FY 2008 Annual Report of Achievements - Gallaudet University

The Interpretation of I. King Jordanʼs Sign Name
Status: Completed Begin date: October 2007 End date: December 2007
Principal Investigator(s):
Ktejik, Michelle (student) – Interpretation
Description:
The Interpretation of I. King Jordan’s sign name discusses how professional interpreters interpreted
I. King Jordan’s sign name into spoken English during the Unity for Gallaudet (UFG) Protest of
2006. During that time period Jordan’s sign name, which had been established for many years, was
changed by the Deaf community. This is a rare occurrence in the Deaf community, and the change
reflected the community’s changing view toward him. Therefore, the use of Jordan’s sign name—
either the old or the new—carried heavy connotations. This research focused on the various
elements (audience, environment, speaker’s intent, etc.) that influenced the interpretation of I. King
Jordan’s sign name. For this project, 10 professional interpreters were interviewed. Nine of them
had worked at Gallaudet during the UFG Protest. In the interviews, they discussed various
interpretations of I. King Jordan’s sign name. These interviews were analyzed for patterns of the
interpreters’ thought processes while making their interpreting choices.
Funding source: GRI Small Grant
Interpreting in Educational Settings
Status: Ongoing Begin date: 1996 End date: No set date
Principal Investigator(s):
Metzger, Melanie – Interpretation
Fleetwood, Earl – Sign Language Associates, Inc.
Description:
This project investigates interpreting in educational settings and visual learning via mediated
discourse.
FY 2007-2008 product(s):
Metzger, M. (2008, September). Educational interpreting defined. Presentation to the Fairfax County Public Schools, VA.
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