The sign language interpreter for Mayor de Blasio's press conference was deaf. How does that work?
At Mayor Bill de Blasio's press conference on the Ebola situation in NYC, the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter attracted a lot of attention. Viewers commented on his animated facial expressions, posted screenshots, and joked about what he might really be saying. The same thing happened when the interpreter for a press conference about Hurricane Sandy was televised. As we explained then, facial expressions are an important part of ASL grammar. Eyebrow movements convey syntactic information, mouth movements mark adverbial content, and other body and face movements organize the discourse as a whole. Interpreters are not animated because they are dramatic or energetic, but because sign language is visual.
There was something different about the interpreting situation at this press conference that people also noticed: the interpreter seemed to be conversing with another signer in the audience. Was he just chatting along, ignoring the speech? Was he a fake?
No, his name is Jonathan Lamberton and he's a Certified Deaf Interpreter. The other signer was a hearing person interpreting the speech, and Lamberton was interpreting that initial interpretation. Why would such a thing be necessary? Lamberton explains in this video from DHN, the Deaf and Hearing Network.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The jokes and accusations of fakery couldn't have been further off the mark. The use of a Certified Deaf Interpreter in this situation showed a commitment to making sure the Deaf community of New York had access to the highest quality translation possible.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Why does Donald Trump want to free the founder of an online black market?
Today's Big Question Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison for creating the Silk Road market
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
States sue TikTok over children's mental health
Speed Read The lawsuit was filed by 13 states and Washington, D.C.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump kept up with Putin, sent Covid tests, book says
Speed Read The revelation comes courtesy of a new book by Bob Woodward
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published