Foreign language course, How does that works?

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ive been thinking about taking a foreign class at college. i have discussed with a counselor once and said it was almost impossible to set the interpreter with no knowlegde of langauge. so there was an idea to do one on one with professor, also almost impossible because of their hour and salary.

so i want to know if there are deafies out there had taken courses at college and how can it be worked out? there has to be a way out can be worked out.
im jealous of those deaf europeans who learned more than 3 or 4 languages!
i really hope i can take this opportunity to learn something different and challenging. :fingersx:
 
Hi, one of the clever thing I heard was a girl who arranged the teacher to learn Cued Speech. It's easy to learn in like a week. Cued Speech can be used with any language. Of course, you'll need to ask one of the professors or all and ask them what they think, and who is open to learn with you. Do a google search to see if you can find a Cued Speech certified person to help both of you.

Or, instead of your interpreter signing. Have them learn along with you. Tell them to pretend to be a student and a buddy. Have the office buy the interpreter the textbook, so that she can learn along with you, study them and blah, blah. Have them sit side by side and point to words and find the pages, etc., etc. Since it will be a beginning class, there's no reason the interpreter will not catch up or not be able to help unless they are stubborn who wouldn't want to help you because it isn't signing. Lord forbid you encounter someone like that. Also, have professors write up on the board new words or give you a copy of the notes ahead of time. There are some good professors and those who don't think they can help someone better. Find one that's happy and open with you.

Of course, this will take a little planning ahead of time if you can postpone it. Arrange an hour meeting with one of the Professor and director of the department along with a possible interpreter and the disability staff to discuss things along.

I hope this gives you some idea.
 
What kind of forign language would this be? The big stumbeling block is that the majority of language work at the college level is oral and aural......VERY hard. Of course, there's no problem whatsoever with oral and aural concerns if you take a language like Latin!
 
...or Sanskrit, Classical Arabic, or Classical Tibetan. I'm actually taking Classical Tibetan right now and it's a lot of fun! Admittedly, not as much fun as learning a language that's still alive. I actually know a Tibetan speaker, but Modern Tibetan has changed so much from Classical that he doesn't understand me! :|

But I agree on getting the interpreter to learn the language with you. It's probably the best way to go, unless you can conveniently find a trilingual interpreter.
 
I would talk with the foreign language teacher in advance and see what can be worked out. There could be workbooks in english that would enable you to work independently... and the teacher could oblige you in ways such as writing stuff on the blackboard and all. How about a notetaker? One of the students in the class is bound to want to make a little extra money...

I'm currently learning norwegian and NSL, and the teacher isn't using english or ASL. I just know enough NSL and written norwegian to learn more, along with a norsk to english/english to norsk dictionary.
 
Technically and ethically, an interpreter only interprets. The student would require a sign language interpreter AND a tutor/assistant, two different roles.

How would a profoundly deaf student who doesn't speak learn to pronounce foreign words?

I am seriously interested in this topic because I interpret at a college. So far, none of the Deaf students here have taken a foreign language, but someday it could happen. I would like to be ready.
 
I took a foreign course in my highschool. At my school we do have bilingual interpreters-- spanish or french. I skipped exams where I have to "hear" foreign words and write down translation. Later the teacher gave us another alternative-- a transcript of what was said so we can translate it. More convivent for deaf since we read everything so practice the read and write translation is much more useful than having the interp spelling it out for us (and they usually have a hard time to detect which accent is being marked)
Latin, spanish, and french have been taken by deaf at my highschool and there weren't any problems with interps or teachers.
--BUT--
College courses are DIFFERENT from high school-- college foreign courses tend to be more vocal. But I think it is still possible for deaf to take those courses. Just skip exams where you are required to write down the translation for a spoken foreign term or get transcripts. I am SURE there are many ways around this.
THe best suggestion would to go to the foreign language department to find which professor that gives more artimetic lessons. Not all languages are taught orally and artimetic at same time. Farsi for example-- their writing is not same as if one speaks it so they provide different courses-- one emphasis the oral language while other teaches how to write Farsi.
:)
I don't see how this could create a problem for interp. I mean, they have to learn bio and chem and whatnot for deaf pre-med students so if they start to throw tantrums that they have to hear non-English words, they are being hypocritical. Many interp learn new things when they are interp'ing anyway.
If you are taking French, German, or whatnot, it shouldn't be hard to get transcript because their letters are not Cyrillic. :)
 
I choose to learn French nor German voluntarily when I was in school. I learned French for a month and dont like it so I switch to German from French. I find German very interesting to learn. I learn it for a year before I left for college.
There're some hobby for free time in college so I choose to learn German. I learn for other year. I left college to neglect German language.

