Goals & Mission Statement

What is your short-term goal for ASL-to-English?

"To improve my ASL-to-English interpreting timing. "

• Specific:

I will focus on pausing long enough to capture a clear meaning unit before speaking. This way, my English output should sound fluid, confident, and aligned with the signer’s intent, while still maintaining appropriate lag time.

• Measurable:

After each interpreting session, I will rate my timing on a 3-point scale:

Green: timing was mostly smooth and well-paced

Yellow: timing was mixed (some smooth, some early starts)

Red: timing included frequent early starts or hesitations

Additionally, twice a week, I will complete a 5-minute ASL shadowing practice using a Deaf vlog or short ASL narrative, specifically focusing on waiting for a full meaning unit before voicing. Each practice will receive a green/yellow/red rating to track consistency. 

• Attainable:

With around 12 hours per week of observation and interpreting opportunities, plus two short weekly practice sessions, I will have consistent, manageable chances to refine my timing and incorporate mentor feedback.

• Relevant:

Accurate timing enhances the clarity and confidence of ASL-to-English interpretation and aligns with novice-level expectations. Reducing early starts directly improves cohesion and meaning accuracy.

• Timely:

I will rate my timing after each session and shadowing practice, and I will review my overall trends weekly. My goal is to move from mostly Yellow/Red ratings early in the internship to mostly Green/Yellow ratings by the end of the 8 weeks. At the end of the 8-week period, I will assess my progress with my mentor using the accumulated ratings.

What is your short-term goal for English-to-ASL?

"To focus on applying accurate ASL grammar patterns (topic–comment, non-manual markers, time–topic–comment sequence, and clear use of space) while interpreting in the hot seat."

• Specific:

I will strengthen ASL grammar accuracy in my English-to-ASL interpretations by consistently implementing ASL sentence structures (topic–comment, non-manual markers, clear referencing, and spatial organization) during my internship.

• Measurable:

During each interpreting shift, I will choose one specific grammatical feature to focus on (for example: NMMs, classifiers, or time placement).

After each session, I will document whether I successfully used the feature in at least five instances, and my mentor will provide brief feedback.

• Attainable:

With approximately 12 hours of interpreting weekly, I will have frequent opportunities to practice and improve my grammar using real content and real feedback.

• Relevant:

ASL grammar is essential for accurate, culturally appropriate interpretation and necessary for novice certification readiness.

• Timely:

Within the 8-week period, I will rotate through six grammar focuses (two weeks per feature). At the end, I will review my progress with my mentor and identify which grammar structure has improved the most.