Interpreters of American Sign use symbols along with gestures and facial expressions to denote the meaning and tone of a speaker, not merely the words he or she is using. A transliterator actually translates English to an English-based sign language. Many people who are born deaf and do not learn to speak English choose American Sign. Others choose to learn to sign in English form. Some are capable of using both.
Sign language is a form of communication just like any language used by hearing people.
But it is not spoken, and therein lies the problem for communication between the deaf and the hearing. Examples of just how serious and widespread the problem is can be found in dozens of court cases around the country. A deaf couple in Syracuse, N.Y., won a suit against a hospital after they received incorrect information, through written notes, on an illness the wife was diagnosed with. And there are several suits against the Washington, D.C., police for lack of interpretation for deaf crime suspects and witnesses. Smallwood and Carmody said a business causes more confusion when using a signer who only understands a few signs.