Lisa L.
Interpreter of the Month

The Bridge is pleased to introduce Lisa as our “Interpreter of the Month”, November 2005.

Languages: American Sign Language (ASL); English Transliteration
Years as professional linguist: 20 years

It’s hard to beat the knowledge and experience that comes from 20 years of practice at one’s job, making Lisa Loven a highly respected interpreter who has earned the trust and admiration of both peers and clients alike.

Lisa’s quest to become a sign language interpreter started back in the mid 1980’s after joining a friend at introductory level sign language classes. Like many people, she thought the language was beautiful, and it intrigued her. She was also looking for a career and decided that this was a good fit for her. After completing a 1 year program and assessment at St. Paul Technical College, Lisa earned a Certificate of Completion in the Interpreting Program in 1986.

Lisa has two certifications: a Certificate of Interpreting (CI) that is specifically for interpreting ASL; and a Certificate of Transliterating (CT), which is a language used by those who learned English but lost their hearing later in life. Lisa maintains her two certifications through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) by accumulating 80 hours of continuing education units (CEU) every 4 years. CEU credits have to be in certain areas like content or professional studies and must be provided through an approved sponsor from RID.

Lisa has a passion for providing the Deaf community with high quality interpreting that is both professional and artistic. She is equally passionate about educating the general public about Deaf culture. “There are many misconceptions out there. For example, a lot of people have the misconception that ASL is a universal language. It’s not – it’s for America only.” She goes on to explain that each country has its own sign language, such as Chinese Sign Language or French Sign Language.

Like any language, Deaf people have their own culture. They have their own history, their own way of communicating and their own humor, which is not based on sound. For example, puns and idioms are not funny to Deaf people because they can’t hear it. It doesn’t make sense to them. Their jokes are visual. Because their language is visual in nature, the emphasis is placed on how the communication happens. Thus, signing style is very important - it must be clear, flowing and free from visual noise such as loud colors, bright clothing patterns or jewelry. Deaf culture also incorporates strong body language, pointing and facial expression in communication.