Sight translation, sight interpreting meeting at the cross modes

This volume contains the contributions delivered at the efsli (European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters) Annual Conference held in Vietri sul Mare, Italy, on 16th-18th September 2011. The volume represents the interesting and novel discussions from many of the questions raised by sight translation on the one hand and by the emerging figure of the Deaf translator on the other. More than one contributor underline the need of further discussion on sight translation when one of the two languages involved is a sign language. Specific questions are raised by the visual modality of sign languages and by the fact that these languages do not have a written form. At the same time, many authors observe that the best potential translators, particularly in the case of sight translation, are Deaf translators because of their native knowledge of their respective sign languages. Being a native signer does not however suffice, as in the case of translation into any language. The need for a specific training, in sign language translation, is pointed out by almost every contributor. The experiences they report also show that the situation in the status of training and working conditions of Deaf and hearing sign language translators is different in the various countries represented in the volume. The positive experiences collated in these proceedings can therefore also count as a model for those countries that are yet to develop service provision in sign language translation, in order to achieve full access to information and education for the Deaf communities in any country. All presenters and contributors to this volume have made the 2011 edition of the efsli conference a very useful and enriching opportunity to deepen the knowledge about the specific properties of translation into sign language and the skills required to professionals working in this relatively new domain. The need for specific training, repeatedly pointed out in the papers, will hopefully inspire those who are in charge of the translation and interpreting programmes in sign languages across Europe and beyond.