I met my German husband 4 years later after that. Some of puzzled to get together in my brain to remember German langage when I speak and sign with body gesture to him. So I went to German evening class. We wrote each other in German which it's real hard. I do all is look at English/German dictonary. My husband want to learn English but I told him to write German because I want to learn. :roll:

We married and move to live in Germany in 1985. It took me few months to familiar German languages in the German atmosphere is reading the book, magazines, TV with subtitles, etc because the real life is total different from where I was learned from school/college/evening school.

Now I can read/write/understand German languages and read German lipreading as same level as English since I live in Germany for almost 20 years.

I had the feeling that learn at school is the different as real life because you will learn quickly when you see everything in real life when you live other countries for years.

Well, I taught my sons English but they prefer to speak and sign German. On one day they realized that we will visit to my father in England. My sons were nervous when they communicated with my father but they goes well with body gesture and mix with German and English languages. It took them 2 weeks to familiar with English languages.

I send my sons to English class to learn but it doesn't work on them much until we flied to Sinpagore to stay in the hotel for few days before fly to Australia in 2000/2001. My sons are nervous during English atompshere. I translated them what the Servants from hotel said. My sons learned very quickly from my college friend and her family only a week after arrived from Sinpagore. We spend with them in Australia for month vacation. They speak English well. My college friend's hearing husband said to me that Danny speak English good. After our vacation in Australia over then fly back to Sinpagore and stay at same hotel. The servants are amazed that my boys speak English to them. They do not need me as Translator anymore :lol:

I told my sons that I'm very impressed about their English because it's not same what they want to learn in the English class. They told me that they find it's interesting to learn English in real life than at English class. I has to agree with them because it was happened the same to me because it's total different between learn at school and real life.

They have English course in my son's Danny classroom at 2 years ago. I'm proud to tell you that my son Danny is the best English class than all of his classmates. He know that I'm British but he prefer to talk me in German. He do it automaic because I speak and sign German to them. They are different when we have English visitors.


All what I say what I has an experience with the compare between learn from school and real life. I would say that you will learn real quickly when you see in real life than learn at school.

e,
Don't get me wrong.
I would not influence on your decision. I only tell you what I have an experience.
It would be good sense as hobby when you really desire to learn anything.
 
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When I was young, my sister taught me French from what she learned in her high school. Since then, I have been practising my French. Then in high school, I took German, even though the interpreter did not know any German at all. We agreed with the teacher that he would write a lot on board, or show captioned videos. The interpreter would translate only what was said in English. However, she did take some interest in the class and learned with me, so she would spell some German words she knew.

When I studied abroad in Germany in 1996, I was required to take German classes, so I took Stufe 3 classes for DaFS (Level 3 for German as Foreign Language, out of only 3 levels). The interpreter signed to me in pure German SL and the teacher wrote on the board sometimes. It was a quick learn for me since it was a total immersion in the German world. Since then, I still know German and chat often with my German friends online, especially with a British-German woman here, :P

Edited to add the following:
My current partner is from Vietnam, and he has been learning ASL pretty well. I also took it up on myself to learn his language (tieng viet) which is very difficult with all accent marks to remember. I think even if one had the ability to hear, one would truly benefit from the language classes if he was very motivated to learn it, instead of just satisifying some dumb university requirements. I have been practising Vietnamese and still a lot to do but loving it.
 
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Lieber Amerikan-Deutsch! :mrgreen:
Ja, es ist viel Spaß sich mit Dir zu unterhalten!
Wir sollten so weitermachen!
Ich freue mich sehr, daß es Dich gibt!
Sei nicht besorgt, ich werde es für AD Mitglieder auf Englisch übersetzen!
Ich wünsche Dir einen schönen Tag!

Translation
Dear American-German! :lol:
Yes, it’s much fun to chat with you!
We should do it again!
I am very happy to know you!
Don’t worry, I will translate into English for AD members!
I wish you a lovely day!


