INTERPRETING FOR DEAF STUDENTS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Transcription

1 INTERPRETING FOR DEAF STUDENTS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES By Kathleen Darroch, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)/ National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Rochester Institute of Technology is host to the National Technical Institute of the Deaf, one of nine colleges at RIT in Rochester, NY. Access services enable more than 650 Deaf and hard-of-hearing RIT students to register and fully participate in roughly 23,000 credit hours annually. ( Those courses include the study of foreign languages. Currently the Department of Access Services (DAS) at NTID provides sign language interpreting support in Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Portuguese. Interpreter and author of this piece, Kathleen Darroch, a senior interpreter in the Department of Access Services has provided support in German and Italian language courses. Her initial work consisted primarily of fingerspelling of target language words, using mouth movements in the target language to allow for lip reading, incorporating American Sign Language (ASL) to provide explanations of new concepts and vocabulary, and creating an invented/initialized sign system to indicate target-language vocabulary. There has been little research done in the area of visual support of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students studying foreign languages. Dr. David Quinto-Pozos article, Interpreting for Foreign Language Courses: The Case Study of Spanish, was an early work that offered some guidance on how to effectively provide access for Deaf students in foreign languages. In his article published in 2002, Dr. Quinto-Pozos conceded that research was lacking and ideas expressed in his article were primarily based on personal work experience. (Quinto-Pozos, 93) After interpreting in language courses for several years the author participated in a RIT Provost s Learning Grant ( ) that focused on Deaf and hard-of-hearing students enrolled in Italian language courses. Participants in the grant studied the efficacy of incorporating computer-assisted note-taking, utilized online websites such as Skype to connect and converse with native Italian speakers and introduced a sign-language interpreter in the class. Through a long period of self-assessment and modification of interpreting work in the classroom the author initiated a systematized approach to sign language support. At the opening of the grant activity there were several issues, from the perspective of a sign language interpreter that the author wanted to address. First, use of ASL may lead to first language intrusion in the minds of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students participating in foreign language courses. Second, visual representations of the second language used during class may not directly map to what students are being tested on and asked to retain. Third, participation by Deaf and hard-of-hearing students may be constrained by the knowledge base/fluency of the sign language interpreter and the interpreter s ability to retranslate the communication mode used by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing student back into the foreign (target) language. Furthermore, the instructor may be faced with the task of differentiating between student skill and interpreter skill when listening to target language produced via the voice of the interpreter. Work done through this grant therefore addresses the following questions: 1. What methods and best practices can be employed to lessen the intrusion of English-based sign systems and ASL in a foreign language class? 2. How can Deaf and hard-of-hearing students participate more effectively in the dialogic activities of the foreign language classroom?

2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES p.2 3. How can technology be combined with sign language interpreting to better serve the needs of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who are studying foreign languages? 4. Are there common strategies that can be employed with Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who utilize a variety of communication methods and bring differing communication backgrounds to the classroom? 5. In what ways can the instructor and interpreter work as a communication team to support student learning? 6. What are areas for future study as it relates to providing access services in foreign language classes? This paper addresses questions 1-4 of the initial grant proposal. Addressing #1 What methods and best practices can be employed to lessen the intrusion of English-based sign systems and ASL in a foreign language class? The author solicited feedback from students during Fall/Winter/Spring quarters to address questions 1, 2, and 4. A focus group of students in foreign language classes was held in January 2011 to gather further input on student preferences in working with sign language interpreters. A common theme that arose among students was that ASL is often translated in their minds into English; the students then have to translate from English into the foreign language of study. When English is not the first language of the Deaf student this creates the challenge of thinking in two second languages simultaneously. After working on a trial and error basis the author conducted follow-up research into historical and contemporary attempts to teach language to Deaf students. She discovered that early instructional methods of Deaf students learning French at the Paris School for the Deaf in the 1760s, as well as current instructional methods of Russian Deaf students learning English, support the author s belief in the efficacy of a visually constructed system. Visible Speech and the Fate of the Deaf, part two of I See a Voice, by Jonathan Rice, provides a historical narrative of the development of the education of the deaf in Europe. Rice chronicles the work of Charles- Michael, Abbe de l Epee in the mid 1700 s. Following a chance meeting with two young Deaf parishioners Epee established the first formal school for Deaf pupils in Paris, France to continue their religious education. With no foreknowledge of previous attempts in educating Deaf students he strove to introduce the French language to his students. From his own observations, he determined, as later proponents of bilingual education would also do, that use of the natural language of his pupils would open doors to learning in a second language. As stated by Marilyn Daniels in Benedictine Roots in the Development of Deaf Education, he invented methodical signs designed to introduce the method or structure of French grammar into manual communication. (Daniels, 31) Following further investigation into the methods of Epee the author determined that the study and incorporation of Italian Sign Language (LIS) into classroom discourse would similarly benefit students in college-level foreign language courses. New vocabulary was introduced first by fingerspelling, using the American alphabet, followed by the introduction of Italian signs for frequently used Italian nouns, verbs, expressions, etc. Three students in the Italian class reported that this introduction of LIS allowed them to think more directly in Italian. A print and DVD tutorial was developed, documenting the work of the author/interpreter to date. As affirmed in the article, Teaching English to Deaf Children in the Moscow Bilingual School, basic language skills should be developed...[the] ability to understand the meaning of the words and their use in the language, accumulation of vocabulary, ability to construct grammatically correct utterances... There are many ways of introducing new words and phrases... sign from British sign language the written form of the word British fingerspelling. (Komarova, 87)

