Great Book Recommendations
for the ASL Interpreter

If you are or plan to be interpreting, you should have these books!

We have searched for the best books for ASL interpreters. We have checked them out and read their reviews. These are all wonderful resources that we highly recommend!

Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device There's no denying it--most educational books are large and bulky. If you plan on being able to carry these books with you and learn on the go, we highly recommend picking up a Kindle from Amazon. The Kindle is very reasonably priced, includes wireless internet, and makes book buying extremely easy. If you see a "Buy now! Amazon Kindle" button next to any of the books below, that means the book can be on your Kindle, ready to read, in minutes. Pick one up today and you won't regret it! :)

So You Want to Be an Interpreter: An Introduction to Sign Language Interpreting by Jan Humphrey, Bob Alcorn, Janice H. Humphrey This textbook was used for my Introduction to ASL Interpreting class. The book is easy to read, well organized, and the most popular interpreting textbook on the market. If you want to learn about the interpreting process as well as ethics, this is the book for you. It's a great resource and wonderful to have around!

Interpreting: An Introduction by Nancy Frishberg This small book is stock full of information! Also used for the Interpreting classes at CSUN, we highly recommend this book if you plan to interpret!

Cognitive processing skills in English (Effective interpreting series) by Carol J Patrie This is book 1/3 in Carol Patrie's series. Patrie explains interpreting the way it should be explained. This is exactly how you should be learning how to interpret ASL! We highly recommend owning this series.

English skills development (Effective interpreting series) by Carol J Patrie This is book 2/3 in Carol Patrie's series. Patrie explains interpreting the way it should be explained. This is exactly how you should be learning how to interpret ASL! We highly recommend owning this series.

Translating from English (Effective interpreting series) by Carol J Patrie This is book 3/3 in Carol Patrie's series. Patrie explains interpreting the way it should be explained. This is exactly how you should be learning how to interpret ASL! We highly recommend owning this series.

Deaf Plus: A Multicultural Perspective by Kathee M. Christensen (Editor), Gilbert L. Delgado (Editor) If you plan on being an ASL interpreter, you really need to understand the multicultural aspect of it. You are interpreting ASL--a language that is an integral part of Deaf culture. Deaf people come from many different backgrounds and this book is great for ASL interpreters to learn the unique experiences and needs of these different people.

Reading Between the Signs: Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters 2nd Edition by Anna Mindess This book is great for ASL interpreters. The author goes into detail about the concepts of intercultural communication and the differences between hearing and Deaf cultures. This is all stuff you need to know if you are going to be an interpreter! The author explains your role as an interpreter and what you need to know when you are in different translation situations. We highly recommend it!

1100 Words You Need to Know by Murray Bromberg, Melvin Gordon This is a book about vocabulary that provides lessons for learning a huge amount of different words. Vocabulary is so important for interpreters! If you don't know what a word means, how will you be able to interpret it? This book is easy to use and we highly recommend it for interpreters.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by E. D. Hirsch, Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil This book is great for ASL interpreters. Interpreters need to know a little bit about everything, and this book will help you do that! It's a dictionary of words and concepts from many topics. The book is divided into chapters like the Bible, Technology, Geography, Idioms, Mythology and Folklore, etc. It will give you terms and information from each of these categories so you will, like I said, know a little bit about everything!

Decisions? decisions!: A practical guide for sign language professionals by Janice H Humphrey For sign language professionals, this book explains the different ethical decisions you may have to make everyday. We highly recommend this book for ASL interpreters. Ethics is a huge issue for interpreters and this book focuses on the RID code of conduct. What better book to read up on your standards? Highly recommended!

Random House Webster's American Sign Language Medical Dictionary by Elaine Costello, Linda C. Tom, Lois A. Lehman Medical terminology is always the most difficult to learn and find. I don't think I ever really learned medical terms in ASL from taking a class. Therefore, this book is a must-have resource!

Religious Signing: A Comprehensive Guide For All Faiths by Elaine Costello If you want to learn religious signs, or plan to interpret church services, this book is wonderful! It's a great comprehensive guide and is easy to understand. We highly recommend it!

American Sign Language Interpreter Training: Receptive & Expressive Skills Practice Set, Vol. 1 by Gilda Ganezer (Actor), Avery Posner (Actor), Gilda Ganezer (Director), Avery Posner (Director) This 2 DVD set is a fantastic resource for any ASL student, teacher, or interpreter. It combines both Receptive and Expressive skills practice into an extremely comprehensive resource that covers fingerspelling, facts, vocabulary, sign-to-voice, voice-to-sign, idioms and phrases, and more. Highly recommended!

Don't you just love this list? It has so many different kinds of books that see interpreting from a different angle and aid in all the different aspects of interpreting. We highly recommend all of these books if you are or plan to be an ASL interpreter!

If you have a favorite book for ASL interpreters that is not mentioned on this page, please contact us and let us know. We will gladly add it to this list.

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