From ASL to Zapotec: The Challenges and Opportunities of Video Interpretation for Sign Language and Rare Language Communication

Ad Astra Blog Header From ASL to Zapotec- The Challenges and Opportunities of Video Interpretation for Sign Language and Rare Language Communication

Virtual interpreting bridges language barriers, offering improved accessibility and cost-efficiency. It enables rare language speakers to communicate and thrive. Challenges include reliable internet connectivity and technical difficulties, while adequate preparation, following remote etiquette, and clear communication are among the best practices.

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The Real Deal on ASL Tech and Apps

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Every few months articles and imagery featuring a young engineer, confidently smiling while wearing a futuristic contraption on their hands makes the rounds.A conversation not taking place enough around these technologies and articles is – who exactly are these tools helping? In this article we’ll layout The Real Deal on ASL Tech and Apps, explaining how some of these tools cause harm and provide you with better perspectives and tech to foster more helpful communication and connection with Deaf individuals.

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Ongoing Training For Interpreters: What’s Important and What’s Not 

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Ongoing Training is the most critical component of being a successful interpreter. Unlike some jobs where you can maintain a base level of skills, interpreting requires you to keep up with changes in language, culture, ethics and general linguistic studies. Trainings can be hard to come by or to schedule on top of a busy interpreter schedule. Finding the right trainings is also key as it’s critical to tailor your trainings to your goals. In this piece we’ll guide Spoken and Signed Language interpreters through what’s important and what’s not for ongoing training.

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Why ASL Interpreters Are Hard to Find?

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Ensuring Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Deafblind individuals have access to qualified and effective American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters is a language access right in America. Whether supporting coworkers, students, patients, or peers we want to make sure they have ready access to a great ASL interpreter. With continued pandemic and emergency response coverage came new strains on an already very limited pool of qualified interpreters. In this piece we’ll explore why ASL interpreters are hard to find.

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Ad Astra Goes to the Movies: CODA

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The Ad Astra team recently watched the Apple Original 2021 film CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), directed by Sian Heder. On the tail of an exciting year for Deaf representation and stories on film, television, games and more – this heartwarming movie about family and finding oneself was a touching experience to see. Dive in as we discuss the importance of authentic Deaf representation on the silver screen. We’ll cover some of the real-life scenarios that played out in the film, learn more about why language access is so important and explore some of the facets of Deaf culture the film presented to us.

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