Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

Self-Paced Modules for Educational Interpreter Skill Development

These self-paced learning modules are designed to be tools that educational interpreters can use to enhance their skills in pursuit of certification. Successful completion of this module series does not guarantee the interpreter will successfully obtain certification from the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) or any other certifying body, nor does it guarantee employment in an educational setting. Any interpreter working with these modules must understand that the Minnesota RID, RID and/or Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning are not responsible for an interpreter's success or failure in taking any national certification test or in his or her pursuit of employment. MRID, 1996

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MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

I. Goals and Objectives

The goal of this module is to familiarize interpreters with rules and patterns occurring in the formation of signs related to numbers. The interpreter will come to understand: the variety of kinds of numbers: cardinal, ordinal and how signs for numbers are used when discussing money, fractions, height, age, statistics and so forth,
m the appropriate use of numbers in both ASL

interpretation and a transliterated message, and strategies for comprehending and interpreting signed numbers into spoken English.

Equipment and Materials

Equipment
4 VCR 4 cam corder

4 audio tape recorder 4 You may also want to designate a notebook for
recording new sign and concepts related to numbers.

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Numbers

Materials
Print Resources
Lentz, Ella Mae, Ken Mikos and Cheri Smith. 1992. Signing Naturallv: Student Workbook Level 1. San Diego, CA. Dawn Sign Press. Mathews, Katherine C. September, 1995. "Report on the National Testing System." The RID Views. Silver Spring, MD. RID Publications. page 8. Nichols, Eugene D., et al. 1982. Holt Algebra 1. New York, Holt Rinehart and Winston. Taylor, Marty, Ph.D., 1993. Interpretation Skills: English to American Sign Language. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Interpreting Consolidated. pp. 21-26. Van Cleave, Janice. 1991. Math for Every Kid. Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Videos
ASL Numbers. Developin? Your Skills. 1989. Maryland, Sign Media, Inc. One. Two... Buckle your Shoe! Numbering Systems in American Sign Language. 1994. Salem, OR. Sign Enhancers. Signin? Naturallv Level 1. 1992. San Diego, CA. Dawn Sign Press.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

Ill. Time
igns related to numeric concepts occur in lots of different settings. As a result, you will constantly be improving your knowledge and use of these signs. However in this intense look at numbers we suggest you spend three to four weeks working through it with an average of one hour per week. After that you may review some sections from time to time or list new entries in your notebook.

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Numbers

I K Pre-Test
A. What's the diflerence between cardinal and ordinal number?

(The Overview and Activities portion of this module will give you the answer.)
B. Numeric signs in context - (cardinal, ordinal, money, dates)

Make an audio tape of the sentences listed below.

1.Play back the audio tape and videotape yourself interpreting each sentence.

2. Watch the videotape, paying close attention to your use of numbers.

3. Read the theory section of this module and check to see if your rendering of these numbers is consistent with common ASL usage. Watch the movement, palm orientation and look to see how the handshape incorporates the number.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

4. Repeat this exercise but transliterate the sentences. Note any differences between the way you transliterate and the way you interpret, then see the theory section on the differences between interpreting and transliterating numbers.
1.I got to school first.

2. Her jersey number is 52. 3. My niece is 5 years old.

4. I have three children.

5. The Vikings won last night, 21 to 7, yippee!

6. A ticket to the movies is $6.50.
7. I moved here in 1992, 4 years ago.

8. Why don't we meet again in three weeks at 2:15?

9. Because I was only 5'2", I was always picked last for basketball.
C.

Numeric concepts in context ( percentages, fractions and decimals)

1.Make an audio tape of these sentence.

2.Play back the audio tape and videotape yourself interpreting each sentence. (Later you can videotape yourself transliterating these same sentences.)

3. Watch the videotape, paying close attention to your use of numbers.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

4. Read the theory section about decimals, percentages and fractions and check to see if your interpreting is consistent with common ASL usage.

5. Repeat this exercise but transliterate the sentences. Note any differences between the way you transliterate and the way you interpret then see the theory section on the differences between interpreting and transliterating numbers.
1.3l0/0 of Americans who travel overseas travel alone.
2.8% of American thefts of less than $10.00 are

reported to the police.

