Sign-language interpreter performs with gusto

American Sign Language isn’t a word-for-word translation.

COLUMBUS (AP) — As country singer Miranda Lambert waxed melodically about big dreams and broken hearts during the first concert of the latest Ohio State Fair, another spirited — yet silent — discourse played out just steps from the Celeste Center limelight.

At stage left, in a booth cloaked with black fabric, sign-language interpreter Meg Tucker was performing the set list with gusto.

Yes, performing.

Shaking her hips in tempo and wearing a smile as big as the midway, Tucker, 56, deftly mimicked the lyrics — wielding a shotgun (“Gunpowder Lead”), clawing at her neck (“Desperation”) and shoving a burdensome load out the door forever (“I Can’t Be Bothered”).

The hands do much of the talking in American Sign Language, but the movements of the rest of the body provide a complete emotional picture, especially at a concert.

“Sign language is based on concepts; it’s not a word-for-word translation,” said Tucker, who has signed at Ohio State Fair concerts and events for 15 years.

“You want to move so that you can show in some way that you know what the music is like.”

Tucker — who, with a degree in theater education, began studying sign language 28 years ago after a friend lost her hearing — easily delivers as much emotion and energy as the marquee act.

She and the eight participants in Stagehands, a group that Tucker founded in 1992 to provide artistic interpretations for deaf audiences, spend weeks studying lyrics and melodies before a performance (they also translate area choir groups and Sunday matinees for Broadway Across America, among other shows).

Coupled with the interpreter services, deaf audiences feel the beat from the band and experience concerts in a way that’s different but no less meaningful.

“Music isn’t necessarily accessible to them by any other means,” said Stagehands translator Jane Allinder, 45. “You can’t look at music with closed-captioning on the TV or read the lyrics and figure out what that feels like.”

Gayle Murphy, a deaf sign-language professor from Grove City and a state-fair concertgoer for four years, is particularly fond of Tucker’s work.

“Meg really listens to the song and matches the meaning, not just the words. There’s a big difference.”

The Americans With Disabilities Act requires that concert venues provide access for patrons with special needs, including the deaf, but requests for an interpreter typically must be filed in advance.

At the Ohio State Fair, though, the service is standard. Reserved seats close to the interpreters and free assisted-listening devices for hearing-impaired guests are also available.

“We want all people to be able to enjoy the shows,” entertainment director Brett Chance said. “We feel good offering it.”

Despite the fun that interpreters seem to have during a concert, the job isn’t easy.

Set lists are often unavailable until shortly before a show starts. And keeping up with the musicians can be tiring.

To lighten the load, two Stagehands interpreters work each show, switching between artists on a double bill or swapping within an extended set.

Tucker recalled a deaf father who approached her after taking his two hearing daughters to the concert last summer featuring Corbin Bleu, a Disney teen heartthrob.

“This was the first time he knew what kind of content they’re going crazy over,” she said. “He said, ’Oh, my gosh, I can know what my children are experiencing.”’