Have you listened to speakers who fill their sentences with English idioms?  Do you know that these idioms change over time?  Do you as a d/Deaf or hearing person ever feel confused by the idioms used by people in your daily life?  Are you as an interpreter left in the lurch because you do not understand the meaning of an English idiom and therefore haven’t a prayer of accurately producing it in American Sign Language?  If you find yourself answering yes to one or more of these questions, then this is the workshop for you!

This workshop will begin by defining idioms, looking at their purpose and recognizing that there is no one right or wrong way to “interpret” most idioms.  The importance of context, speaker purpose and intended audience will be presented.  Discussion will be followed by a large group activity designed to explore possible translations for several high frequency idioms, followed by small group discussions of the meaning of specific idioms as well as possible translations.  Finally, resources helpful to all ASL/English bilinguals will be presented.

Please print and bring the handouts for this workshop. (available here after April 15th) The handouts will include a variety of idioms and their meanings, as well a printed list of available resources.

Recommended Level - Intermediate / Advanced / Deaf