Signing Savvy, Your Sign Language Resource

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings.

Hello! Brenda Cartwright (BC) here. Let's continue on the fun topic of: “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same.”

The ASL signs shown below look similar, but are not the same. There are many ASL signs that when produced look similar, but in fact have a completely different meaning. Below you will find examples of such signs. Watch closely to see if you can see the difference. In addition, watch my eyebrows, look to see when I tilt my head or lean my body in a certain way, even what my mouth is doing. These nuances are called inflections and trust me, inflections matter. Enjoy!

1. Please vs. Enjoy

Both PLEASE and ENJOY have the dominate open flat hand make a circle over the chest, ENJOY also has the non-dominate hand circling over the stomach at the same time. To remember PLEASE, think of when something is pleasing it warms your heart. Think of all the different kinds of food you enjoy to remember ENJOY also circles over the stomach.

Please Play Loop (on)

Enjoy Play Loop (on)

2. Hot vs. Yell

HOT and YELL look similar, but HOT moves down from the mouth like you are forcefully pushing something hot away from your mouth and dropping it, while the gesture made when signing YELL indicates something loud is coming out of your mouth and going up into the air for everyone to hear.

Hot Play Loop (on)

Yell Play Loop (on)

3. Brown vs. Beer

BROWN and BEER both use the B-hand moving downward on the face. You can remember BEER slides down the side of the mouth with a repeated motion by thinking of spilling a little bit as you drink and wiping it with your hand (and wiping again to make sure you got it all).

Brown Play Loop (on)

Beer Play Loop (on)

4. Food vs. Eat a lot

FOOD and EAT use the same sign - the dominant modified O-hand (also called AND-hand) make repeated movements to the mouth, symbolizing bringing food to the mouth as you eat it. EAT A LOT uses an exaggerated repeated motion because when you EAT A LOT you eat and eat (and eat!). EAT A LOT can also be signed with two hands.

Food Play Loop (on)

Eat a lot Play Loop (on)

5. Read vs. Dance

READ and DANCE both use dominant V-hands and non-dominant open palms. However, they are easy to remember because the gestures represent reading and dancing. When signing READ the V-hand represents eyes moving down the page (the open palm) while reading. When signing DANCE the V-hand represents legs dancing on a dance floor (the open palm).

Read Play Loop (on)

Dance Play Loop (on)

These examples are aligned with the Visual Discrimination section of Lesson 5 (page 60) from Lessons and Activities in American Sign Language by Brenda E. Cartwright and Suellen J. Bahleda. Check out the book for more ASL Activities and watch for more examples from this series: “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same.”

An Experienced Interpreter's Perspective:

I think there are a number of issues at play. First, there is your question and reasoning behind it. I applaud your rationale. You were trying to be prepared for the event and to try and gauge the Deaf person’s sign style/preference. That’s great! However, I wouldn’t have asked why the student wanted to see the teacher. It may be misconstrued as fishing for information.

If this was a first-time assignment, I think the most I might ask would be, “What does the teacher teach?” That way, the subject being taught would prime my brain for certain terms and/or grammatical aspects of ASL/English.

If you’re trying to measure a young student’s signing preference, you could ask about another less threatening topic. One question I use is “What is your favorite game?” Lots of times, young kids will answer by talking about their favorite video game. They’re more relaxed and it helps me find a good starting point for matching their preferences.

The second issue is the Deaf student’s response. Remember that she’s young and part of being a student is learning how to be a savvy yet polite consumer. If this educational setting is your full-time position, you should talk with the student as soon as you can after the interpreting event. Be honest but not authoritative. Remember, diplomacy can be your best friend. You might want to tell her that it always helps the interpreter to have something to start with, both content and communication preferences, so that you can be ready to interpret. This way the student might volunteer necessary information next time without an interpreter having to ask.

Experienced Deaf Consumer's Perspective:

That sounds familiar to me. I have seen and heard this reaction from students. I believe the student is learning how to utilize an interpreter. Some students will use too much power without common sense. Often, deaf students are told that interpreters do not have the right to be nosey about their personal lives, but at the same time they do not understand how the Code of Ethics really works for them. This student probably didn’t even think ahead about the fact that the interpreter is going to find out what the topic will be in a few moments anyway. They just don’t know why you are asking those kinds of questions.

