Experimental study on the work road of sign language interpretation

Research Project

Project/Area Number	05807032
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Hygiene
Research Institution	Shiga University of Medical Science
Principal Investigator	TAODA Kazushi Shiga univ. of Medical Science Dept. of Ophthamology Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (90236175)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	YAMASHITA Hiromi Shiga univ. of Medical Science Dept. of Ophthamology Assistant, 医学部, 助手 (50200689) NISHIYAMA Katsuo Shiga univ. of Medical Science Dept. of Ophthamology Associate Prof., 医学部, 助教授 (60077691) WATANABE Sinya Shiga univ. of Medical Science Dept. of Ophthamology Professor, 医学部, 教授 (90000918)
Project Period (FY)	1993 – 1994
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1994)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000) Fiscal Year 1994: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000) Fiscal Year 1993: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Keywords	Sign language Interpretation / Occupational cervicobradial disorder (OCD) / Electromyography / Mean power frequency / RMS / 平均周波数 / 疲労
Research Abstract	The work load of interpretation from speech to sign language was evaluated experimentally with 20 professional sign language interpreters, consisted of 5 healthy (Group I) , 9 slightly affected with OCD (Group II) , and 6 moderately affected (Group III). Two kinds of tests and subjective symptom checking were conducted every 5 min that were a definite finger spelling test to observe the position and locus of the right elbow, blocking and interpretation error and unnecessary motion, and a 15-sec straight forward arm-holding test to measure the root mean square (RMS) and mean power freguency(MPF)of EMG signs in the upper trapezius muscles. Localized muscle symptoms and a feeling of deterioration of his/her own interpretation increased in the early stage of the experiment, more markedly in Group III.Change of position and locus of the right elbow suggested the exist of a tendency to fatiguein Group III,and the exist of a tendency to exertion against to fatigue in Group I,and in Group II the midway state between this two groups, though none of these changes was significant. In EMG,a tendency to RMS increase and MPF decrease were observed : RMS increase was marked and significant in Group III,but no MPF decrease was seen in Group III.The incidence of Blocking, interpretation error, and unnecessary motion did not show any definite tendency.