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.

Comments

Trisha Montgomery's thesis presentation video is available on the Knovio platform.

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