[sw-l] Translation requested in ASL...

[Stuart Thiessen]

Well, from what I have observed in my contacts with deaf musicians, for
hearing songs, the rhythm is retained, but the song is recast in ASL.
Often, the visual impact is increased that way because ASL is free to
use its iconicity to convey the same meanings.

I remember watching one deaf man sign the hymn "How Great Thou Art". In
the original music he was using, there was a beginning stretch of music
with no words. So what he did was paint a visual scene that led into
the beginning words of the song. That created the same kind of mood as
the music was intending to create prior to the words.

Sometimes the "words" are completely different which throw off hearing
people who know both languages sometimes. But the meaning is usually
retained or interpreted to communicate better. For example, the same
deaf musician, in his expression of the hymn "Amazing Grace", for the
phrase "I once was lost, but now am found", his ASL really says
something to the effect that "before I wandered off, but God tapped me
on the shoulder, gently turned my head to Him, and guided me back." It
reminds me of what the Klingonists say about Shakespeare: "You can't
really appreciate Shakespeare until you read it in the original
Klingon." :-)

Thanks,

Stuart

On Mar 15, 2005, at 12:13, Sandy Fleming wrote:

> Charles,
>
> That's interesting, and I hope not unrelated to SW as SW has more
> potential than anything else for making it possible to create good
> quality translations.
>
> So to continue the discussion, I've never actually seen a genuine BSL
> song being performed along with the English words, only signs in the
> order of the words, regardless of BSL grammar.
>
> What I'd like to know is, how do you actually perform a BSL or ASL
> song? Are the English words discarded? Is the music discarded? Or is
> one group responsible for English and another for the signed language?
> Or are there people who can sing and sign together even though the
> word order doesn't match?
>
> Sandy
>
> Charles Butler wrote:
>
>> I work with the Gay Men's Chorus, where we have songs translated all
>> the time.  More often than not, they are translations for meaning
>> (ASL), not translations for rhythm (English-oriented).  In working
>> with MCC for more than 11 years, the translations were more English
>> oriented, but for performance, I could often work something closer to
>> the ASL translation.
>>  "Trees green I see" will fit the rhythm nicely as a dancing hands
>> interpreter.  A graphic picture of "deep peace of the running wave to
>> you" can go either way.
>>  Example (from Rigoletto):
>>  /Tziti, Tziti, moviamo vendetta, ne sia colto or che men l'a spetta.
>> /
>>  Chuckle, chuckle, the moment is perfect, while our friend (eyebrows
>> raised) does not suspect.
>>  As an interpreter for music I'm often called to go from Italian to
>> English to ASL to Portuguese to Latin, so working hard to make an ASL
>> translation fit the rythm I think is better.
>>  Charles
>>
>> */Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>/* wrote:
>>
>>     Could I ask what we usually mean when we ask for a song to be
>>     translated?
>>
>>     Do we mean a transliteration that we could use to sign along with
>> the
>>     English words, or do we mean one in ASL?
>>
>>     For example in BSL the song would go:
>>
>>     Trees green I see...
>>
>>     But it's very hard to sign this along with:
>>
>>     I see trees of green...
>>
>>     I thought it best to ask before someone puts a lot of work into a
>>     version that isn't what's wanted!
>>
>>     Sandy
>>
>>     Valerie Sutton wrote:
>>
>>     > SignWriting List
>>     > March 15, 2005
>>     >
>>     > Dear SW List -
>>     > Anyone want to do an ASL translation of this song? If so, please
>>     write
>>     > directly to Louise...smile....Val ;-)
>>     >
>>     > --------------------------
>>     >
>>     > Begin forwarded message:
>>     >
>>     > *From: *"Louise Sala"
>>     > *Date: *March 15, 2005 8! :04:22 AM PST
>>     > *To: *
>>     > *Subject:
>>     > *
>>     > I was wondering if it is possible for you to translate a song
>> for
>>     > me into sign language. I teach a JK & SK class that I would like
>>     > them to learn this for graduation in June. The song is "What a
>>     > Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. If you need the words I
>> will
>>     > gladly send them to you. Thanks for all your help. My name is
>>     > Louise and my email address is allycats at cogeco.ca
>>     >
>>     >
>>
>>
>
>
>
>