Using an Interpreter in Your Classroom
- Sign Language interpreters facilitates communication between an individual who is deaf/hard of hearing and a normal hearing individual. Their role is to"bridge the gap between two individuals who do not share the same language and/or mode of communication.
- Relax. Using an interpreter is not meant to be difficult or overwhelming.
- A Sign Language Interpreter is licensed by the State of Arizona, credentialed and bound by a code of confidentiality.
- Speak naturally. There is time lag involved between the spoken message and the interpretation. However, the interpreter will inform you to repeat something or slow down.
- Maintain eye contact with the Deaf student. The interpreter is there to facilitate the communication between you and the student.
- Don't ask an interpreter any personal questions about the student. The interpreter is bound by a code of confidentiality and cannot repeat any information they have learned on previous interpreting jobs.
- American Sign Language is a language with its own unique grammar and syntax that bears no relation to spoken English.
- Do not say things that you do not want interpreted. The interpreter ethically must interpret everything they hear.
- If there are written materials for the student, ask the interpreter if he or she would like copies.
- During testing, the interpreter is available to interpret your instructions and the student’s questions concerning the test. Interpreters follow a National Code of Professional Conduct. The Interpreters do not interpret the test.
- Longer class times and/or full-time interpreting schedules require the use of a team of two interpreters. Teaming allows the interpreters to switch primary and secondary roles every 15-20 minutes. This helps avoid physical damage to the interpreters (repetitive motion injury) and reduces mental fatigue, which causes degradation of the interpreted message for the student.
Captioning How-To and Resources
Deaf and hard of hearing viewers are excluded without captions, which is a legal and an ethical problem. In addition to that, studies show that captions are beneficial beyond just the deaf and hard of hearing population. Captions:
- Make it possible for people to view videos in sound-sensitive environments, like offices and libraries
- View videos in noisy environments, such as restaurants, sports clubs and public transit
- Help English as a Second Language (ESL) viewers
- Help when dialogue is spoken very quickly, or the speaker has an accent or mumbles, when there is background noise and when the subject matter is complicated
- Increase viewer retention, user engagement and SEO (search engine optimization), according to studies
- Can benefit everybody
Captioning Online Videos in YouTube Using a Transcript
To post or create a transcript of the video, post and upload the transcript. The voice recognition engine automatically inserts the timings for you. Follow these steps:
- Create your video.
- Create a transcript of your video and save it as a Rich Text Format file.
- Upload your video to YouTube.
- Go to the My Videos section of your YouTube account.
- Find the video you just uploaded.
- Select the Captions button.
- Select the Add New Captions or Transcript button.
- Browse to your transcript file.
- Select the Transcript file radio button.
- Select the Upload File button.
Here is another explanation from Digital Strategy of how captioning in YouTube works.
DRS101 – Faculty Canvas Course (Coming Soon)
