In a message
"wheremyheartrests" (Chad) writes:
Dear Dr. Bill,
...With the Lord's help, I will be starting a class through a partnership
between Vincennes University and IUPUI to have a Degree as an ASL
interpreter. The first two years is certified through Vinceness and is
taught at the Indiana School for the Deaf. And then the final two years are
taken at IUPUI.
And while I have college credit, and know quite a bit of ASL and SEE, I have
felt led to take the entire course. But as part of the course they require
an ASL proficiency test prior to taking the course. So my question is
simple: Do you have any advice for me?
Thank you, and Lord Bless,
Chad
Chad,
My advice:
Take the test and do well on it. (Heh)
Since you already know some signing the real issue is to focus on ASL and
avoid signing English during the test.
Here are a few simple pointers:
Avoid using initialized signs that have ASL versions.
Avoid excessive mouthing. (Use mouthing for mouth morphemes such as "cha" "pah"
"mm" "oo" etc. but not to mouth English words.
Put your Wh-type signs at the end of your Wh-type questions.
Raise your eyebrows for yes/no type questions.
Have a long conversation with a Deaf friend just before taking the test.
Practice explaining how to play your favorite game and give directions on
how to get to your favorite place.
-- Dr. Bill