You have learned how ASL signs can be glossed and the difference between glossing and translating. ASL glossing is definitely us
eful for ASL learners and yet it has its limitations. Discuss what these limitations are also in light of the fact that ASL is often described as a 3D language.
Glossing might not maintain the original meaning of the message or it might be not clear as it includes notes about signs.
Glossing differs from translating due to the following aspects:
Translating implies delivering the same message but using a different language, which often means adapting the words to preserve the message.
Glossing implies typing out sign for sign the message and adding notes for elements such as movements or gestures. This means the words or sentences are not modified.
In this context, glossing is very useful to understand ASL (American Sign Language) or any other sign language, but it also has some disadvantages.
The meaning might not be preserved: Because ASL includes signs that are very difficult to translate into English the original meaning of the message might not be preserved.
The message might not be cleared: Specific movements, gestures, etc. are not equivalent to words in ASL but are used to add information about time, location, emphasis, etc. and this might be confusing for English speakers.
