what qualifies as "proficient" in a ASL (or any language really)

HelloNurse

HelloNurse

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I want to go to this workshop about medical interpreting.. not because i am anywhere near becoming an interpreter, but because i would like to be one in the far distant future and i think it would be interesting to learn more and observe...

however on the registration form is says "Proficiency in ASL is required". What exactly is proficiency? Is it fluency? Or is it you know enough to hold a conversation and would be able to understand the gist of what is going on?

I feel confident that I would be able to follow most of what they are saying, or at least get the main ideas, but I don't want to be embarrassed :lol:.
 
This is a great question for the interpreters. I'm sure a few of the AD'ers here who are interpreters can answer that question on a legal level than opinions.

However you know proficiency and fluency are not the same thing. Fluency is definitely near-complete mastery of the language, a fluent person understands a great amount of the material.

If we were talking about being fluent in math, I would gauge fluency to being able to understand 90%+ of all mathematical concepts.. Calculus, trigonometry, arithmetic, general physics (not of engineering, that is its own division), thermodynamics, so on.
Meaning, every 9 out of 10 problems are understood at the minimum, while 10/10 is preferred. I think of that as 9 out of 10 transcripts are understood in ASL.

Proficiency is gauged differently by different languages, since it generally refers to someone who is not a native of the language, so the concept is written towards someone who may be a second learner.

Someone proficient at math (even though, technically it is not a language) would not be someone who scores under 79%, but I think it's fair to say they are the 80-89% range. I don't know how an interpreting exam works, but since they do calculate your score after it is over, I'd personally assess the fluent to the top 95-100%, while 85-94% maintains a "proficiency".
 
It would appear to me as if this workshop is going to be fully signed. If your level of ASL right now is being able to just get the gist without fully understanding everything (only getting the main ideas as you said), I think possibly you will feel in-over-your-head. I'm surprised the form doesn't say "Proficiency in ASL STRONGLY ENCOURAGED" (rather than "REQUIRED") -- what are they going to do to people who show up that are not proficient? Turn them away? :lol: Anyways, maybe a call to the workshop organizers would be in order for you to find out what level of ASL the workshop presenters will be using -- it sounds like a high level if they're asking you be proficient to attend. ...
 
AlleyCat said:
It would appear to me as if this workshop is going to be fully signed. If your level of ASL right now is being able to just get the gist without fully understanding everything (only getting the main ideas as you said), I think possibly you will feel in-over-your-head. I'm surprised the form doesn't say "Proficiency in ASL STRONGLY ENCOURAGED" (rather than "REQUIRED") -- what are they going to do to people who show up that are not proficient? Turn them away? :lol: Anyways, maybe a call to the workshop organizers would be in order for you to find out what level of ASL the workshop presenters will be using -- it sounds like a high level if they're asking you be proficient to attend. ...
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That's what it sounds like to me. It usually means the workshop will be presented in ASL with no voice interpreting included.
 
HelloNurse said:
I want to go to this workshop about medical interpreting.. not because i am anywhere near becoming an interpreter, but because i would like to be one in the far distant future and i think it would be interesting to learn more and observe...

however on the registration form is says "Proficiency in ASL is required". What exactly is proficiency? Is it fluency? Or is it you know enough to hold a conversation and would be able to understand the gist of what is going on?

I feel confident that I would be able to follow most of what they are saying, or at least get the main ideas, but I don't want to be embarrassed :lol:.
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Food for thought.

If you balk at the idea of getting embarrassed -- You may NOT want to become an interpreter.

I have never met a terp who did not have stories at hand about embarrassing incidents that are horrific.

As I remember RID stated that proficiency meant someone was able to "play" with the language... For instance be able to make and understand puns, double entendres, etc.
 
Berry said:
If you balk at the idea of getting embarrassed -- You may NOT want to become an interpreter.
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I disagree in general. Part of any good interpreter training will be spent getting people used to the idea of being outside their comfort zones. Now if someone is at the end of their training and is still easily embarrassed then, yes, they should probably rethink their choice of career.
 
Berry said:
Food for thought.

If you balk at the idea of getting embarrassed -- You may NOT want to become an interpreter.

I have never met a terp who did not have stories at hand about embarrassing incidents that are horrific.

As I remember RID stated that proficiency meant someone was able to "play" with the language... For instance be able to make and understand puns, double entendres, etc.
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RID says that??? Hard to imagine with ASL.
 
Berry said:
Food for thought.