3 FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES p.3 The LIS system of fingerspelling of letters and alphabets was not introduced in the initial year of class. In the opinion of the author this would be extremely challenging for interpreters and deaf students to learn while also learning the spoken/written Italian language. Several Deaf students studied LIS as part of a 6-week study abroad program. The interpreter sat in on LIS courses with them. As students experience and capability in the spoken and signed languages increased the interpreter incorporated Italian fingerspelling into spoken Italian language instruction during the study-abroad experience and the following year s intermediate level of study at RIT. Addressing #2 How can Deaf and hard-of-hearing students participate more effectively in the dialogic activities of the foreign language classroom? Deaf and hard-of-hearing students participate in classroom activities with their hearing peers in a variety of ways. Some students prefer to use their own voices, while some ask that the interpreter voice for them as they use sign language. It is imperative for the sign language interpreter to have access to all homework and curricular materials to prepare for student participation. When Deaf and hard-of-hearing students give live presentations, they are required to type using a laptop with the interpreter becoming their voice. This presents a more accurate representation of the students skill with the language, rather than focusing on the language skill of the interpreter. The instructor is much more confident as to what language is generated by the student rather than what is voiced via the skill level of the interpreter. When students interact in small groups or one-on-one activities it is always best to have a variety of options available that match individual preferences. In RIT Italian classes students had various options: using the PC tablet to communicate one-one-one via typing, utilizing the interpreter to sign and vocalize between mixed groups of Deaf and hearing students, or using paper and pencil to write and interact. This last option appears to require more time to complete and therefore does not compliment activities of short duration. The author s work in the classroom included monitoring the one-on-one activities of students to offer communication assistance when requested by either hearing or Deaf students, or the instructor. Addressing #3 How can technology be combined with sign language interpreting to better serve the needs of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in studying foreign languages? Some Deaf and hard-of-hearing students prefer to write using paper and pen and ask that their hearing peers respond in kind, others prefer to use technology to write and keep an electronic record via a computerized system. Through observation and experimentation, participants in the PLIG grant determined that the combination of computer-assisted note-taking with interpreting provides greater accessibility to classroom communication. Dialogic activities between students and with the instructor are enhanced with a laptop that provides visual notes and emphasizes clear spelling of vocabulary and conjugation of verbs. Some deaf students used the computer to participate in one-on-one discussions, rather than use a third party interpreter to mediate communication. A written record of the communication was saved for use in study of course material. As part of a communication team the author found it essential to communicate with student note-takers. This ensured that certain components of the lesson that are more quickly communicated through written form are highlighted in class notes. The interpreter can then elaborate or base subsequent interpretations on notes that are present for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing students to view in real time. Interpreters, students and instructors can refer to saved notes and explore further ways in which the classroom communication team can continue to enhance the visual learning experience of students.

4 FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES p.4 Addressing #4 Are there common strategies that can be employed with Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who utilize a variety of communication methods and bring differing communication backgrounds to the classroom? Regardless of the variety of communication modes employed by Deaf and hard-or-hearing students (ASL, Signed English, real-time captioning) all are visual learners. The sign language interpreter is challenged with taking a spoken/auditory language and producing a visual form of the language. In the first year of language instruction a heavy emphasis is placed on learning the grammatical structure of the language. In order to do this, it is the strong belief of the author/interpreter in this study that a skeleton of the language. This will allow all students utilizing interpreting support to better comprehend and apply grammatical components of the language. For the Italian language course a specific system of hand shapes was developed and introduced into class. The system incorporates, but is not limited to verbs, conjugation of verbs, indication of tense such as present, future, past (passato prossimo, imperfetto, passato remoto), moods such as subjunctive with present and past markers, and relative clauses. These sign representations were introduced to students during the first quarter of instruction and then used consistently during first and second-year study of Italian. The DVD tutorial also contains explanations of how grammatical components are produced for instructors and future interpreters to use to their benefit. Note: the original 3 students in class incorporated and utilized the devised system to respond to instructor s questions and to ask questions related to temporal and subjunctive aspects of the language. The consistency with which students reproduced this short-hand system of indicating grammatical/syntactical components of second language learning seems to support its use and benefit in student comprehension and participation in the classroom. The author has provided interpreting support for eight plus years in foreign language courses at RIT. Every new student demands a return to the basic building blocks of the constructed system. The interpreter therefore must continually assess individual communication backgrounds and preferences of Deaf students. What remains constant is the confirmation by students that providing a system of visual scaffolding for learning a second language allows students to build a firm foundation of vocabulary, grammatical and syntactical language features. It is these key features that students are expected to reproduce through testing and conversational situations during first and second year study. It is the author s hope that future interpreters will continue to build on and refine work conducted through the initial PLIG grant. Deaf second language learners wishing to gain access to expanding global communication networks will benefit from future investigation of sign language interpreting techniques in foreign language courses.

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6 FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES p.6 BIBLIOGRAPHY Daniels, Marilyn. Charles Michael de l Epee and the French National Institute for the Deaf. Benedictine Roots in the Development of Deaf Education. Bergin & Garvey, Westport, Conn, 1997: Print. Komarova, Anna. Teaching English to Deaf Children in the Moscow Bilingual School. Deaf Children and Bilingual Education: Proceedings of the International Conference on Bilingual Education of Deaf Children. Moscow, April 1996 (1998): Print. Quinto-Pozos, David. Interpreting for Foreign Language Courses: The Case of Spanish. RID Journal of Interpretation, 2002: Print. Rée, Jonathan. I See a Voice: Deafness, Language, and the Senses--a Philosophical History. New York: Metropolitan, H. Holt and, Print. DVD Dizionario bilingue elementare della Lingua dei Segni Italiana LIS Edizioni Kappa ( Il Dizionario bilingue elementare della Lingua dei Segni Italiana LIS was produced in collaboration with Mason Perkins Deafness and LIS ME.Di.A & Co.)