3. Half of all American households do not purchase ice cream.
4. A third of Americans think watching TV is the best way to spend an evening.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

K Overview and Activities

A. English to ASL Interpretation
SL has a variety of numbering systems. Often, interpretation errors working from English to ASL are actually sign production errors. The following is a listing of certain number types and the common-use ASL structure for signing those types of numbers. These are general guidelines. Our assumption is that the interpreters using this curriculum have some fluency in sign language and can visualize the descriptions below. If the descriptions are difficult to visualize, watching videotapes will be helpful. An excellent videotape series that demonstrates number systems and contains practice exercises is "ASL Numbers, Developing Your Skills" (Sign Media Inc. 1989) Another series that might be helpful is from Sign Enhancers and titled "One, Two... Buckle Your Shoe! Numbering Systems in American Sign Language." Also, use native speaker videotapes and live ASL mentors to confirm common ways numbers are signed in your area. Understand also, that D/deaf children do not necessarily know these number systems instinctively. They may sign all numbers the same and gradually learn the different systems as they interact with other ASL users. In the mainstream classroom, the interpreter is often the student's main language model. This places additional responsibility on the interpreter to render numbers as accurately as possible. We hope this module will heighten your awareness of the different kinds of number concepts used in English and help you to understand that there are different ways to sign them. Please pay special attention to the use of space, movement and palm orientation changes that occur in different number systems. Start seeing these small variations. Here are a few of the kinds of numbers we use everyday.
Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

f Cardinal numbers
(ex. I have 3 children.)
These are numbers used in counting quantities of things. The numbers 1,2,3,4 and 5 are signed with the palm facing the signer. Six, 7, 8, 9, and 10 turn the palm out. Eleven, 12, 13, 14, and 15 turn the palm into the signer. The rest of the numbers are palm out. There are several ways to sign the numbers 16, 17, 18, and 19. Likewise numbers 23 and 25 have several variants. Watch the recommended videotapes and talk with Deaf language models in your area to see these numbers signed correctly. It is good practice to decide on one style and stick with that.

2. Ordinal numbers
( ex. I got to school first.)
These are numbers that describe a place or position. First through ninth, using just one hand, are formed with the palm inward and a twisting motion of the wrist. Numbers that end in "-th" e.g. tenth, llth, 12th, etc. can be done by signing the number in cardinal fashion and adding T-H on the end. Numbers above 9 that, in English, end in "-rd" or "-nd" are done by signing the number in cardinal fashion without adding a separate morpheme. Ordinal numbers can be signed in space in a way that references the subject. For example, if the teacher tells a student to 'sit in the 5th desk from the front,' the interpreter can show the distance by moving the sign for FIFTH away from her body and towards the back of the room. For more on this concept of space see the module on "use of space."

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

English also uses the same words: first, second, third, etc. to talk about the order of points in a speech, or birth order in a family. In ASL, both of these concepts are signed using the nondominant or base hand as a reference point. For instance if a teacher has listed four main points and then goes back to talk more about the fourth point, the base hand holds out four fingers and the dominant hand points to the fourth finger with a slight twisting motion.

3. Age
(ex. My niece is 5 years old.)
Ages from one to nine are signed, in more formal settings, with the sign glossed as AGE ending in the production of the number at the end of the path of the sign, i.e. AGE-1 AGE-2, etc. The palm faces away from the signer for all of these numbers. A slight shaking motion accompanies the final hold of these signs. From age 10 on up, the sign is made by signing AGE plus the number produced in the same way as a cardinal number. No shaking motion is present for the numbers above 10. When talking about an infant, age is signed AGE plus ONEMONTH, TWO- MONTH, etc. Alternatively, signs for any age, in an informal setting, are done by incorporating the number handshape into the sign glossed as AGE. To refer to a non-specific age range from 30's - 90's e.g. 'in her thirties,' 'in his nineties,' sign the first digit, palm facing sideways and shake slightly.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

Height
(ex, Because I was only S92", 1 was always picked last for basketball.)
For all height numbers, the palm faces the signer. The first number of the height (feet) is presented in neutral space. The second number (inches) moves to the side and either upward or downward depending on the perception of the speaker. For example, if the speaker perceives the height of the other person to be very tall, the second number will move upward sharply in comparison to the position of the first number.

