Spooner

We present observations about creative and interpretive processes by three ASL-English “translators”: (1) a Deaf translator translating English poetic texts into ASL; (2) a hearing interpreter translating ASL performances into voiced English and spoken English texts into ASL; and (3) a hearing collaborator/voice artist working with a Deaf performer to co-create original ASL poetry as well as the corresponding voiced English translations. The differing degrees of translator visibility push them beyond the traditional expectations of translators being faceless towards becoming performers--and sometimes even co-creators--of the translated texts. During the acts of translation and the concomitant performance, their faces, hands, and/or voices embody the text, becoming an integral part of the piece, which adds layers of complexity to the ways we think about the process of translation and the role of the translator. We suggest that the role of those who produce literary translations between English and ASL might be recast as more than just “translators,” as something more similar to “actors,” because they add the embodied visual (and the auditory) to what traditional translators do. Acknowledging that the translation is a linguistic artwork, we nevertheless note that successful translations between ASL and English are steeped in visual imagery and the performance of that imagery. We identify four key translation strategies in this respect: relying less on spoken language and more on imagery to allow ASL to “speak”; breaking free from words and focusing on images; using personification and depiction in ways similar to actors; and the “discovery,” emergence, and refinement of the translation through the embodied process of physical rehearsal.