Above is a video of an American Sign Language poem by Daniel Durant called “Alone.” This poem was originally written in ASL, which means that it was composed of ASL signs and not in written English. One can translate ASL to English (and vice versa) essentially like a foreign language; ASL and English have different grammar and structures, and are altogether separate languages.
Translation 1:
“Nothingness.
Empty and dark.
Rain falls and wind blows.
It is cold.
I am alone.
Never with anyone.
Just me. Always.
My world is falling apart.
Everything is falling apart.
Emptiness.
I feel pain.
Sadness.
I cry and it rains.
My spirit wants to go.
Someone stops me.
Someone who loves me.
I feel my heart beating in my chest and all through me.
My world is full.
The rain goes away.
The sun shines.
It is warm and hits my face.
I feel love.
I am not alone.”
This first translation is literal. I transcribed the signed phrases into English words almost exactly. My principle behind this translation was to create a very literal, written English transcript of the signs which Daniel uses in the poem for basic understanding. This led to a translation which is composed of short and compact sentences, as ASL tends to convey more per sign than English conveys per word. In a way, this translation is largely a summary of the poem. I refrained from including anything which was not obvious on the surface from watching the video. For this reason, the above translation may seem brief and even unfinished.
Translation 2:
“Everywhere I go, it is empty and dark.
All I see is rain, pelting rain, and harsh winds thrash against my face.
It is cold, and I am alone.
In a place full of people, I’m alone.
I’m always alone.
My world is tearing at the seams.
It’s falling apart.
My life is a mess, every part of it.
I feel nothing but pain.
All I ever feel is sadness and pain.
The rain continues to fall, and I cry along with it.
Inside my body, my spirit yearns to break free.
It is finished, and I am ready to leave this place behind.
My spirit struggles inside me, and begins to escape.
But wait!
Something stops me.
What is that? What could it be?
It’s someone.
I feel that someone is beside me, near me…with me.
Someone who loves me.
My heart starts beating in my chest, pumping strong and steady within me.
Love runs through me.
It is an odd feeling, and one I had forgotten.
I open myself up to feel.
And I feel everything.
My world becomes fuller, and love colors in what were once blank spaces.
The rain quiets, and soon it ceases to fall.
The sun comes out and replaces the storm.
It is strong and warm and beautiful.
I feel it on my face, on my skin, and in my bones.
It warms me, and I feel love.
I feel love.
I am not alone.”
This second translation is less literal. Rather, it is more of a translation than an interpretation, meaning that I tried to capture the essence of the signs and their big-picture ideas. Basically, this second translation focuses more on concept than on specific words. My principle behind this translation was to recreate the feeling which Daniel creates with his use of ASL signs, but instead by using written English. For this reason, I chose to include more words and longer descriptions for each line of the poem. As mentioned earlier, ASL has the capability to convey a great deal per each sign. The way someone signs any given sign, by using facial expressions and other nuances, depicts the feelings attached to that sign and its inherent meaning and relevance. In order to replicate this factor in English, I needed to include more adjectives and adverbs. I also used repetition in this second translation, because ASL can be repetitive by emphasizing or drawing out a particular sign. Repeating words and phrases was my attempt to replicate this aspect of the ASL poem in my English translation.
(Please note: I didn’t look at the closed captions until I finished both of my translations, which is why the CC translation is different from mine. This was intentional, as I didn’t want it to influence my initial reaction to the poem and hence my own translation of it. For reference, the closed captions on the video are more similar to my second translation than my first, in that they are less of a literal interpretation and more of a conceptual one.)
It is interesting how, as you said, more can be conveyed in each ASL sign than can be conveyed in each english word. It was also interesting to see how you added more emotion into your second translation to change it’s meaning a bit, just like the poet added emotion with his facial expressions and intensity of movement.