Interpreting Process

Models
Going …to
from this…
this…
 Process Models
Regardless of interpretation between spoken
languages or signed languages, the
interpreting process requires linguistic
analysis of complex Source Language
utterances as quickly and efficiently as
possible. This requires recognizing and
capturing all of the nuances of a language
and expressing them clearly into a Target
Language.
Discuss with a partner what NUANCE
means. Be ready with an example.
 Depth of Processing
The challenge for students is to move from
lexical (word for word) processing, to
phrasal, then sentential, on to a
textual/discourse level of processing
language.
• What does this mean??!! (next slide)
 English to ASL
■ SL (source language, here spoken English):
■ "Since there's nothing I can do,
I might as well forget about it."
– Lexical level of processing (word for word)
▪ tL (target language, here ASL): BECAUSE THAT-THING-OVER-
THERE 'S NOTHING I-ME CAN DO, I-ME MAYBE SIMILAR W-
GOOD FORGET ABOUT I-THIS.

– Phrasal level of processing (phrase for phrase)

▪ tL: BECAUSE I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT I-T, I BETTER
FORGET ABOUT I-T.

– Sentential level of processing (idea by idea)

▪ tL: UP-TO-NOW ME STRUGGLE 'over time'. SOLVE?
(headshake). #DO-DO? PUSH-ASIDE-TO-left, TO-HECK-WITH-
left.

– Textual level of processing (taking into consideration the

entire text and restructuring broadly)
▪ The interpretation would restructure large portions of the text and the
original sentence might be broken down and integrated into other
sentences, so that you couldn't find one sentence that represents it.
 Practice:

■ Lexical – word for word

■ Phrasal – phrase for phrase

■ Sentential – idea by idea

■ Textual – taking into consideration the entire text
and restructuring broadly. (not typically used for one
sentence)
 Sentences:
1. The entire day was spent cleaning the house because
they had visitors coming soon.
2. We laughed at the young boy when he tripped over his
new puppy.
3. The principal was a bit annoyed to see Jeremy coming
into his office again.
4. Clothing fashions have changed over the years and
returned to a familiar style.
 Three Processing Models
■ Betty Colonomos
– Concentrating
– Representing (Visualizing)
– Planning (Rehearsing)
■ Lillian Gish
– Analysis of text structure
■ Dennis Cokely
– Recognizing miscues
 Three Processing Models
■ Betty Colonomous
– Concentrating
– Representing (Visualizing) TODAY
– Planning (Rehearsing)
■ Lillian Gish
– Analysis of text structure
■ Dennis Cokely
– Recognizing miscues
 Betty M. Colonomos: The Bicultural Center, 1989
Analysis Factors:
•Process Skills
•Process Management
•Source language/cultural
Receptive Channel competence
•Knowledge
•Preparation
•Environment
•Filter(s)
Source Language
Visualization

Message

Composition Factors: Target Language

•Process Skills Visualization
•Process Management Context
•Source
language/cultural Expressive Channel Equivalent Target
competence Message
•Knowledge
Audience
•Preparation
•Environment
•Filter(s) M F Interpreter
Note: Format edited to fit screen
 Colonomous: Concentrating
■ Information is “chunked” into workable units of
meaning
■ Interpreter should analyze how what is being
said relates to the situation. Consider:
– Setting
– Participants and their relationship to each other
(register)
– Vocabulary
– Cultural Knowledge
 Barriers to Concentrating
■ Spending too much time or energy on a
single concept
■ External factors: temperature, noise,
heavy accents...
■ Internal factors: hunger, fatigue,
confidence issues...
■ Skill weaknesses: vocabulary, rate, …
 Process Management
■ Interpreter must block distractions
– Side conversations
– Heavy accents
– Noisy environment
■ Interpreter must remain focused
– Mental interference
– Hunger
– Vocabulary issues
■ Manage the communication event
– Self monitoring
– Teaming
 Colonomous: Representing
■ Interpreter must analyze the Source
Language and strip it of language so that
what remains is a series of ideas beyond
language. This can take the form of still
images, remembered smells, sounds,
actions, etc. Signs or classifiers are
assigned to represent these
images/sensations. Often, concepts must
be expanded or clarified beyond a single
sign.
 Barriers to Representing

■ Limited visualization skills

■ No incorporation of sensory memory

■ Shortened lag time

■ Limited expansion skills
 Colonomous: Planning
■ Anticipate source and target vocabulary
■ Develop and utilize memory skills
■ Monitor audience for needed
clarification/expansion
■ Be willing to pause (lag time) to gather
enough information for “chunking”
■ Be well rested and prepared physically and
emotionally
 Barriers to Planning