It's interesting that you CAN learn few fluently languages, Kuiji75! I can image that Vietnamese language must be a diffucilt language. I remember when we visit Republic Czech. for Shopping Spree. I saw many Vietnamese's friendly faces and saw their languages. Oh No, it's impossible to learn their language, I say to myself when I saw it.
It amaze me that you doing it practising well since you learn from your Vietnamese partner.
 
gnarlydorkette said:
I took a foreign course in my highschool. . . I skipped exams where I have to "hear" foreign words and write down translation. . . Just skip exams where you are required to write down the translation for a spoken foreign term or get transcripts.
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In college, students can't "skip" exams, so I am not sure how that would be handled. I don't think a printed transcript can be substituted for the aural portion of the grade. I'll have to ask the foreign language department head about that.

THe best suggestion would to go to the foreign language department to find which professor that gives more artimetic lessons.
Click to expand...
Please explain "artimetic" lessons for foreign language.

I don't see how this could create a problem for interp. I mean, they have to learn bio and chem and whatnot for deaf pre-med students so if they start to throw tantrums that they have to hear non-English words, they are being hypocritical. Many interp learn new things when they are interp'ing anyway.
Click to expand...
As a college terp, I work with students who are studying a variety of majors. Most semesters I am assigned to four students, each one taking a different course in a different major. There is no way I can "learn" each subject for each semester. Also, terps are rotated during the semester, so it is possible to be assigned to a course half-way thru the semester. There is no way to catch up with a foreign language that way.

We learn the vocabulary of each subject, and can study the text books, but we don't actually learn the subject because we don't get the hands-on practice. For example, when I interpret web design class I hear the lecture but I don't have access to the software to design a website. A terp can learn chemistry terms, but the terp can't do the experiments.

I am not "throwing a tantrum" but just being practical, and obeying the ethics of professional interpreting. I love to learn new things, so that doesn't bother me. The problem is, if a terp is trying to concentrate on learning something for herself, she is not giving full attention and service to the Deaf student consumer. It is not fair to the student.

Our interpreting agency follows the guidelines of RID, and terps are not allowed to be tutors. Tutors are a totally seperate profession. The best set-up for a student is to have a terp AND a tutor, working as a team.

If you are taking French, German, or whatnot, it shouldn't be hard to get transcript because their letters are not Cyrillic. :)
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Most of our instructors do provide Deaf students with copies of their notes, Power Point presentations, etc. I assume transcriptions would be also provided in whatever language and alphabet that is being taught. That shouldn't be a problem.
 
Liebling:-))) said:
Lieber Amerikan-Deutsch! :mrgreen:
Ja, es ist viel Spaß sich mit Dir zu unterhalten!
Wir sollten so weitermachen!
Ich freue mich sehr, daß es Dich gibt!
Sei nicht besorgt, ich werde es für AD Mitglieder auf Englisch übersetzen!
Ich wünsche Dir einen schönen Tag!
Click to expand...

Lach... ich bedanke mich fuer deine Nachricht.
Ja natuerlich werden wir weitermachen. Ich bin aber sehr beschaeftigt, und hat weniger Zeit fuer Online-Chats. Mit zwei Jobs und ein Freund hat man selbstverstaendlich weniger Zeit... lach. Am Donnerstag faengt Semesterfeiern an, dann werde ich etwa mehr Zeit haben, mit meiner Freunde Kontakt wiederaufwecken. Du auch, ich wuensche Dir einen schoenes Weihnachtsfest!

Uebersetzung:
LOL... Thanks for the message.
Yes of course, we will keep it up. I have been busy though, and have less time for online-chats. With two jobs and a boyfriend, one obviously would have less time... LOL... On Thursday, the semester break will begin, then I will have some more time to reawaken contacts with my friends. You also, I wish you very happy Christmas festivals!
 
thanks for the feedbacks and ideas, guys!
heres the idea to take course, the counselor said we can make a special request to the dean for independant study. so the dean will find a professor whos willing and available to do one on one. exam and works will be discussed with professor after this independant study course is confirmed.
yes its so true that its a lot easier to pick up the language thru person with native language. the counselor concerned on how can i pick up the language by hearing. i just remembered a couple of years ago i had an exchange student swedish classmate, she taught me some swedish sign language so i learned quickly. it was so much like visualizing the language by listening words instead hearing to listen. it was very fascinating and interesting!

an interpreter told me that the agency looked for interpreter with skilled in german/spanish languages for a student who took course in german/spanish. perhaps i can contact the agency about how it worked out between professor-interpreter-student, especially fingerspelling LONG word in german lol
 
It sounds like you are working it out. Great! I'm glad that you have a supportive faculty at your college.

Keep us posted.
 
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