Closed Captions vs ASL Interpreters - Which Do Deaf People Prefer?

ASL interpreters have been thrust to the forefront of public attention during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Every day, at present, ASL interpreters appear on-screen beside America’s best-known news anchors and politicians during Covid-19 press briefings. However, things weren’t always this way.

Up until recently, most news networks used closed captions to relate the news to hearing impaired Americans. This being the case, why the sudden change?

Closed Captions vs ASL Interpreters – What is the Difference?

Is it better to use closed captions to relate information in audiovisual media content to deaf people? Or is it better to use an on-screen ASL interpreter?

If you don’t have a hearing impairment, you will likely assume that closed captions are better. After all, how can people possibly keep up with all those different ASL interpreter hand gestures and impressions?

As surprising as it might sound, though, most deaf people who were born deaf, prefer to have information related to them by ASL interpreters.

American Sign Language Is a Distinct Language in Its Own Right

Why people who were born deaf prefer to have information related to them by ASL interpreters is simple.

Just like English might be to you, American sign language is the only real language many deaf people have ever known. More importantly, American sign language has very little in common with written English.

Most deaf people can read and write English. However, deaf people who grow up using American sign language, only learn English as a second language. (Similar to how a non-hearing impaired English speaker might learn French or German.)

In effect, whenever pre-lingually deaf people (those born deaf) see closed captions, they are forced to switch from their mother tongue to a second language, where the fast pace of dialogue can see some things get lost in translation.

Pre-Lingually Deaf vs Post-Lingually Deaf Captioning Preferences

For the most part, pre-lingually deaf people who learn American sign language as their first language, always prefer to see an ASL interpreter on-screen over closed captions. However, the same isn’t true for people who suffer hearing loss later in life.

In the case of post-lingually deaf people who learn English as a spoken language first, then American sign language, most do prefer to see closed captions on-screen over ASL interpreters.

Why are More ASL Interpreters Suddenly Appearing in the Media?

Why more ASL interpreters are currently appearing on-screen during news broadcasts is simple.

In the early stages of the Coronavirus crisis, many pre-lingually deaf people found it difficult to follow the latest news updates and government guidance, delivered to them in the form of closed captions. As a result, more news networks started to feature on-screen ASL interpreters.

Should You Be Starting to Use ASL Interpreters in Your Company Media?

Given that not all deaf people feel comfortable with closed captions, should you consider changing how you present information in your own company advertising and promotional media?

At present, most businesses do add closed captions to advertising media they syndicate online and via television networks. However, given that pre-lingually deaf people don’t always feel comfortable with these, you may want to consider investing in an ASL interpreter for your next ad.

Just remember not to dispense with closed captions completely. Some deaf people do prefer these, and as a rule, it’s always better to give your customers more, not fewer options.

Check out Languagers Website for more information.