■ No mental outline of message

■ Inability to expand cultural concepts

■ Limited English or sign vocabulary

 Activity
■ English to ASL – sentential practice

■ You will get a category

■ In your group, discuss vocabulary that
might come up
■ Prepare, as best you can, to interpret the
sentences.
 TOPIC: Cars
1. My mother drives a Cadillac but it’s pretty
old.
2. I prefer Ford over Chevrolets.
3. When I was in high school I drove a
Pinto.
4. What is your dream car?
5. I had to take my car to the shop last
week because the front right head light
went out.
 TOPIC: Ice cream
1. I don’t know how to make ice cream but I think
it has a lot of sugar in it.
2. My favorite flavor of ice cream is peppermint
chocolate chip.
3. I’ve never had coconut ice cream because I
cannot stand coconut!
4. The ice cream man usually comes by the house
around 3:00 every Saturday afternoon.
5. My children love ice cream but they must finish
their homework before they get any.
Interpreting Process Models:
GISH
 GISH
Lecture

■ The THEME of a message is the main idea of a

particular text used to achieve the goal

■ OBJECTIVES are the main points of a text

■ The UNITS are the concepts or ideas the

speaker puts into words / signs

■ DATA or DETAILS are specific pieces of

information presented within the text
 Gish: Goals
■ Examples
■ It is important to – Teach
remember that goals – Declare Love
may be explicit or – Convince
implied and that the – Punish
goals of the involved – Deceive
parties may be in – Seek revenge
conflict with each – Comfort
other. – Avoid conflict
– Affirm
– Review
 Gish Model
■ The overriding concept goal to be
conveyed must be clear to the interpreter.
■ Ideas must be organized spatially in
accordance with the speaker’s outline.
– Listing
– “next”
– spatial placement of opposing concepts
 Activity
■ Coffee (document)

■ Identify the Theme, objectives, units and

details within this piece.

■ Meet with a partner and explain your

‘Gish’ model.
Interpreting Process Models:
COKELY
 Cokely Model
■ Cokely uses back translations to evaluate
the equivalence of an interpretation.
■ One identifies an interpreter’s miscues.
■ “Miscues” are defined as:
A “lack of equivalence between the sL (source
language) message and its interpretation or,
more specifically, between the information in
an interpretation and the information in the sL
message it is supposed to convey.”
 Types of Miscues
1. Omissions
2. Additions
3. Substitutions
4. Intrusions
5. Anomalies
 1. Omissions
■ Morphological - where content information that
is clearly contained by bound morphemes such
as "teachers" being signed TEACHER without a
THEY or GROUP to show plurality
■ Lexical - involving a word or short phrase
■ Cohesive - where the relationships of ideas is
neglected. For example, if the English were:
"He's shy, because he doesn't know you" and
was interpreted HE SHY. HE NOT KNOW
YOU. Really the sentence should be interpreted
NOW+ HE SHY. WHY? KNOW YOU, NOT-
YET.
 2. Additions
■ Nonmanual – may be added because the
interpreter thinks that this is part of the
sign
■ Lexical - where a word or phrase is added
to contextualize (explain the context) but
may be misleading or unintended
■ Cohesive - relating ideas in the text that
are not meant to be related.
 3. Substitutions
■ Expansive - including more than was
intended
■ Restrictive - including less than is signed
■ Unrelated - ENGINEER is signed for
"plumber".
 4. Intrusions
■ (Source language) intrusion: A source
language intrusion is when the source
language (the language that the original
message was produced in, be it English,
American Sign language or any other
spoken or signed language) influences the
interpretation, usually in an unnatural
choice of words or a grammatical error
that makes sense in the source language,
but not in the target language.
 4. Intrusions (continued)
■ Lexical - where the gloss for a sign is over
generalized (ie: GET)
■ Syntactic - where the interpretation is
structurally too English and the ASL user
has to reconstruct what the original
English must have been and reinterpret it
him/herself.
 5. Anomalies
■ An anomaly "refers to instances in which
the tL message is meaningless or
confused and cannot be reasonably
accounted for or explained by another
miscue type."
■ E.g.: reference to a list that was not set
up previously
 So what?
■ Understanding the interpreting process
and how it differs from language fluency is
key to your success. As you struggle,
identifying your areas of weakness in the
process will help you target skills for
improvement. Rely on your own self-
evaluation and feedback from your peers
in order to accomplish this.