Captioning of SIgn language?

Someone asked if a video showing sign language had to be captioned.

It is more interesting than it first looks.

My thoughts were as follows....

ASL is the most widely used Western language with no written form (besides
"SignWriting" - a non-text transcription technique that is not widely
accepted in the ASL community).

Captions would therefore  actually be subtitles

Rationale

Captioning is the process of putting a text version of the audio in the same
language as the audio (with descriptions of sounds intermixed).

Subtitling is the presentation of text in another language under a video
program.


If you have a program that has people signing ASL-- but no spoken audio, it
is not possible to caption it -- since there is no text version of American
Sign Language.   English subtitles would not be captions but subtitles since
English is a different language from ASL.  

One could require "signwriting" perhaps -- but it is not clear how
understandable that is for people who don't know sign language syntax and
grammar.

Below are some sentences that a deaf signer translated into sign language
for me.   (Actually translated into the closest English word description of
the signs).  Not the different way the signs are used and the different
syntax and grammar.   They aren't perfect but they are good at showing that
ASL and English are quite different in rule, presentation and vocabulary.

Other's thoughts?
 
Gregg

 -- ------------------------------ 
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison 

ENGLISH
He disappeared into his bedroom and returned in a few minutes in the
character of an amiable and simple-minded clergyman. 

ENGLISH WORDS STANDING IN FOR ASL
Bedroom man go to back forth / 1 minute / changed whole body / now friendly
and true person who ? clergy


=================

It was not merely that Sherlock Holmes changed his costume; his expression,
his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every fresh part that he
assumed.

Man name S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K  H-O-L-M-E-S / changed clothes / yes also whole
body facial expression, / act and inside match new person.

=====

It was a quarter past six when we left Front Street, and it was not quite
ten minutes to the hour when we found ourselves in Serpentine Avenue.

Time 6:15 leave F-r-o-n-t Street 
Time 6:50 arrive S-e-r-p-e-n-t-i-n-e Ave 

=======

The house was just as I had pictured it from Ben Thompson's succinct
description, but the locality appeared to be less private than I expected. 

B-e-n T-h-o-m-p-s-o-n describe describe describe house / me mind picture
match /
Me think think local more open / not more hidden
 
=====

On the contrary, for a small street in a quiet neighborhood, it was
remarkably 
animated.  

Neighborhood quiet small /
Different different different happens (happenings)

=====

There was a group of shabbily dressed men smoking and laughing in a corner,
two guardsmen who were flirting with a nurse-girl, and several well-dressed
young men who were lounging up and down with cigars in their mouths.

Men group / corner / dress not fancy / smoke laugh /
Two man / guard / flirt flirt women nurse /
Group men / dress nice / relax / cigar smoke

Received on Friday, 12 September 2003 17:08:50 UTC