associated with
an Auslan sign and write using the grammatical
structure of Auslan. To a non-signing person, this
doesn’t always make sense in English and this can
alter the perception of a Deaf person’s
intelligence. It is also interesting to note that a
question in Auslan is shown by a change in facial
expression, such as a raised or furrowed
eyebrow. The written English skills of a Deaf
person can vary depending on how often they
use English.
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Some Deaf people do not need you to adjust your
English but some others prefer 'Plain English.'
Best practice is not to assume the needs of a Deaf
person but to ask what their preferences are.
Interpreting
Interpreting is the act of transferring a message
from one language to another, in this case from
Auslan to English and vice versa utilising one’s
linguistic and cultural knowledge in both
languages.
Auslan interpreting was originally done by helpful
friends and family of Deaf people, however,
knowing both sign language and English does not
qualify a person as an interpreter. Interpreters
are professionally accredited and have completed
a course of study in a highly specialised field.
Interpreters work in a variety of settings and
situations, many of whom have additional skills
and qualifications and work in specialised areas.
The Role of an Interpreter
The interpreter will facilitate communication
between two parties who do not share the
same language.
The interpreter will sign what is spoken and
speak what is signed, conveying meaning and
intent.
The interpreter will not add, embellish or
delete information.
The only time the interpreter should be
involved in the discussion is when a word or
phrase needs to be clarified from either the
hearing or Deaf person.
Interpreters are bound by a code of ethics
that, among other things, stipulates that all
content of an assignment is confidential.
Real Time Captioning
Real Time Captioning (RTC) works by capturing
audio information from a
presentation/instructional environment and
distributing this to a captioning studio. The audio
is converted to text by a captioner.
The text is then streamed using the internet to a
computer. This process happens in real time with
a delay of 7-10 seconds. Shortly after the
presenter/trainer speaks, the words appear on
screen with around 98% accuracy.
The method of caption display can vary according
to the availability of technology and its'
configuration in specific spaces. Deaf and hard of
hearing attendees can access captions through a
variety of computing interfaces. The model
requires access to a broadband internet
connection, but captions can be displayed via:
A laptop computer with ethernet cable
connection to internet.
A laptop computer with wireless connection
to internet.
A desktop computer both inside teaching
space and from other locations.
Spaces with multiple data projectors (one for
the presentation and one for the RTC
display).
RTC may not suitable for all deaf people in all
contexts. The English literacy of the deaf person,
their preference for Auslan, availability of
alternative models, the subject matter, method
of instruction and access to information and
communication technologies are factors that
should be considered for the appropriateness of
RTC.
Can Real Time Captioning replace Auslan
Interpreters?
Not necessarily. Captioners and sign interpreters
address two different groups of deaf people.
Pre-lingually deaf (or culturally Deaf) people
usually have sign language—Auslan—as their first
language, and English came later.
Those who identify Auslan as their first language
are generally more comfortable and comprehend
vast amounts of information with an interpreter.
DOC-INFO- 47 v1 May 2011
Post-lingually deaf people generally learn English
before they learn to sign, if they learn to sign at
all.
For this group, captions might provide a better
level of comprehension. For example, in a
presentation with heavy use of proper names and
specialised terminology.
Generally, real time captioning does not allow for
audience participation from a deaf person who
does not use speech to communicate and
therefore cannot ask questions or interact with
what is going on.
Interpreters convey so much more emotion,
substance and therefore meaning. This allows the
Deaf person to see who is talking during meetings
or presentations and an interpreter can tell the
Deaf person who/where that talker is. It can help
in making the Deaf person feel more included in
the discussion. Some Deaf people prefer to look
at an interpreter's face rather than at a computer
screen for hours on end as this can result in visual
fatigue.
If the Deaf person has some speech difficulties, it
can be difficult with RTC for the captioner to
understand and often this will become ‘inaudible’
to the captioner.
If a Deaf person doesn't know how to pronounce
certain words, captionists are no help. With
interpreters, a Deaf person can sign to them and
the interpreter will voice for you and ensure the
correct pronunciation of words.
Sometimes there are technical difficulties which
can cause the Deaf person to lose a lot of
information, whereas with a live interpreter, this
is not the case.
It is extremely important to remember that RTC
only provides for transcription, but interpretation
allows for language differences.
Communication Choices
If a Deaf person’s first language is Auslan then it
most likely they’ll require an Auslan Interpreter.
Deaf people who are not confident about their
English fluency most likely prefer interpreters
over RTC because it presents information in their
native language, Auslan.
It is always best to check with the Deaf person
about which way they choose to communicate.
Vicdeaf regularly updates our fact sheets. To
ensure that your information is current, or for
further information about Vicdeaf and the
services offered, please visit our website or
contact us:
In some cases Deaf people who utilise hearing
aids or Cochlear Implants may have some useful
hearing. If this is the case they may prefer Real
Time Captioning.
W: www.vicdeaf.com.au
Ph: 03) 9473 1111
TTY: 03) 9473 1199
It is best practice to address this with the deaf
person and match their communication needs
rather than assume what would best suit their
needs.
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DOC-INFO- 47 v1 May 2011
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