ABSTRACT
This study relates an interpreting experiment in which a speaker-the author-retold a
childhood experience about a particular outdoor space. The speaker used spoken words,
pausing, and rhythmic structure-but no manual gestures. The interpreter’s challenge was
to portray the physical space using signing space. Analysis of this interpreting sample
illustrates that a skilled interpreter can be vague, that the interpretation is dependent on
the speaker’s meaning being revealed through speech time, and that the interpreter’s
processing time can extend over the interpretation, reaching resolution much later.