After the initial meeting – not right away, but later on – you should have a nice comfortable talk with the student about why you ask those kinds of questions. Explaining this would be beneficial. Some students need help learning how to utilize interpreters and what to expect later in the deaf community. Eventually, the student can decide whether the interpreter’s questions are appropriate prior to situations. This student is still learning.

An Experienced Interpreter's Perspective:

Based on my experience, I think most interpreters – nationally certified, pre-certified, ITP students – appreciate feedback and are willing to attempt to immediately put the feedback to use. Being nationally certified does not mean that an interpreter is unable to benefit from suggestions, feedback or exploration of new ideas.

If the interpreter is difficult to lip-read (and that is something that person might not be able to change), I think it is fine to tell the interpreter that you will be relying even more on facial expression during the meeting. I always appreciate that kind of heads-up because it gives me a better take on the deaf person’s perspective and I can attempt to adjust my work accordingly.

Certified or not, let interpreters know what you’re thinking.

Experienced Deaf Consumer's Perspective:

I feel that any time you are not happy about what the interpreter is doing; your concerns should be made known. This is especially crucial when the delivery of the message from the interpreter interferes with complete comprehension of the message.

Your example of not being able to lip-read is one issue and not having any visible facial expressions which help clarify the message is another issue. Each issue should be addressed as they are both significant issues to be looked at. It would be appropriate for you and the interpreter to look at each issue and see how improvements/modifications can be made.

A nationally certified interpreter should definitely be told of these issues because they need to adjust their skills to meet different needs of different consumers. If they are not meeting your needs, you can feel better about telling them because they have invested a lot in the process of becoming a nationally certified interpreter and usually they have the Deaf consumer’s best interests at heart.

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings. This is the first article of this series, but watch for more to come!

Hello! I’m Brenda Cartwright (BC) and today’s fun topic is: “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same.”

The ASL signs shown below look similar, but are not the same. There are many ASL signs that when produced look similar, but in fact have a completely different meaning. Below you will find examples of such signs. Watch closely to see if you can see the difference. In addition, watch my eyebrows, look to see when I tilt my head or lean my body in a certain way, even what my mouth is doing. These nuances are called inflections and trust me, inflections matter. Enjoy!

1. Sick vs. Disease

You can remember the signs for SICK and DISEASE because your extended middle fingers point at the areas where we often feel sick - at your forehead and stomach. For SICK, touch your forehead and stomach at the same time. DISEASE is similar, but you make small circles in and out from the body.

sick Play Loop (on)

disease Play Loop (on)

2. Ask vs. Question

The signs for ASK and QUESTION can look similar, but for ASK you make a bent motion with your index finger as it moves in the direction of who you are asking the question of, while when you sign QUESTION you make the outline of a question mark in the air.

ask Play Loop (on)

question Play Loop (on)

3. Senate vs. Committee

SENATE and COMMITTEE look similar because they are both ASL initialized signs of the sign for MEMBER. The S-hand is used when signing SENATE and the C-hand is used when signing COMMITTEE.

Senate Play Loop (on)

Committee Play Loop (on)

4. Science vs. Experiment

To remember these signs, think of combining the contents of two beakers or test tubes by pouring them into a single container. SCIENCE uses A-hands and EXPERIMENT is an ASL initialized sign of SCIENCE that uses E-hands. CHEMISTRY (C-hands) and BIOLOGY (B-hands) are also ASL initialized signs of SCIENCE.

Science Play Loop (on)

Experiment Play Loop (on)

5. Convince me vs. Convince you

Convince is a directional sign. To sign CONVINCE ME, your B-hands make a chopping motion at the same time towards your neck and to sign CONVINCE YOU the motion is done outward, towards the person you are trying to convince.

Convince me Play Loop (on)

Convince you Play Loop (on)

6. Pray vs. Request

PRAY and REQUEST are similar, but for PRAY your hands are together and make a downward motion in front of your chest, while REQUEST starts with your hands away from your body and then they move in to come together and make the PRAY sign.

Pray Play Loop (on)

Request Play Loop (on)

7. Attention vs. Focus

ATTENTION has both open flat hands start by the eyes and make small forward movements, while your hands when signing FOCUS move forward and down as they focus in on a point.

