gypsy_rose226

Hello, everyone! I am a Student Nurse who is enrolled in an ASL class in order to be able to provide better care in a hospital setting to my deaf &/or hearing impaired clients. However, ASL is not new to me. I am hearing, but I grew up with several deaf/HI friends.

I am in need of assistance in finding signs for specific words that I cannot find on various signing websites, and thought to myself, "Who better to ask than those who use this beautiful language every day!"

Anyway, here's my question:
1.) Are there any specific rules to changing the tense of a verb, such as changing "be" to "Being?"
2.) Can anyone describe the signs for the words "would" and "Lingers" for me? I am having a tough time with these.

I have been fascinated by signing people for many years and would also like information on how I can become a certified interpreter once I finish learning ASL. I think that ASL would be quite handy in the hospital or ER setting and hope to use it frequently.

I look forward to chatting with you and appreciate any help you can give me on this!

Thanks a bunch!

Deafness

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txprincess

I dont know the signs you are looking for. But as far as Interperting check out the RID website and see if any colleges in your area offer Interpreting. Good luck !

Fly Free

welcome to AD Gypsy_Rose -- do enjoy ur stay here!

im sure someone who is good at describing signs in words would be helpful -- i dont feel i can adequately describe them all in words :-/

gypsy_rose226

Thanks for the help! My ASL instructor, who has a Bachelors/Masters in Hearing Impaired Instruction, and was also an instructor at KSD (Ky School for the Deaf) is as bumfuggled as I am! We've bumbled our way through the word "childish" by combining "child" and "like" and I am considering replacing "lingers" with "remains". However, finding a sign that is similar or exact to the word "resonnating" is proving difficult, to say the least! We are having fun though. My Nursing instructor and another student are in my class and we confuse the daylights out of the other 22 students! Now, they are all coming to us to learn sign as we do!

Anyway, here is a short list that I am having trouble with, excluding those already mentioned:
--would
--presence
--seem
--captivate (could use capture here, I guess)
--sanity (could use sane here, too)
--though
--along

In case you're wondering, one of our tests is to sign a song. I've chosen "My Immortal" by Evanescence.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Kim D., S.N.

Margie

In ASL you has you know, you don't sign every word.
The verbs change alot in ASL.
Being an interperter myself, you can use classifiers to get your point across to the deaf person.
Go to the hospital that the deaf go to, also theres alot of seniors who are deaf and some deaf blind, they'd love for someone to tallk to.
Margie

Reba

Hmmm...that is interesting that your instructor has no answers...hmmm.

Anyway, if you need to know the sign for a word, you have to give the whole context of the word that you are using. For example, you can't just ask, "What is the sign for 'run'"? Which "run"? Running water, running for mayor, run in a stocking, running a business, running down the street....You see what I mean?

Without knowing the context of the words, I will give these words a guess:
--would ("want" ex: "I would go to the movie if I could", meaning, "I want to go to the movie if I can.")
--presence ("here" ex: "I miss my Mom's presence," meaning, "I miss my Mom here.")
--seem ("seems" sign or "looks like", "feels like", etc., depending on what you are referring to)
--captivate (could use capture here, I guess) (if you mean actually physically capturing someone, yes; if you mean something "very interesting", no)
--sanity (could use sane here, too)(depends on if you are using a legal or medical definition; if you are not using legal or medical terms, you could sign "think right" or "think normal"; it really depends on the context.
--though (I really need to know the context for this one)
--along (depends on context; maybe use "together" or "both")

You see, it is very difficult if you don't give the whole context and meaning. Also, sometimes you can't just substitute one sign for one word. Sometimes you need to completely rearrange the whole sentence to get the right meaning, or use classifiers or examples to describe something.

Try using a thesaurus for expanding word/sign choices.

"Resonating" depends on if you are using it in a technical/medical way, or not. Possible meanings/signs are: "vibrate", "echo", "ringing".

