Advanced American Sign Language for Interpreters

Course code INTR 3150

Credit 3.0

Length 60.0 hours

Course outline View

This advanced ASL course for students in the second year of the interpreting program supports their preparedness for their final term of practicum placements. Students will expand their ASL vocabulary and hone their proficiency in applying ASL’s visual-spatial techniques to make clear visual sense. Emphasis will be on developing versatility and range in order to participate in contextualized discourse that respects the needs and goals of specific ASL users in specific situations, considering parameters such as setting, topic, register, and user demographics.

Prerequisites

ASLD 2310.

Course type

This course is offered as part of a VCC program and cannot be taken individually.
International students: Eligibility is determined at the program level. Visit the program page for international student requirements and application information.

  • Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge, professional standards and best practice. Enhancing effective use of space: – Setting up referents with clarity and consistency – Expanding use of bigger signing space in all 3 dimensions – Fully employing directionality of verbs and movements – Versatility in using all types of classifiers – Constructed dialogue and constructed action – Visual Vernacular and cinematic narrative techniques -Spatial depiction of timelines and other abstract concepts Enhancing expressive use of the face: – Appropriate syntactical and sentence type markers (e.g. with eyebrow movements) – Versatile range of adverbial functions (e.g. with mouth morphemes) – Emotional affective components – Depictions of characterization and personification – Appropriate shifts in eye gaze location, direction and movement Dialogue skills: – Understanding and using reciprocal signals in conversation – Using closure and context to aid comprehension – Discerning when and what type of clarification is needed – Appropriate interruption and turn-taking techniques – Recognizing and adapting to differences/similarities between self and others that impact co-construction of meaning Expanding ASL vocabulary on specific topics: – Health – individual/family/society, physical/mental/emotional health – Education – typical academic subject areas in the arts and sciences – Finances – continuing to increase versatility in ASL number depictions – Systems – talking about abstract structurs of organizations, workplaces, agendas – Government – levels, departments, functions, processes Increasing adaptability to diverse ASL users: – Language use across the ASL-Contact-English continuum – Variations due to age and language development – Variations due to intersectional identities, cultural backgrounds – Variations due to specific settings and situational goals

PLAR is assessed through: Simulation or actual presentation of a candidate’s abilities, which may be live, recorded, or videotaped. The demonstration may include, but is not limited to a variety of American Sign Language samples.

Course schedules

Select your program to see the available course schedules.

CRN# Duration Delivery Location
72582 September 8, 2026
to December 15, 2026
Lecture
Lab
VCC Broadway Building A See full schedule

Online courses listed without scheduled meeting times can be completed on your own schedule. All self-paced courses have on-campus tests. Off-site certified invigilation centres may be used at the student's expense.

How to take this course

This course is offered as part of a VCC program only.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please email at [email protected].

† This information is intended as a guideline only. Program and course details are subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors.

Indigenous Territory Acknowledgment

VCC is located on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples who have been stewards of these lands since time immemorial.