SignWriting Symposium

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SignWriting Symposium 2014
PRESENTATION 0007

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Symposium
Presentation
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ABSTRACT

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VIDEO

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SLIDES

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PAPER

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AUTHOR

SignWriting in Literature

“The Complete New Testament
In Written ASL: a decade of
translating & writing all 27 books
of the New Testament in the
SignWriting Script”

by
Nancy Romero

1 ABSTRACT

“The Complete New Testament In Written ASL
a decade of translating & writing all 27 books
of the New Testament in the SignWriting Script”

by
Nancy Romero
ASL Interpreter & ASL Writer
Founding Editor, SignWriter Newspaper
Translator & Writer of Complete New Testament in ASL
Founder of ASLGospel.org, Writer for ASL Wikipedia
romero@signwriting.org

Nancy Romero

One of first to learn Sutton SignWriting
After learning DanceWriting from the inventor, Valerie Sutton, in 1975, I learned SignWriting (1980) also from Ms. Sutton. Translated childrens' stories (Goldilocks, Cinderella), using plastic templates designed for DanceWriting. I was a student of ASL at the time. By request, I worked on the first issues of the SignWriter Newspaper, also using the plastic templates, since no computer program was invented yet. These 12-page newspapers were sent to people in 40 countries around the globe. They were written first in English/ASL, and later expanded to include other sign languages. See below for more information about the SignWriter Newspaper.

Scripture Translations
When Steve Slevinski's computer program for SignWriting, SignPuddle Online, was developed, I used it to translate portions of Scripture from English into written ASL, based on the "New Living Translation", published by Tyndale Publishers. Later received permission from Tyndale Publishers to translate the entire New Testament (2004) into written ASL. By then I was a Certified Interpreter for the Deaf (NAD), had a degree from San Diego Mesa College (ITP - 1983), and a Lifetime CA Community Colleges Teaching Credential in Special Education (1983).

Work on translating and writing the first New Testament Book, The Gospel of John, into written ASL, was slow and tedious, since I had to create my own dictionary of signs in SignPuddle, as I went along translating verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Even then, shoulders and facial expressions were integral and had to be worked into the basic signs as needed. For me, this was the easiest and best way to proceed. There are approximately 8000 signs in the ASL Bible Dictionary in SignPuddle Online to date. As the dictionary grew, and my skill in using SignPuddle software grew, more Books were translated at a quicker speed.

It took 2 years to complete John's Gospel, and another 2 years for our Editor, Lucinda O'Grady Farnady (formerly Batch) and I to work together by Skype, on each chapter.

I have since completed all 27 books of the New Testament in written ASL. I completed the last book, Revelation, summer 2014. It took me a decade to translate and write the entire New Testament in written ASL, from 2004 to 2014.

The 27 books of the New Testament in written ASL can be downloaded in PDF format on ASLGospel.org.

Below are links to each book's web page, providing chapters in PDF format. Feel free to read, distribute, and print the PDFs.

Download the 27 Books of the New Testament in Written ASL from ASLGospel.org:
1	“Matthew”
2	“Mark”
3	“Luke”
4	“John”
5	“Acts”
6	“Romans”
7	“1 Corinthians”
8	“2 Corinthians”
9	“Galatians”
10	“Ephesians”
11	“Philippians”
12	“Colossians”
13	“1 Thessalonians”
14	“2 Thessalonians ”
15	“1 Timothy”
16	“2 Timothy”
17	“Titus”
18	“Philemon”
19	“Hebrews”
20	“James”
21	“1 Peter”
22	“2 Peter”
23	“1 John”
24	“2 John”
25	“3 John”
26	“Jude”
27	“Revelation”

...download PDF of this Abstract...

Other Related Links
To Writing The New Testament in ASL:

Gospel According to John
A Printed Book

More about the SignWriter Newspaper

Below...
It took 3 months to write one issue of the SignWriter Newspaper by hand. There were no computers. The first issue, published Fall, 1981, was written by hand by Founding Editor, Nancy Ellen Woo (now Nancy Romero). Nancy continued to write each issue by hand, 4 issues a year, for several years. It was tiring, painstaking work.

Nancy Romero