This sort of thing deserves harsh punishment. I am not hearing impaired, but on occasion will read the Closed Captioning which is often computer generated, and gibberish. I would hope that there is some serious push back from the Deaf Community.

LINK:
http://www.al.com/news/index.s...edium=default-widget


Officials in Manatee County, Florida are under fire after an interpreter for the deaf warned about pizza and monsters during an emergency briefing related to Hurricane Irma.

The interpreter, Marshall Greene, is a lifeguard for the county whose brother is deaf, according to the DailyMoth, a video news site that provides information via American Sign Language. Greene was used as the interpreter for a Sept. 8 press conference regarding the incoming storm and possible evacuations.

Members of the deaf community said Greene mostly signed gibberish, referencing "pizza," "monsters," and using the phrase "help you at that time to use bear big," during the event. Other information signed to viewers was incomplete, experts said.

The county typically uses interpreters from VisCom, a professional sign language interpreting service. VisCom owner Charlene McCarthy told local media she was not contacted about providing services for the press conference and that Greene was apparently not fluent in American Sign Language.

Manatee County spokesperson Nick Azzara told the Brandenton Herald Greene was asked to interpret during the update rather than have no one signing. The county has requested an interpreter and public information assistance from the state, Azzara said.

The interpreter wasn't by chance this guy, was it?

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Thanks for the laugh.

I watched a few of those news conferences (it was hard not to as they were on about once an hour for a week straight) and couldn't help but think something was fishy with those interpreters. I don't know sign language, but the goofy and animated ways they were "interpreting" just seemed way off base to me.

I think I saw that dude. I remember watching one of the broadcasts and thinking that the signing looked rather crazy.

maybe his sign language just has an accent, or it was like sign ebonics

I read somewhere that the exaggerated facial expressions and animated nature are very normal for sign language, there's no way to add emphasis like a normal speaker would except this way.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I watched a few of those news conferences (it was hard not to as they were on about once an hour for a week straight) and couldn't help but think something was fishy with those interpreters. I don't know sign language, but the goofy and animated ways they were "interpreting" just seemed way off base to me.

I thought the same thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I don't know sign language, but the goofy and animated ways they were "interpreting" just seemed way off base to me.

^^^yes, that's what I was thinking at the time too.

Hell of a hurricane, bears, monsters AND pizza.

one thing different I've seen from other signers is that those people didn't have to look at the speaker in order to sign.

He may have just been pressed into service. Those professional signers/interpreters get paid big bucks.

I was cracking up at another signer from another Florida local government news conference before Irma hit, who was overly animated and making goofy faces.

She may not have been fluent in sign, but she self identified as fluent so it's all good.

Good. Shame on the people who thought they should use one in the first place. I hope they're embarrassed. More feel good, "inclusive" liberal bullshit. No need for it. Who was this for? All the many deaf people at the press conference?

Anyone who saw it on Tv was already watching TV (with closed captioning and without anyone signing)

How the hell did he think he was going to get away with that?

Found an interesting tidbit on why the sign interpreters are so animated. LINK:

https://www.theatlantic.com/he...-so-animated/264459/

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I watched a few of those news conferences (it was hard not to as they were on about once an hour for a week straight) and couldn't help but think something was fishy with those interpreters. I don't know sign language, but the goofy and animated ways they were "interpreting" just seemed way off base to me.

It's not. Typically we see ASL, but there are (at least) 2 other types that are acceptable as well. Bunches of people think signing is all in the hands and it just isn't. Tons of body language and facial expression get thrown in there if you are signing it correctly...even down to mouth movement, puffing cheeks, lip pursing, etc.

ASL is more complicated than most people think. I have a Deaf friend and it's crazy how developed her other senses are. She can read lips like nobody's business too. I took a few years of it in college and I can tell you once you hit zone where it gets past just using your hands it gets hard.

How do you sign "Gatornado?"