| This study analyzed the types of information that are added to the target messages of sign language interpreters working from a spoken English source message. Within the field of sign language interpreting this process is referred to as transliteration. The participants were 15 master interpreters and 15 novice interpreters. All participants were videotaped transliterating the same 18-minute lecture. The last 5 minutes and 58 seconds were transcribed and coded for the use of additions.;This study showed that the transliteration process is not a verbatim re-coding of the source message. Interpreters frequently added information to the signed message making it more comprehensible to the deaf consumer.;The types of information added fell into five categories; cohesion, clarification, modality adaptation, repetition and reduplication. Within the cohesion, clarification, and modality adaptation categories were several different forms of addition that satisfied several different functions. The categories of repetition and reduplication had only one form and function. Master interpreters used significantly more additions than did novice interpreters. Furthermore, the transliterations of the master interpreters' showed greater frequency and variety. |
