What is Cued Speech/Oral Transliteration

Cued Speech Services are used in settings ranging from schools, legal proceedings and more, this interpretive form is less common than Sign Language but just as critical for those who do not know Sign Language or simply prefer lip reading as their primary means of verbalized language comprehension.

The Oral transliterator silently mouths the spoken language they hear to the to the individual or room they are interpreting for, using heightened gestures and facial expressions to ensure that the message is clearly articulated.

How does Ad Astra vet and choose the right transliterator for cued speech services? 

A good oral transliterator will often times interpret a message to be more easily comprehended through lip-reading by removing contractions, re-ordering phrases or metaphors to be more comprehensible and also be hyper aware of their body movement and expressions. 

Considerations and Next Steps

Now we must note that Oral Transliteration and ASL are not interchangeable! Many people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing don’t necessarily read lips. Think of an Oral Transliterator as a megaphone or projection screen, amplifying a spoken message to an individual or room of people that need to see oral animation to follow a spoken message.  

So, how would you know if your Deaf or Hard of Hearing client might need this unique service? Talk to one of our Deaf and Hard of Hearing department team members to learn more about the applications of this unique interpretive style.