"Trippingly on the Tongue": Vocal Technique for Interpreters

Voice Interpreting: Trippingly on the Tongue

Daniel Greene, MA Candidate, NIC Master

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Workshop DescriptionThis is a sign–to–voice interpreting workshop with a twist. In addition to learning logistical and processing strategies for voice interpreting, participants will learn the vocal techniques that singers and actors use so that they can enliven their sign-to-voice interpreting, convey affect, and improve audibility. Participants will learn how to enunciate, maintain vocal health, and inflect for affect, and meaning. Participants who take this workshop will leave as better interpreters and speakers.

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Workshop Objectives

Know how to relax your body and vocal apparatus for vocal health.Demonstrate improved control of the volume and pitch of your voice.

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Workshop Objectives

Vocalize the same phrase five different ways for meaning and affect.Outline strategies that can be used before and during an ASL–to–English interpreting assignment.

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Introductions: meSCPAAA InterpretingBA EnglishActing & SingingMA Interpreting Studies / Teaching

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Introductions: youWhat is your name? Your job / work?What do you expect to get out of this workshop?What are your strengths & weaknesses as an ASL-to-English interpreter?How do you plan to use what you learn here to improve your work?

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Breathing & Relaxation

Guided meditation, breathing, and movement exercise to relax vocal apparatus. Sit or stand as you wish.Safe space, distance if desired.

Close eyes if comfortable, listen to music, listen to words and affirmations.

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You are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. There has never been and never will be a voice quite like yours. Your voice is a gift, yours to give freely if you choose. Today is a gift of self care and practice in a safe space so you can give your clients the very best you have. Think of what you don’t like about your voice, put those thoughts into your cupped hands, and blow them away.

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Brenda Nicodemos: Performance does not match preference in novice ASL-English interpreters.Novice interpreters prefer doing English-to-ASL but perform better at ASL-to-English.Daniel Giles: Standard spoken language conference interpreting: from second language into first language.

Spoken English is your *Forte*

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“ASL Interpreter”What is a meat grinder? Tear jerker? Taffy puller?What is an ASL interpreter?When we interpret from English to ASL, are we not “English interpreters”?Heard of the “Reverse Skills Certificate” for “reverse” interpreting? Why “reverse”?

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Worst ASL interpretations“Shit”“Pager”“Curious”“Happened”“I love you.”Any others?

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Reasons you voice better than signYou’re a native/primarily English speaker. Nicodemos found that even CODAs performed better at ASL-to-English than English-to-ASL. Think how much more hearing people speak than sign.You can hear yourself and know when it sounds wrong; it’s harder to monitor your visual production.

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What are you afraid of?I’ll miss/forget fingerspelled names/words/dates.I’ll miss content and won’t make sense.I won’t be able to find the syntax or words I want.I won’t like the way I sound when I’m talking.The hearing audience is bigger and less forgiving than a deaf audience. There’s more of a risk of failure.

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Vocal warm–upStanding exercises to further relax and gently activate your vocal instrument.Yawn, sigh, high–low, ah, um, ha ha ha ha, breath 1, 2, 3 / ooh 1, 2, 3, smack lips, flutter lips, roll R, both R and lips, ngah ngah, blah blah, click tongue, buh buh, duh duh, guh guh, pa pa, ta ta, kah kah, b d g, p t k, moan, siren, low roar to high squeal.

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Random Affect Game

Pull a phrase out of one basketPull an affect out of another basketSpeak your phrase with your affectOthers guess at the intended affectThis is a funny exercise. Have fun!

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1 phrase 5 ways “musical chairs”Keep your phrase from the last game.Put chairs in circle facing out.Pile affect cards on each chair.Walk around the chairs to the music.When music stops, pick up the top card on the chair and say your phrase in that affect.

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Tongue Twisters

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Tongue Twisters

“You need unique New York” 5x fast“Rubber baby buggy bumpers” 5x fast“Eleven benevolent elephants” 5x fast“Red letter, yellow letter” 5x fast

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Tongue Twisters

“To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dockIn a pestilential prison, with a life–long lockAwaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shockFrom a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!” (Gilbert, 1885).

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Tongue Twisters“What a to–do to die today at a–minute–or–two to two. A thing distinctly hard to say, but harder still to do. For they’ll beat a tattoo at twenty–to–two — a rat–a–tat–tat–a–tat–tat–a–tattoo — and the dragon will come when he hears the drum at a minute–or–two to two today, at a minute–or–two to two.”

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Tongue Twisters

“Amidst the mists and fiercest frosts,With barest wrists and stoutest boasts,He thrusts his fists against the post,And still insists he sees the ghosts” (unknown).

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Tongue Twisters“Though I bide my time and try to tidy my sty, I cry ‘I won’t die with a sigh!’ to the giant guy in the sky who cries ‘fie!’ when we vie for the pie that lies nigh in the high rye.” —moi“My mic might be Mike’s, not mine, if I mind mild mice who mime a smile at my demise.” —yours truly

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Fancy Words for Fun StuffConsonant clusters (Amidst the mists)Unvoiced / voiced (s/z, p/b, t/d, k/g, f/v)Alliteration, assonance, internal rhymeWord boundaries: initial & final consonantsDiction: enunciation vs. pronunciationBreath control, phrasing, rhythm

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Voice Interpreting to “Blind” Listeners

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“Showing” remote or blind people“Caller is crying” vs. “Oh, no! She can’t be dead! (sobbing)”“Caller is laughing” vs. “Ah-ha-ha-ha! You crack me up! (chuckling)”prolonged laughter/cryingConveying emotional affect vs. “acting”

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Emotional “Hooks”Knowing the speaker’s goals and the intended effect on the audience, look for the parts of the message that should be emphasized to hook into the audience’s emotional response. Use your voice to reach the audience in the way that the deaf consumer is aiming to reach them.

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What do looks sound like?How do interpret facial expressions to blind or remote?I will demonstrate facial expressions and body language.

Interpret these facial expressions with vocal expressions that are not words.*Vague Language (VL)

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Cry it, laugh it, whisper it, shout it Pick a phraseSay it “crying”Say it “laughing”Say it softSay it loudTry degrees/combos

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Matching AffectPitch your voice high or low?Place your voice forward or back?Place your voice up or down?Project your voice loud or soft?Pace your speech fast or slow?Precise enunciation or mumbling?

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Remember the Five P’s

PacePitchPlacementPrecisionProjection

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Using a Microphone

How to make yourself heard and pleasant through sound equipment.

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Microphone Do’s and Don’tsYour plosives shouldn’t pop.Your fricatives & breath shouldn’t hiss.Your sonorants shouldn’t buzz.

Hold the microphone horizontal, not like an ice cream cone.Basically, be the right distance from the mic and have correct gain.

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ReferencesAlburger, J. The Art of Voice Acting. Focal Press.Hines, J. Great Singers on Great Singing. NY: Doubleday

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