To feel sorry for the sign language interpreters...

[natwebb79]

...on CBeebies when interpreting that really quick 'Is it this or is it that?' song on Carrie and David's Popshop?? I take my hat off to them!

As a fluent signer, I can tell you it's not really that difficult when you know how. It looks much harder than it is :)

Signing isn't word for word. It is a language with its own grammatical structure. It misses out the 'little words' like it, and, is etc so it tends to be a bit quicker anyway.

Just be glad they aren't faking, life the one at Mandela's memorial!

Tee

that was so horrendous and cringeworthy and funny all at the same time.

I saw that on Gogglebox

It is quite easy. I think it is definitely a lot easier to do quickly in some ways as hand movements can be more fluid than words can be. But because of how completely different it can be, people look at me signing to DS or whatever, and think that it is harder than it is.

Thank you for filling me in, fluent signers! I studied interpreting (French and German) at uni and the thought of simultaneously interpreting that makes me feel faint, ha! I won't feel so sorry for them in future then. Is it true though that it's really hard to interpret idioms (e.g. 'It's raining cats and dogs') when signing? I met somebody who was a fluent signer once and he said his worse gig was a conference where a guy spoke in constant idioms!

You would sign the literal meaning as opposed to the actual
idiom- so "raining cats and dogs"would be signed "raining really hard"

Ah ok. The guy I met said that the man in question was saying something like "It's been a real blue sky thinking year, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Next year will be a completely different kettle of fish...". Ha!

Are facial expressions part of signing? The Cbeebies ones seem to do a lot of facial expressions which don't particularly seem to match the words or tone (to someone with no knowledge of signing).

Being fluent in a language isn't the same as being able to interpret between that language and another though, so I don't think you can really say it's easy!

I can just about follow the signing in childrens programmes (with the sound off) but show me the news and I haven't got a clue!!!

I am a Sign Language interpreter, and yes, facial expressions are very important. It's very difficult to read the body language of someone who is speaking when you have to look at a completely different person who is interpreting.

Hope that makes sense!

I work with a lot of deaf people and the speed and style of signing varies hugely between people and areas.

cheesy - agreed! I was doing sign language interpreter training a while back and found the news really hard as it is so fast!

I find it more amusing when I see signers that I used to go to school with!

It helps me keep my knowledge up a bit as I don't sign regularly and it's like any language - you need to practice to stay even remotely fluent!

My friend who is a welsh speaker used to subtitle for s4c and typed out 'come on kids lets play on oue bazookas!' Instead of 'kazoos' huge difference. ..

Sorry, I should have said it's easy for me - understand it's not for all even if they are fluent.
I've been signing for 23+ years now (Dsis is deaf)

Don't you mean "Parp Sharp"

I thought she was amazing, she danced her way through it although that programme makes me want to throw things at the TV.

On Adam Hills DVDs he has an on stage sign interpreter. On the 'Inflatable' one, the story about scene of crime officers swabbing cows makes for amazing signing

All the interpreters on Cbeebies are Deaf with BSL as their first language

Some interpreters on adult BBC programmes are hearing, but they have a strict policy of Deaf-only for children's programming.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if they are deaf, how do they know what to sign? Do they use the subtitles?

They do it from a text transcription (sort of like subtitles).

I was pleased with myself the other day. I was watching vpopshop and the signer signs dog instead of the dogs name I was both proud id learnt something at tiny talk and disguated I was still watching pop shop.

"Some interpreters on adult BBC programmes are hearing, but they have a strict policy of Deaf-only for children's programming."

I don't think that this true. The daughter of the lady who taught my BSL course is a BSL intepreter for CBeebies. My old BSL teacher is profoundly deaf, but was not allowed to sign at school. Both her and her daughter were gifted at BSL and learnt to a very high standard. Lets face it there are plenty of immigrants who speak and write English to a higher standard than many natives.

"Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if they are deaf, how do they know what to sign? Do they use the subtitles?"

There are hearing children born to deaf parents and they grow up bilingual. The majority of programmes are pre recorded so the interpreter has the opportunity to watch the programme before it is aired.

Interesting. I have a friend who is a (hearing) BSL interpreter whose lifelong ambition was to interpret Cbeebies but she was told no, it was Deaf only -- they offered her an audition interpreting the news instead (I only sign a teeny tiny smattering but still her impression of her news-interpreting audition was screamingly funny).

Mumsnet is great!! I never realised that so many people would know so much about BSL interpreting etc. Tis a small world.

Increasingly, the in vision signers on tv are deaf, as there is now a specialist translation qualification which is focused towards (although not only for) deaf people. They aren't all deaf though; I don't know how many are hearing, I only recognise some...