Found in Translation

Gre e n Dots for Me at Shunne rs
Comedian Andy Rooney once joked that the original meaning of the word vegetarian was “lousy
hunter,” but in Ireland, a little more choice is implied. The Irish Gaelic word for vegetarian is
feoilséantóir, which translates literally as “meat shunner.” In India, where more than 30 percent of
the population observe a vegetarian diet, all packaged foods are labeled with either a green dot
(signifying vegetarian-friendly) or a red dot (not vegetarian-friendly), making words even less
necessary.

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CHAPTER 6
Entertaining Fans and Playing to the Crowd in Translation
A different language is a different vision of life.
—Federico Fellini, Italian film director
And the Oscar for Best Interpreter Goes to…
When Jack Jason was a baby, his parents did not sing him lullabies. They didn’t
listen for his cries on a baby monitor, or comment on the sweet sound of their
newborn son’s coos. When he spoke his first words, they didn’t hear them. Yet
Jason’s parents were some of the most loving, supportive, and attentive parents
that one could imagine. They just happened to be Deaf.
Jack Jason is known as a CODA, a child of deaf adults. As with most CODAs
born in the United States, American Sign Language (ASL)—not English—is
his native language. He grew up in California, so the only voice in his house
was the voice on television. As he got older, Jason eventually became part of
the hearing world, went to school, and learned to speak English (and Spanish).
Contrary to popular belief, sign language is not universal—there are
hundreds of signed languages in use throughout the world. For example, there
are more than eighteen different sign languages used in Spanish-speaking
countries. Wherever there are large communities of people who are deaf,
signed languages emerge naturally, and usually without any dependence on
spoken languages. Linguists have proven that signed languages are every bit as
rich and complex as spoken languages. In fact, sign language tends to be more
efficient than spoken language. For example, to tell a story in English takes 4.7
words per second, compared with 2.3 signs per second for ASL. These stats
come from a psycholinguist and cognitive neuroscientist by the name of
Ursula Bellugi. She studied people fluent in both ASL and English, and found
that these individuals needed 210 words to tell a story in English, but could tell
the same story in ASL with only 122 signs.
1
Another misconception is that sign language is all in the hands. In actuality,

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it is far more complex than that, which is why pictures of hand positions are
insufficient to communicate in sign language. For example, in ASL, the same
sign may mean something completely different depending on where it is in
reference to the signer ’s body. The direction of the hand and where it is
pointed is important for the meaning of the word. Facial expressions are also
critical and can dramatically affect the meaning.
As a child, Jason not only crossed language barriers—he served as the
bridge between two completely different cultures—the Deaf and the hearing
worlds. The term Deaf is capitalized to denote people are typically deaf since
birth or a very young age and who identify themselves as culturally deaf in
addition to physically deaf. When his teachers complained that Jason was
getting in trouble for talking too much at school, his parents were delighted.
They were glad their son was getting along so well in the hearing world. Of
course, Jason was also the one interpreting for those parent–teacher meetings.
In fact, Jason interpreted for all kinds of situations—everything from driving
directions to interpreting for his mom at a Mary Kay cosmetics party. Even as
a child, he felt proud of his ability to navigate two languages so smoothly and
help his parents communicate with the hearing community. Interpreting always
felt easy for him.
2
Fast-forward to today, and you’ll see Jason in some situations that also have
a lot riding on them, but he’s as relaxed and at ease interpreting as he was as a
kid. One moment you’ll find him rendering an acceptance speech at the
Academy Awards. The next, you’ll see him standing next to Hollywood stars at
galas and charity events. Turn on the television, and there he is, speaking to
Larry King, Ellen, or Donald Trump. Peer over at the White House lawn, and
you’ll find him having a conversation with President Obama. Jason interprets
professionally for only one person, but she happens to be the most famous
Deaf person in the world—Marlee Matlin.
An Oscar-winning actress, Matlin has a lot riding on her interpreter ’s skills.
While Matlin’s career success is due to her skill as an actress and her
willingness to push boundaries, the ability to showcase her unique personality
to the hearing world depends in great part on his work. That’s probably why, in
her bestselling autobiography, I’ll Scream Later, Jason is one of the first
people she thanks in the acknowledgments.
3
But Matlin does more than just express her appreciation for Jason in her
book. He appears throughout the book, which chronicles her life and career, in
numerous anecdotes and photos. She writes extensively about how they first
met, how he became her only friend in New York when her career was just
starting out, and how today, he runs her production company and works with

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her as a creative partner. Perhaps the most remarkable words Matlin writes
about Jason have to do with his ability to interpret.
“The memory that stays with me the most is how well he signed,” she
recalls. “He was so fast I had to ask him if he was Deaf. I’d never seen a
hearing person who could sign like that.” Matlin goes on to explain how Jason
suggested once, when she was first getting to know him, that they go see a
movie. When she reminded him that she wouldn’t be able to read lips on screen
and that there was no captioning, he did not see a problem—instead, he
volunteered to interpret the entire two-hour movie. Most working sign
language interpreters need to take a break after every half hour. Not Jack
Jason. And so off they went to see the Color Purple. Matlin comments, “During
the film, I was amazed and fascinated by Jack’s ability, how he was able to
deliver the subtext of the movie as well as the dialogue. It was a long movie,
and at the end he was crying while interpreting it all for me. I couldn’t believe
he could do that. I thought to myself that he had to be the best interpreter in the
world.”
Anyone who has seen Jason interpret on shows like the Celebrity Apprentice
or Dancing with the Stars knows that his delivery into English is equally
impressive. His voice is pleasant and confident but can convey a tremendous
range of emotion, the perfect auditory mirror of Matlin’s expressive face and
body language. It’s both a joy to watch Matlin and a pleasure to hear Jason. At
times, the two seem to be one. After all, Jason is more than an interpreter for
Matlin—he’s a business partner and a friend. And Jason was there not only for
her wedding, but for the births of her four children—the children who saw
their mom sign—rather than sing—their lullabies. Just like Jack Jason’s
parents did.