You've been doing this for almost 30 years?
Why does sign language translation take so long?
In text to text translation, drafts and edits can be made relatively quickly and easily using word-processing software by anybody on almost any device.
When we translate from the original biblical texts to JSL, each draft is a video recorded in real time, and a draft of one chapter is composed of many videos edited together. A subsequent edit to even one single word means somebody has to stand in front of the camera again, record not only that particular word but the words before and after, and then the new video clip has to be edited back into the draft for the next round of checks. This is only one of the reasons why sign language translation tends to take a much longer time than translation where the final product is a printed text. For more information, you can sign up to receive a monthly newsletter where we share the details, challenges, and successes of our ministry. |