5. Time
(ex. I'll meet you at 2:30.)
Signing time involves incorporation of a handshape for the number and the location for the sign glossed as TIME. For example the number TWO is produced at the wrist of the non dominant hand and then moves along a path into neutral space in front of the signer The times 1:00, 2:00 and 9:00 are signed with the palms outward, 10:00, 11:OO and 12:00 follow the standard signing for the cardinal number 10,11, and 12. Any time that is "on the hour" requires a slight shaking motion at the final hold. Sometimes the context of the discussion makes it unnecessary to add the sign glossed as TIME, however the palm orientations remain as listed above.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

6=Scores
(ex. The Vikings won last night, 21 to 7, yippee!)
If the speaker is not supporting any one team, the scores are signed from the passive to the dominant side of the interpreter. If the speaker is supporting a team, the team being supported's score is signed close to the signer's body and the opposing team's score is signed out from the body. The height of the sign production is sometimes significant in that you sign the larger score higher in space then the smaller score. The winning score is always signed first.

7. Money
(ex. A ticket to the movies is $6.50.)
Whole dollar amounts or $1.00 to $9.00 can be signed one of two ways. The common practice is to sign the number, with the palm sideways and adding a slight circular motion to the sign, similar to the twist for ordinal numbers, but the hand is held perpendicular to the ground. This motion then represents the dollar amount and the varying handshape represents the number. Another way is to sign it as two signs ONE then DOLLAR. Whole dollar amounts from $10.00 on up are signed the second way: as two signs: ELEVEN DOLLAR, TWENTYTHREE DOLLAR, etc. Sometimes the context of the discussion makes it unnecessary to add the sign DOLLAR. Amounts of money under one dollar can be represented by the sign glossed as CENT followed by the number (CENT-45). Some signers may reverse the order and sign the number first and then the sign glossed as CENT (45-CENT). The palm orientation for the number follows the requirements for cardinal numbers. An amount that includes dollars and cents is signed as a compound, and can be signed as SIX-DOLLAR FIFTY. This practice is especially prevalent in informal conversation. In more formal conversation, such as the presentation of a budget, the decimal point in the number may be represented visually for the sake of clarity, as in SIX-DOLLAR POINT FIFTY.
Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

8. Fractions
(ex. A quarter of Americans think the sun is a planet.)
Fractions are signed using the neutral space in front of the signer. The numerator is signed first, then the denominator is signed directly below it. The palm usually faces the signer.

9. Percentages
(ex. Ten percent of American hairdressers are men.)
To sign percentages the number is signed followed by the sign glossed as PERCENT. Because the numbers in percentages are also cardinal numbers, the same rules for palm orientation apply.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

10, Decimals
(ex. Last night i t rained I. inches.) 3
Decimals are signed in the neutral space in front of the signer. When signing decimals, the palm faces away from the signer. When decimals are signed informally, the hand drops (i.e., fingertips point toward the floor) in place of a decimal point, then comes back up to sign the second number or numbers. In more formal settings the drop is replaced with the sign glossed as POINT. Note: To accurately interpret fractions, decimals and percentages, one needs to understand what they represent: a part of a whole. Because they describe the whole you can think of them as adjectives describing nouns. In ASL the majority of adjectives follow the noun; this is the opposite of English where adjectives precede nouns. Because of this difference an interpreter must listen to the complete sentence - identify the whole being discussed and then identify the part (fraction, decimal or percentage) being specified. So the English sentence, "15% of American adults play basketball," would be signed using the glosses: w h ADULT AMERICAN ALL-OVER PLAY BASKETBALL HOWMANY 15%.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

I. I Interpreting Word Probtems

Interpreting for a math class can be very challenging. You must understand the mathematical concepts if you are truly interpreting and not transliterating. There is a series of books one of which is titled Janice Van Cleave's Math for Every Kid (Astronomy for Every Kid, Physics ..., Biology..., Chemistry..., Earth Science... John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1991.) These or other basic texts may provide you with background knowledge you will need. If these resources are not available, check with your school librarian or a math teacher for further resources. Once you are familiar with the language of math you will need to decide whether you should interpret terms like "the sum of," "is less than," "four times as often as" into their conceptually accurate equivalent in ASL or leave them as fingerspelled fragments of English. The reason for doing the latter would be to tax the student's skills at interpreting the language of math. The same decision needs to be made about technical math terms. You can fingerspell the terms: right angle, radius, axis, vertex, etc. or sign them in ASL. You will want to discuss this issue with the teacher since different approaches may be useful at different times. To get a feel for some of the language used in these situations see the practice exercises on word problems.

