Sign language interpreters typically facilitate communication between people who are deaf or hard of hearing
and people who can hear. Sign language interpreters must be fluent in English and in American Sign Language (ASL),
which combines signing, finger spelling, and specific body language. ASL has its own grammatical rules, sentence
structure, idioms, historical contexts, and cultural nuances. Sign language interpreting, like foreign language
interpreting, involves more than simply replacing a word of spoken English with a sign representing that word.
Most sign language interpreters either interpret, aiding communication between English and ASL, or transliterate,
facilitating communication between English and contact signing a form of signing that uses a more English language-based
word order. Some interpreters specialize in oral interpreting for deaf or hard of hearing people who lip-read
instead of sign. Other specialties include tactile signing, which is interpreting for people who are blind as well as
deaf by making manual signs into a person's hands; cued speech; and signing exact English.
Sign Language Interpreting and Translating Services for Deaf, Deaf-Blind and hard of
hearing serving the Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area including
Tacoma, Longview, Kelso, Woodland, Camas, and Washougal Washington and Gresham, Troutdale,
Salem and Eugene Oregon. When professional interpreting is needed we have the Deaf interpreters
available to service your Deaf client needs.
