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Expansion is very much a part of the interpreting (not transliterating) process, and ASL interpreters are not the only ones who do it. Expansion usually happens when interpreting from a low-context language (English) to a high-context language, ASL (and various other spoken languages). Interpreting from English to Spanish...the grammar is different, but by and large there are word equivalencies. Even with medical terminology, there is a Spanish word for even very long medical words (colonoscopy = colonoscopia). But there is not a single sign for the English word colonoscopy. Sure you can fingerspell it, but that isn't interpreting. It's a transliteration of the English word. In order to INTERPRET the phrase in which the word "colonoscopy" is used, you need to unpack the meaning. This is one reason an interpreter needs to UNDERSTAND the message they're interpreting fully. You can't really offer an equivalent ASL interpretation if you can't understand what's being said.
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Chris
Certified Interpreter
NAD V, NIC Advanced
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