A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings

Types of Interpreting

There are several types of interpreting, and it is important to ask individuals which type they need. You may need to provide multiple types of interpreters for multiple individuals. Types of interpreting include:

• American Sign Language (ASL): A visual language that uses the shape, placement, and movement of the hands, as well as facial expressions and body movements to convey information. Like any spoken language, ASL has its own unique rules of grammar and syntax, distinct from English and from sign languages in other countries. Like all languages, ASL is a living language that grows and changes over time.

• Pidgin Signed English (PSE): A combination of certain elements of both ASL and English. This may include ASL signs used in mostly English word order, fingerspelling (using ASL signs that represent individual letters of the alphabet in order to spell out specific words), and other similar combinations.

• Signing Exact English (SEE):  According to The S.E.E. Center, “SEE is a sign system that represents literal English.” While ASL has a syntax and structure distinct from English, SEE uses some ASL signs and adds visual information to convey exact English meaning. For example, ASL uses facial expressions and time signs to convey tense, whereas SEE adds specific movements to show verb tense forms such as “-ed” and “-ing”, “was” and “is.”

• Oral interpreting or oral transliteration: Typically used by Deaf or hard of hearing individuals who do not sign or who rely primarily on speech and speech-reading (also called lip reading) for communication. An oral interpreter presents on the lips and face what is being said, and does so in a way that is easily understood by a person using speech-reading. An oral interpreter may also voice what a Deaf individual mouths. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) explains, “Group meetings may pose difficulty for speech-readers. It is often challenging to locate the next speaker in a conversation or discussion, thereby resulting in missed information. In settings such as the classroom, seminars, or conferences, speech-readers may be unable to see the speaker’s face clearly or may not be physically close enough to successfully speech-read. Speakers may also be located out of the sight lines of speech-readers. Speakers … may be difficult to speech-read due to unclear speech, accents, or facial hair that obscures mouth movements. Each of these scenarios necessitates oral transliterators whose responsibility is to silently replicate what speakers say, in an easy, speech-readable, clear and consistently visible manner."

• Voicing: when an interpreter speaks to a hearing person what a Deaf individual is signing.

• Interpreting for individuals who are deaf-blind: Individuals who are deaf-blind use a variety of communication modes ranging from interpreting at close visual range and/or in a limited sign space, to signs or fingerspelling received through the sense of touch (tactile interpreting).

• Use of a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI): In some cases, it may be necessary to use a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) as the only interpreter or in conjunction with a hearing interpreter in order to convey the message accurately. “A Certified Deaf Interpreter may be needed when the communication mode of a deaf consumer is so unique that it cannot be adequately accessed by interpreters who are hearing. Some such situations may involve individuals who use idiosyncratic non-standard signs or gestures such as those commonly referred to as 'home signs' which are unique to a family, use a foreign sign language, have minimal or limited communication skills, are deaf-blind or deaf with limited vision, or use signs particular to a given region, ethnic or age group.”

• Video Remote Interpreting (VRI): In rare instances, it may be appropriate for a small meeting to hire an interpreter through Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). With VRI, the interpreter is at an off-site location and is conferenced in using high speed Internet and videoconferencing technology. Most people prefer to have in-person interpreters since it is easier to see facial expressions, and technology cannot always be relied on for smooth transmission of images. Also, local interpreters will be familiar with local signs (e.g. cities, organizations, etc.) and vernacular. VRI can be more costly, but may serve as a viable alternative when a local interpreter is not available. VRI will not meet the needs of individuals who use tactile interpreting.