If you balk at the idea of getting embarrassed -- You may NOT want to become an interpreter.

I have never met a terp who did not have stories at hand about embarrassing incidents that are horrific.

As I remember RID stated that proficiency meant someone was able to "play" with the language... For instance be able to make and understand puns, double entendres, etc.
Click to expand...

i am a nurses aid/nursing student. i wipe people's shitty asses everyday, i ask them personal questions, i hold cups for them to pee into, i put my finger inside their butt to give them medicine... i am not easily embarrassed in uncomfortable situations such as that....

i was just saying i dont want to show up and not understand everything thats being said and everyone look at me like "what is this idiot doing here?"
 
Berry said:
...As I remember RID stated that proficiency meant someone was able to "play" with the language... For instance be able to make and understand puns, double entendres, etc.
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Are you sure about that? I did a search of RID for proficient and proficiency, and there was no statement like that for those terms.
 
HelloNurse said:
I want to go to this workshop about medical interpreting.. not because i am anywhere near becoming an interpreter, but because i would like to be one in the far distant future and i think it would be interesting to learn more and observe...

however on the registration form is says "Proficiency in ASL is required". What exactly is proficiency? Is it fluency? Or is it you know enough to hold a conversation and would be able to understand the gist of what is going on?

I feel confident that I would be able to follow most of what they are saying, or at least get the main ideas, but I don't want to be embarrassed :lol:.
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When in doubt, contact the organization sponsoring the workshop and ask.
 
In the Master's program at Gallaudet University, all of us had to pass the ASL profiency test before being able to do our student teaching internship. It involves fluency both expressively and receptively. I dont know what kind of criteria they have set up that defines fluency but it was a tough test to pass. Many people didnt pass it.
 
shel90 said:
In the Master's program at Gallaudet University, all of us had to pass the ASL profiency test before being able to do our student teaching internship. It involves fluency both expressively and receptively. I dont know what kind of criteria they have set up that defines fluency but it was a tough test to pass. Many people didnt pass it.
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They don't mess around!
 
My guess it that if what you are planning to attend is a workshop as well as lectures then they would require you to participate in activities which require feedback and response from the lectures, hence the need for proficiency in ASL, this is where you may be out of your league if you are still in your training-wheels with ASL.

However, if the workshops are a matter of choice and you are able to just sit in on the lectures or observe, perhaps it would be of benefit to you. Like many have suggested already - contact the organisers and see whether it suits you.
 
Mountain Man said:
I disagree in general. Part of any good interpreter training will be spent getting people used to the idea of being outside their comfort zones. Now if someone is at the end of their training and is still easily embarrassed then, yes, they should probably rethink their choice of career.
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Was not thinking about "easily" embarrassed. Was thinking about not liking to be embarrassed. I was thinking more along the lines of the last sentence of HelloNurse's next post.


HelloNurse said:
i am a nurses aid/nursing student. i wipe people's shitty asses everyday, i ask them personal questions, i hold cups for them to pee into, i put my finger inside their butt to give them medicine... i am not easily embarrassed in uncomfortable situations such as that....

i was just saying i dont want to show up and not understand everything thats being said and everyone look at me like "what is this idiot doing here?"
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Of course I'm a clown. People wondering what this idiot is doing there is normal to me.

Beowulf said:
RID says that??? Hard to imagine with ASL.
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Not sure what is hard for you to imagine. Playing with ASL? That is easy and lots of fun. Or that it is considered part of the criteria for skill?



Reba said:
Are you sure about that? I did a search of RID for proficient and proficiency, and there was no statement like that for those terms.
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Am 100% certain it was said about ASL, I was quite taken with it at the time, and said by an authority of the RID, NAD, Gallaudet level, but am only about 60% certain it was RID that said it.

Though I would say it is true of any language. If you cannot play with it it is not yours.

jillio said:
I think playing with the language is more of a criteria for native fluency than proficiency. Two different concepts.
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I can go with that.

I do love to play though, with or without language.
 
It is said that if you can understand jokes in the language, you have mastered it.
 
shel90 said:
In the Master's program at Gallaudet University, all of us had to pass the ASL profiency test before being able to do our student teaching internship. It involves fluency both expressively and receptively. I dont know what kind of criteria they have set up that defines fluency but it was a tough test to pass. Many people didnt pass it.
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Reba said:
They don't mess around!
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I would like to question that.... All I have to say is to take one glance at the teachers at Gallaudet.
 
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