Date of Award
5-2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity
Department
ASL & Interpreting
First Advisor
Erica Alley
Department/School
ASL and Interpreting
Abstract
In the last 10 years, the workplace setting has become a new research topic in the field of signed language interpreting. This research, an adapted study from Birr (2010), looked at the language preferences among Deaf employees at the Department of Defense (DoD). Participants assessed an interpretation from spoken English to American Sign Language (ASL) and a transliteration from spoken English to contact sign. They then provided feedback regarding the two language models and which language model they preferred for each of eight specific settings commonly found in the federal government environment. This study considered various factors influencing the language preferences among Deaf employees. Quantitative analysis indicated that age, gender, educational background, and/or Deaf family members had no significant impact on participant preference. However, qualitative analysis showed that the setting influenced the language preference among the majority of the participants. Categories identified were pace of interpreter, details of the message, terminology, understanding of the overall concept, and importance of the presented information. Data suggests that settings influenced participant’s language preference in the workplace.
Recommended Citation
Montgomery, Trisha H.. (2018). Language Preferences of Deaf Employees at the Department of Defense. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/maisce/7
Comments
Trisha Montgomery's thesis presentation video is available on the Knovio platform.