Attention Play Loop (on)

Focus Play Loop (on)

8. Russia vs. Brag

RUSSIA and BRAG are both signed at the waist, but RUSSIA uses 5-hands (think of placing the hands at the waist during a Russian dance), while BRAG alternates Y-hands (think of strutting around).

Russia Play Loop (on)

Brag Play Loop (on)

9. Drink (as in "drink something non-alcoholic") vs. Drink (as in "drink liquor")

It’s easy to get the different signs for DRINK confused, but signing you need a drink can have two very different meanings depending on what sign you use. The two signs use the same movement and placement, but DRINK (as in "drink something non-alcoholic") uses a C-hand, while DRINK (as in "drink liquor") uses a modified C-hand with three fingers.

Drink (water) Play Loop (on)

Drink (alcohol) Play Loop (on)

10. Don't mind vs. Don't care

DON’T MIND and DON’T CARE both start at the nose and move away from the face, but DON’T MIND uses the index finger, while DON’T CARE starts as a flat O-hand and opens up.

Don't mind Play Loop (on)

Don't care Play Loop (on)

11. Glasses vs. Gallaudet

This example shows that small differences in movement matter. For both signs, the G-hand starts open and closes as it pulls back - there is one movement for GALLAUDET and two movements for GLASSES. You can remember that the sign for GALLAUDET is like the sign for GLASSES because Thomas Gallaudet wore glasses.

Glasses Play Loop (on)

Gallaudet Play Loop (on)

12. Empty vs. Available

This is another example of how small differences in movement matter. For both signs the middle finger slides out along the back of the non-dominant hand - there is one movement for EMPTY and two movements for AVAILABLE.

Empty Play Loop (on)

Available Play Loop (on)

13. Sad vs. Friendly

Facial expressions are important when conveying meaning in sign language, but especially when it comes to signing emotions. When signing SAD, the open 5 hands slowly slide down the face, while for FRIENDLY they make a fluttering motion while moving up and away from the face.

Sad Play Loop (on)

Friendly Play Loop (on)

14. March vs. Funeral

A similar movement is made when signing MARCH and FUNERAL, but MARCH uses 4-hands with the palms down marching out (think of your fingers as two rows of (four) band members marching together in sync in a parade), while FUNERAL uses upright V-hands (remember your fingers point up by thinking of them as the legs of cartoon characters - they always die with their legs/feet sticking up in the air).

March Play Loop (on)

Funeral Play Loop (on)

These examples are aligned with the Visual Discrimination section of Lesson 8 (page 98) from Lessons and Activities in American Sign Language by Brenda E. Cartwright and Suellen J. Bahleda. Check out the book for more ASL Activities and watch for more examples from this series: “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same.”

We as interpreters are notorious for not taking care of our bodies. We see lots of Repetitive Motion Injury among colleagues. We spend a lot of time in our cars. We may develop unhealthy habits (eating fast food or a lack of exercise). In a profession where the primary focus is other people, we need to keep ourselves healthy.

Here are 6 tips for how Interpreters can stay healthy:

1. Make Priorities

• Learn to say no to things.
• Take time out of your schedule for yourself.
• Use a calendar, such as Google Calendar, to plan ahead.

2. Stay Rested

• Regular sleep. Set a bedtime.
• Take catnaps.
• Take time to clear your head (ex: meditate for 15 minutes).

3. Eat Smarter

• Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
• Drink lots of water.
• Pack your lunch.
• Keep healthy snacks in your car or bag.
• Carry a water bottle.
• Take a multi-vitamin daily.

4. Stay Active

• Sign up for an exercise class or a race.
• Go for a walk. Or better yet take your dog for a walk.
• Join a gym.
• Do stretching exercises before you interpret.

5. Be Social

• Keep in touch with friends.
• Meet a friend for coffee (or a smoothie) every week.
• Spend time with family.

6. Be Mindful

• Read for pleasure.
• Listen to music.
• Keep a journal.
• Volunteer somewhere, anywhere.

We regularly help others as part of our job, but in order to be truly effective we need to take care of ourselves. Adopting these strategies will help you be healthier, happier, and more balanced.