2014 ASL Immersion Weekend Workshops

“USING CONSTRUCTED ACTION AND CONSTRUCTED DIALOGUE”
Presented by Jimmy Beldon

Simple classifiers and role shifting?  Sure!  But what about constructed action and constructed dialogue?  Many studies show that the ASL community uses more constructed action and constructed dialogue in their everyday conversation and presentation. This workshop is designed to provide participants with an in-depth and practical understanding of these important skills.  Using constructed action and constructed dialogue will make for more effective communication for any user of ASL.  Participants will have the opportunity to receive direct feedback and tips on effective interpreting from a deaf expert.

Participants will listen to a presentation on constructed action and constructed dialogue: how to use space location, eye gaze, non-manual markers, & body language effectively that represents visualization from the English source. Then,

  • Discuss the variety of choices that can be made to more effectively match register, context, and situational dynamics.
  • Break into groups to begin role-playing by applying constructed action and constructed dialogue when reading from an English source into ASL. They will apply what they have learned from the presentation. The English sources will focus more on dialogue between two people and three people.
  • More group work to take turns signing and observing with each person in the group given a specific feedback to look for: i.e. grammar, eye gaze, non-manual markers, semantics, register, body language, etc.
  • Discuss in small groups how he/she felt when doing the role-play and how would he/she do differently in the real world.
  • Instructor will provide the sign for the English source for the analysis and comparison of their previous ASL signs.

“ASL TRANSLATIONS”
Presented by Jimmy Beldon

This workshop is designed to provide participants with an in-depth and practical understanding of important skills needed to be effective interpreting between American Sign Language and English. Participants will be doing role-play activities pertaining to different settings while doing ASL translations. Participants will have the opportunity to receive direct feedback and tips on effective interpreting from a deaf expert.

Participants will listen to a presentation on ASL translation: analyzing the English source, find the meaning and intent, and finding an equivalent message in ASL.  Then,

  • Discuss ASL grammar, non-manual markers, and register.
  • Break into groups to role-play by applying ASL translation: reading from an English source and producing it in ASL. They will apply what they have learned from the presentation. The English sources will focus more on narrative genre.
  • Take turns interpreting while the others observe.  Group members will be assigned with one specific role to do during the feedback: A- do the role play, B- look for grammar/eye gaze/non-manual marker, C- look for semantics/register, D- look for use space location and body language
  • Discuss in small group on how he/she felt when doing the role-play and how would he/she do differently in real world.
  • Instructor will provide the sign for the English source for the analysis and comparison of their previous ASL signs

Click here to read about the presenter, Jimmy Beldon