Presented at the 2025 Summit

Visual Vernacular: Medical Interpreting

0.3 CEUs, PS

More often than not, interpreters would sign medical terms with assumption that the Deaf clients know what they mean. How many times have we interpreted “high blood pressure,” without creating an anatomy visualization for the client? What does high blood pressure really mean? In this workshop, we will go beyond signing word for word by elaborating and painting a picture for our clients to understand the meanings of simple and complex medical terminologies. We will focus on utilizing different Visual Vernacular aspects (facial expressions, classifiers, body movement, etc) and how to apply them. This workshop contains multiple hands on activities and practices to allow registrants self-evaluate and gradually enhance their skills.

Workshop Curriculum

  1. 1

    • Welcome

    • Workshop Handout
  2. 2

    • Workshop

    • Quiz

Reviews from The Summit

Average Rating

4.8/5.0The activity provided opportunities to develop skill and/or awareness.

4.7/5.0The learning materials used were effective and complimented the goals of the activity.

4.8/5.0This activity will contribute to my professional growth.

4.8/5.0The instructor interacted with the participants in a professional manner.

  • Summit Attendee

    This workshop was incredibly helpful in showing me where to start and how to decide the right amount of detail to include. It taught me how to keep my interpretations simple, clear, and concise without losing meaning. I really appreciated that balance.

  • Summit Attendee

    This was one of the best workshops I’ve ever attended. Thank you, Daniel, for giving us the chance to participate, practice, and learn from one another. The hands-on approach made the information stick and created such a positive learning environment.

  • Summit Attendee

    Thank you so much. I learned so much today. I really appreciated the practice time and how you opened our minds to the world of V.V. and its connection to medical interpreting. David did a great job making the concepts clear and accessible.

Meet Your Presenter

Daniel Israilov

He notices every single thing. His eyes capture the smallest details and he learns to imitate with his own art. This is where Visual Vernacular comes in, for him. Born in Kazakhstan, then moved to Israel at the age of nine. At dinner tables, he’d impersonate family members, cracking jokes, and telling stories. At the age of 24, there were more platforms to express his art, and he did just that on his social media. The storytelling led him to his wife, whom he married in New York City, the city that watered his artistic seeds. As he learned American Sign Language (ASL), he found that what he has been doing all along is called Visual Vernacular (VV). He continued to immerse himself in telling stories using VV and doing stand up comedy. He was rich in knowledge: knowing four languages and understanding several cultures - it was time for him to deliver. A year later, he performed at colleges, non-profit organizations, and poetry clubs with his VV stories. He competed at ASL Elements with various talented VV artists. He taught ASL at Sign Language Center, teaching students how to navigate the language. With the modality of his fingers, his facial expressions and his body movements, he can tell endless stories.
TerpAcademy is an Approved RID CMP Sponsor for Continuing Education Activities. This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.3 CEU's at the ‘Little/None’ Content Knowledge Level. TerpAcademy promotes an environment of mutual respect, free of discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or any other protected class.