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

[Charles Butler]

Well, for me, it's like ballet.  Ballet is a set form of mime which expresses concepts, not words.  If I say "Dancing across the floor" the ballet dancer dances across the floor, she doesn't sign the four words.  So, if one thinks rythymically one can express the signs as "gesture" and think of "concept" for "concept".  It requires an adept interpreter to do this, which I only sometimes am, but here is an ASL attempt to show what I mean.

Dancing across the floor.  You set up the floor, the direction, and then the action. As a choreographer, any motion can fit with any word, and signing music is choreography, as much as "translation".

In the Chorus, we have intepreters whose sole function is to sign the music.  Sometimes it's rhythmical, sometimes its straight translation, but it is always storytelling.









Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org> 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 /* 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
> >
> >
>
>


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20050315/216a8f50/attachment.htm>