I am really surprised that your instructor doesn't have the answers.

gypsy_rose226

I'm not sure why my instructor cannot answer these questions. We have had a difficult time finding a certified instructor for this class. I think she, being a special education instructor for the public school system who uses ASL in class, just picked it up on the side. She is kinda quirky, but fun. She has a vast amount of knowledge, well, at least she does compared to those that she teaches in our class . However, if it would help, I can eventually post the entire song so that if anyone has any ideas on how to sign a part, they can see how each word is used. She wants the song signed as exact as possible, so I am trying to find a synonym for words that I cannot find thru my research. Again, thanks for all your help!

Reba

Do you mean signed as exact English? Or do you mean using exact concepts? Usually songs are NOT signed as exact translations but rather artistically interpreted. The general concept is kept intact but exact wording is NOT followed.

Yes, if you could provide the entire song, that would be helpful. And maybe an example of how your instructor interprets a song verse, then I will better understand what the requirement is.

VamPyroX

Usually, words that end with "ing" have an "ing" sign at the end. It's done with the hand gesture of an "i" and moving it away as if you were signing "independent" with one hand. For instance, I say "being". I would sign "be" with my right hand, then end it with that "ing" witht he same hand.

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Dennis

The only way you're going to learn the more complicated words are to socialize with signers at events like parties or gatherings. Your instructor is only one person with a limited knowledge of signs, you will need to pick them up through multiple signers in an area. So much is dependant on other people educating you, not just learning from one source.

Reba

Totally agree. Teachers, books, videos, and internet, are good references but the best training is real life exposure and experience. Silent dinners, Deaf clubs and organization meetings and social activities, Deaf friends, etc., provide good "hands-on" (ha-ha) exposure.

Tousi

Well, from the last couple of responses, that may be all and well; HOWEVER, Gypsy's talking about ASL only or was she/he using the term loosely?

Reba

That is what I have been trying to find out from Gypsy. From the description of the teacher and the course requirements, it sounds "English" to me.

johnesco

ASL does not use the articles "a" "an" or "the"
nor does it use "to be" verbs.

If you want something translated you'd need to do it a sentence or phrase at a time.

Try www.lifeprint.com to find out more.

-John

gypsy_rose226

Remembering that I am new to signing, I am not sure in what context to use certain signs or when it is okay to substitute one sign for another. I am posting my assignment for anyone to read, should he/she need to understand the context in which a word is used. Any word in color is one that I do not have. I will try to make notes to how we have substituted for words that are difficult to find.

My Immortal

I am so tired of being here,
suppressed by all my childish fears ( use child + like)
If you have to leave,
I wish that you would just leave,
because your presence still lingers here (using remains for lingers)
and it won't leave me alone.

Chorus:
These wounds won't seem to heal;
this pain is just too real;
there's just too much that time cannot erase.

Chorus II:
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears;
when you scream, I wipe away all of your fears.
I held your hand through all of these years,
but you still have
All of Me.

You used to captivate me,
by your resonnating light;
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind.
Your face, it haunts
my once pleasant dreams;
your voice it chased away,
all the sanity in me (using the sign for sane for sanity)

Chorus:
Chorus II

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone;
but though you're still with me,
I've been alone all along.

Chorus II



Well, that's the song. Hope this helps some. Thanks so very much for all the help you've already given. I appreciate it very much!


Gypsy_rose

gypsy_rose226

Oops! Though should also be colored....don't have it yet! Also, have used "will" for would, and so on, so forth.

Margie

Hi Gypsy,
When you sign ASL you don't sign every word.
Be is an SEE word.
Most deaf don't understand English,and in hospitals its important just to get the point across to the deaf person.
I'm interpreter.
Good luck!

jejones3141

Translation is never done word for word (there are lots of examples--in English you take a test, but in Spanish you suffer it; in English, risque prose is called "blue," but in Spanish one talks about chistes verdes, "dirty (literally green) jokes"). There isn't a one-to-one correspondence between words in spoken languages, much less between spoken and signed languages, where motion or size of gesture are important components.

So, context is important. I see that you've posted lyrics, which is good. OTOH, poetry is among the hardest stuff to translate! There are ASL interpreters who specialize in that. (What to do with the mixed metaphor of saying that your light resonates (only sound resonates; light might reflect, but not resonate)?)