1 . Non-specific amounts 2
There is a whole class of words used to describe non-specific quantities such as: Thousands attended the rally, few Americans speak a second language, and many Minnesotans own snowmobiles. There are literal translation for the words in ASL, but sometimes a visual representation using classifiers may represent the meaning and intent of the speaker more clearly. In the first example the interpreter may want to consider using the classifier glossed as CROWD-OF-PEOPLE rather than sign THOUSAND. Again just be aware that the literal interpretation of these kinds of ideas may not be the most clear rendering of a speaker's message. Watch ASL users to see how they express non-specific numbers. Study the module on Classifiers for assistance in representing quantities by using classifiers.
Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

Other times English discusses eras of time in amounts that seem non-specific. If we take a moment to think about the meaning and not the words, interpretation should be easier. For example, look at the concepts behind these terms: Eng.: The '60's were a decade of rapid growth in the South. Concept: 1960 -1970 or the time between 1960 and 1970 Eng.: The roaring twenties are remembered as a free wheeling era. Concept: 1920 - 1930, or '1920,1921,1922, etc.' Eng.: The family has lived in that house for four generations. Concept: Generation is about 40 years. Eng.: The Normans ruled England for several centuries. Concept: Century = 100 years, several = 3 - 4 Eng.: English as we know it was first spoken in the 16th century. Concept: 16th century = 15001s,or 1500 - 1600 When we hear words like "half," or "two-thirds of" or "six point four percent," we know we will need to be thinking of parts of a whole. The key is to set the total and then visually demonstrate the parts in relation to the whole. Often interpreters hear the words "a minimum of five students" and produce the signs glossed as LIMIT FIVE STUDENT which does not mean the same thing. Visually an amount representing the whole may be set in space along a horizontal or vertical continuum and the specific amount placed along this continuum in relation to the whole. From that established point you can then indicate "more than this point" or "less than this point." You can even indicate a section of the continuum. So in the above example the interpreter would identify a location as representing five students and then indicate the area from five on up. This representation is an accurate visual representation of what is meant by the English phrase "minimum of five students." Use the activities in this module to challenge habits in signing amount and watch ASL speakers to see how they represent ideas like minimum, maximum, at least, and so on.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

Numbers can be incorporated into other signs to denote quantities of units like minutes, hours, days, weeks and months. For example the numbers 1 through 9 can be incorporated into the sign glossed as MINUTE by substituting them for the handshape of the active hand. Alternately, 1 through 9 can be signed without the base hand, the active hand is then located by the shoulder. The numbers 1 through 9 incorporate into the base sign glossed as HOUR. In doing so the rotation of the wrist is eliminated and replaced by the whole active hand tracing a small circle onto the palm of the base hand. The active hand can end up with the palm either facing toward or away from the palm of the base hand. When signing quantities of minutes or hours 10 or larger, two separate signs are required. Don't let English confuse you! Remember the meaning behind phrases like: "a quarter of an hour = 15 minutes." The base sign glossed as DAY can incorporate numbers 1 through 9. In these variations the palm of the active hand always faces the signer. The base sign glossed as WEEK can be executed incorporating the numbers 1 through 9. The palm of the active hand faces into the palm of the base hand. For numbers of day and weeks 10 or greater, two separate signs are required ( i.e. 12 DAY, or 20 WEEK). The sign glossed as MONTH can incorporate the numbers 1 through 9, 1 -5 signed with the palm facing the signer. Six through 9 have two variants: palm facing the signer or palm facing outward. Numbers do not incorporate with the base sign glossed as YEAR except when talking about past time such as "2 years ago." This is signed with the active hand placed up by the shoulder of the same side and the number 2 executed with a repeated bend at the first joint. This is permitted for the numbers 1 through 5 only. Many compound signs (i.e. 2-WEEK, 3-MONTH, etc.) take on additional meaning of regular reoccurrence when signed in a repetitive manner. They take on the meaning "every two weeks," or "every three months," etc. For demonstrations of all of these signs please see ASL Number, Developing Your Skills : Incorporation Systems, Sign Media, Inc. 1989.
Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

