Interpreting for myself... (another internalized moment)

Sitting at my computer, 2 hours into trying to write a concept proposal paper for a SL (sign language) development vision, I had another "internalization moment." (After dialoguing with a colleague over my last blog post below, I realized I've had many such moments... I've just never written them down.)

So, I am struggling to write out this vision in English. However, in my head, I have it spatially arranged clearly in KSL (Kenyan Sign Language). Why? Well, I do process things mentally in SL. BUT, the reason, I believe is this: for a week, as I sat in on various meetings with NGOs... I was listening, taking in audiological information (never a strong learning style for me). But the details I most clearly remember are the ones I signed while interpreting for several national Deaf. I'm sure the listening reinforced the details, but what I remember is in the form of mental pictures and spatial information tags in SL.

Basically, I'm sitting here trying to decide if I should just flip on my webcam, sign it all out in KSL, then go back through and interpret myself into English... or should I try to skip the first two steps and just try to close my eyes and interpret it out of my mental pictures. It is frustrating, but fascinates me just enough to make it bearable.

Any psycholinguists want to study my mental language processing? I just might volunteer my brain.