Shane Kieran Gilchrist | University of Amsterdam (original) (raw)

Deaf Interpreter & Educational Support Worker, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin (2012-present)

Qualified Adult Literacy tutor, Waterford Institute of Technology, Irish Deaf Society & National Adult Literacy Agency.

Qualified Deaf Interpreter, Postgraduate Diploma "Interpreting with the Deaf Community" at Durham University with Judith Collins.

Assistant/ISL consultant at Centre for Next Generation Localisation, Dublin City University with Dr Sara Morrissey & Professor Harold Somers.

Internship at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen with Dr Pamela Perniss, Professor Asli Oyzurek & Dr Inge Zwitserslood.

Research assistant in the Documentation and Analysis of West African Sign Languages. (NWO EuroBABEL-project: 2009-2012). Project leader: Dr Victoria Nyst, Leiden University.

Researcher in Northern Ireland Sign Language Research Project with Richard McFadden and Paula Clarke.
Supervisors: Pamela Perniss

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Papers by Shane Kieran Gilchrist

In recent years data-driven methods of machine translation (MT) have overtaken rule-based approac... more In recent years data-driven methods of machine translation (MT) have overtaken rule-based approaches as the predominant means of automatically translating between languages. A pre-requisite for such an approach is a parallel corpus of the source and target languages. Technological developments in sign language (SL) capturing, analysis and processing tools now mean that SL corpora are becoming increasingly available. With transcription and language analysis tools being mainly designed and used for linguistic purposes, we describe the process of creating a multimedia parallel corpus specifically for the purposes of English to Irish Sign Language (ISL) MT. As part of our larger project on localisation, our research is focussed on developing assistive technology for patients with limited English in the domain of healthcare. Focussing on the first point of contact a patient has with a GP's office, the medical secretary, we sought to develop a corpus from the dialogue between the two parties when scheduling an appointment. Throughout the development process we have created one parallel corpus in six different modalities from this initial dialogue. In this paper we discuss the multi-stage process of the development of this parallel corpus as individual and interdependent entities, both for our own MT purposes and their usefulness in the wider MT and SL research domains.

Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters Newsletter - 4(3), 2003

Talks by Shane Kieran Gilchrist

Development of Northern Ireland Sign Language in Northern Ireland's deaf community

Drafts by Shane Kieran Gilchrist

"Ireland is unique for having a deaf community where two signed languages co-exist because of pil... more "Ireland is unique for having a deaf community where two signed languages co-exist because of pillarisation in Irish society: in Dublin, two types of schools were set up to educate Ireland’s deaf children: one Protestant school (Claremont), two Catholic schools - which led to the development of “Protestant Signs” and “Catholic Signs” as separate signed languages. In a later stage, “Protestant Signs” was brought to Belfast from Dublin.

The paper will look at the development of Northern Ireland Sign Language (NISL) as a result of its recent contact with Irish Sign Language (ISL) and the English variants of British Sign Language (BSL), taking into consideration, its historical contact with American Sign Language (ASL) brought over by Maginn & Tillinghast at Dummy’s Hill. The transition from a sign creole heavily based on ASL and BSL to a full fledged language not recognised as an independent language will be explored.

There are over 5,000 sign language users in Northern Ireland, fluent in one or both sign languages: NISL or ISL. A large number are able to code-switch between both languages. With approximately 25 deaf children now being educated at Northern Ireland’s only deaf school, NISL is losing its traditional ground and its linguistic domain. As a minority language, NISL is endangered due to the increase in language contact with BSL due to the younger members of Northern Ireland’s deaf community being educated in England. We will look at the signers’ perspective i.e. the refusal of older members to replace their signs with the recent borrowing from BSL, the younger signers’ reactions saying NISL is undergoing lexical modernisation seeing BSL as a better alternative.

Examples will be given in NISL and BSL. The paper will discuss the understanding of the dynamics of language variety domination and resistance, focusing on the nature and development, however limited, of sign language activism in Belfast and Northern Ireland, and the subsequent response of the nationality war when faced with this challenge to the cultural hegemony of NISL and the community it is used in. It will look at how the two languages can be accommodated and protected by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Recommendations will be discussed in details."

In recent years data-driven methods of machine translation (MT) have overtaken rule-based approac... more In recent years data-driven methods of machine translation (MT) have overtaken rule-based approaches as the predominant means of automatically translating between languages. A pre-requisite for such an approach is a parallel corpus of the source and target languages. Technological developments in sign language (SL) capturing, analysis and processing tools now mean that SL corpora are becoming increasingly available. With transcription and language analysis tools being mainly designed and used for linguistic purposes, we describe the process of creating a multimedia parallel corpus specifically for the purposes of English to Irish Sign Language (ISL) MT. As part of our larger project on localisation, our research is focussed on developing assistive technology for patients with limited English in the domain of healthcare. Focussing on the first point of contact a patient has with a GP's office, the medical secretary, we sought to develop a corpus from the dialogue between the two parties when scheduling an appointment. Throughout the development process we have created one parallel corpus in six different modalities from this initial dialogue. In this paper we discuss the multi-stage process of the development of this parallel corpus as individual and interdependent entities, both for our own MT purposes and their usefulness in the wider MT and SL research domains.

Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters Newsletter - 4(3), 2003

Development of Northern Ireland Sign Language in Northern Ireland's deaf community

"Ireland is unique for having a deaf community where two signed languages co-exist because of pil... more "Ireland is unique for having a deaf community where two signed languages co-exist because of pillarisation in Irish society: in Dublin, two types of schools were set up to educate Ireland’s deaf children: one Protestant school (Claremont), two Catholic schools - which led to the development of “Protestant Signs” and “Catholic Signs” as separate signed languages. In a later stage, “Protestant Signs” was brought to Belfast from Dublin.

The paper will look at the development of Northern Ireland Sign Language (NISL) as a result of its recent contact with Irish Sign Language (ISL) and the English variants of British Sign Language (BSL), taking into consideration, its historical contact with American Sign Language (ASL) brought over by Maginn & Tillinghast at Dummy’s Hill. The transition from a sign creole heavily based on ASL and BSL to a full fledged language not recognised as an independent language will be explored.

There are over 5,000 sign language users in Northern Ireland, fluent in one or both sign languages: NISL or ISL. A large number are able to code-switch between both languages. With approximately 25 deaf children now being educated at Northern Ireland’s only deaf school, NISL is losing its traditional ground and its linguistic domain. As a minority language, NISL is endangered due to the increase in language contact with BSL due to the younger members of Northern Ireland’s deaf community being educated in England. We will look at the signers’ perspective i.e. the refusal of older members to replace their signs with the recent borrowing from BSL, the younger signers’ reactions saying NISL is undergoing lexical modernisation seeing BSL as a better alternative.

Examples will be given in NISL and BSL. The paper will discuss the understanding of the dynamics of language variety domination and resistance, focusing on the nature and development, however limited, of sign language activism in Belfast and Northern Ireland, and the subsequent response of the nationality war when faced with this challenge to the cultural hegemony of NISL and the community it is used in. It will look at how the two languages can be accommodated and protected by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Recommendations will be discussed in details."

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