6, Transliteration
any interpreters think that all ASL number structuring is eliminated when transliterating. This is not the case. Use of space, palm orientation, movement and number incorporation are all critical elements in a visual representation of a spoken message. The main difference, a constant source of debate between interpretation and transliteration, seems to be the grammatical structure of the target messages' language, not the lexical representation of the ideas. An interpreter may choose to sign the two sign variant glossed as FOUR DOLLAR in a transliteration, but the sign FOUR still needs the appropriate palm orientation. Some consumers prefer a transliteration of 'four years old' that is a set of three signs glossed as: FOUR YEAR OLD. However, the representation of that idea by the sign glossed as AGE-FOUR accompanied by the mouth movements for the English phrase can also serve as a conceptually appropriate transliteration. The definitive description of what transliteration actually is has yet to be decided upon. Most transliterations of 'at four o'clock' would not look like the gloss: A-T FOUR 0' C-L-0-C-K but would be signed with the glosses: TIME-FOUR with the mouth movements for the spoken English : "at four o'clock." RID does say that in a successful transliteration there may be "detailed English morphology. .. which is conveyed on the mouth but not with manual signs." (RID "What is Transliteration?" September 1995) This description also lays out expectations for use of conceptually accurate signs and use of space. All of these lead to the idea that number representation in a transliterated message should not change significantly from the representation in an interpreted message. An interpreter should look to adult consumers' use of numbers to determine the most appropriate way of rendering numbers in a transliterated message.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

C. ASL To Engjish Interpretation

ost interpreters struggle with using numbers accurately in an English to ASL interpretation. When working from ASL to English, we have more trouble "reading" or understanding the number the speaker signs than we do finding the way to say it in proper English. There is specific vocabulary in English which we use to talk about numbers that we are all familiar with; we all know how to talk about sports scores or someone's height. The following are some ideas to aid in understanding numbers when working from Sign to English. First, preparation can help an interpreter deal with numbers in a speaker's text. By knowing the dates, times and statistics likely to be presented, the interpreter is prepared to read them and is less likely to freeze and block out the number as it is presented. For example if there is a budget discussion going on, have a copy of the budget in front of you and refer to it for the numbers as they are presented. If you are working with a teammate, you will want to set up a way to feed this kind of information to each other. Contrary to popular belief, this strategy is not cheating. This is simply being well prepared which will result in a more accurate interpretation. Strategies for reading actual numbers are the same as those outlined in the Introduction to Interpreting Process module. These are prediction, context, previous knowledge and using clarification techniques. When composing the target message in English for non-specific numbers, an interpreter needs to have available a set of English vocabulary words that will match the speaker. An idiom like "it was a cast of thousands" can sometimes more accurately reflect the style of the speaker than saying "there was a whole group of us." This is a good example of how improving your command and repertoire of idioms, including those for nonspecific numbers, can be useful.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

I. General Practice
Watch anything you can where a native ASL user might use numbers. Pay attention to the elements of the number: movement, palm orientation and handshape and figure out what kind of category the number fits onto ( cardinal, age, amounts, etc.) Remember the chances are that other numbers in the same semantic category will be done in the same way. Make notes, share and discuss what you see with colleagues.
L

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

MRID Educational Interpreter Grant Project

VII. Post- Test

Re-take the pre-test and compare your new interpretation with your earlier interpretation. You should have some increased awareness of the differences in how each category of numbers is signed.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996

Numbers

VIII. Bibliography
Printed Resources
Lentz, Ella Mae, Ken Mikos and Cheri Smith. 1992. Signing Naturally: Student Workbook Level 1. San Diego, CA. Dawn Sign Press. Mathews, Katherine C. September, 1995. "Report on the National Testing System." The RID Views. Silver Spring, MD. RID Publications. page 8. Nichols, Eugene D., et al. 1982. Holt Algebra 1. New York, Holt Rinehart and Winston. Taylor, Marty, Ph.D., 1993. Intervretation Skills: English to American Sign Languaze. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Interpreting Consolidated. pp. 21-26. Van Cleave, Janice. 1991. Math for Every Kid. Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Videotapes
ASL Numbers. Developin5 Your Skills. 1989. Maryland, Sign Media, Inc. One. Two... Buckle vour Shoe! number in^ Systems in American Sign Langua e. 1994. Salem, OR. Sign Enhancers. Si~ning Naturally Level 1. 1992. San Diego, CA. Dawn Sign Press.

Boinis, Gajewski Mickelson, Gordon, Krouse, Swabey, 1996