Investigating the Effect of Experience and Duration on Kinematics During 1 Hour of Sign Language Interpreting

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS Upper extremity injuries pose a considerable problem to sign language interpreters. Over 1 hour of interpretation, interpreters experienced a decrease in their mean rate of wrist flexion and extension, while novices also experienced decreases about other wrist and elbow axes as well. It is suspected that interpreters were beginning to fatigue over the 1-hour duration, more so among novices, and that this increasing fatigue may be reducing their ability to “keep-up” with the interpretation. While more research is needed to measure fatigue and the quality of sign output, 1 hour of signing can induce changes in a signer's movements. In the near term, injury-prevention efforts could focus on helping interpreters (particularly novices) structure their workload to ensure they provide themselves with ample opportunities for recovery. Imposing stricter guidelines regarding the maximum length of a continuous interpretation session is one example of a practical, near-term intervention.TECH...