Written in a workbook fashion and designed as a teaching / learning vehicle, Building ASL Interpreting and Translation
Skills is for students taking courses in American Sign Language (levels I, II or III), as well as students enrolled
in interpreting programs. The written English narratives are designed for translation, interpreting and transliterating
with over 80 examples on the companion DVD signed by both native Deaf individuals and nationally certified interpreters.
The book is divided into four parts.
Part I:
The first part of the text consists of 24 chapters that provide readers with an overview of a variety of ASL grammatical
features. Each chapter includes an example glossed into ASL to provide students with a model for translation,
each of which are signed on the accompanying DVD, followed by narratives for student practice that gradually increase
in length and difficulty. Part II
The second part of the text consists of 20 chapters covering additional grammatical features. The selections become
increasingly longer in length. Selections in the first several chapters of Part II are also signed by a Deaf individual
on the companion DVD. As the selections become longer, a nationally certified interpreter interprets selected
narratives modeling the ASL principle described in the chapter.
Part III:
The third part of the text is devoted to exercises that focus on building automaticity when confronting multiple
meaning words, idioms, and college level vocabulary. These selections are longer in length and are designed to
provide interpreters with source material that covers a wide variety of topics.
Part IV:
The fourth part of the text includes narratives, lectures, and passages from texts that might be read in a high
school or college class.