When you interpret dense technical decks, how do you decide between full fingerspelling, an established sign, or a descriptive compound at first mention to preserve term fidelity and set up cohesive referents? Yesterday I handled a 45-minute genetics webinar where “CRISPR-Cas9” recurred about 20 times, and I used full FS with mouthing for first mention, anchored CRISPR and Cas9 to separate loci, then shifted to a reduced FS loan thereafter — what criteria do you use for that reduction and do you mark it in your prep glosses?
I pre-vet likely acronyms and, on first mention, do full FS with mouthing while I ‘pin’ CRISPR to a right locus and Cas9 left, adding a tiny hyphen flick between them so the hyphenized form sticks; if it’s a mixed crowd, I switch to the ASLCORE science sign on the second pass to cut load (https://aslcore.org). Do you pre-clear your anchors with the presenter?
When a term includes a number, I lock the numeral first — so for “Cas9” I hit a clear 9-hand at the locus for a beat, then FS CAS over it so the 9 stays salient on repeats. That lets me shift to a tight CAS+9 compound later without muddying the referent, and for me it reads cleaner than a hyphen flick in rapid sections. “First mention is precious” — have you noticed fewer repairs with a numeric hold, @OP?
, in a 45-minute genetics webinar with “CRISPR-Cas9” about 20 times, I pair the initial FS with a tiny EDIT movement on my non-dominant hand to tag the concept, then on repeats I keep a tightened FS and flash that edit cue to re-anchor — fidelity intact; quick ref if needed: https://www.broadinstitute.org/what-is-crispr. Small caveat: when the speaker alternates between CRISPR and Cas9, I use a micro head-tilt contrast rather than separate loci to avoid clutter — does that feel clean enough for you?
If the deck prints the term, I mirror the text once with crisp mouthing, then compress to a tight lexicalized FS and use a consistent mouth shape plus a head-nod beat on repeats — lets me “preserve term fidelity” without killing pace in a 45-minute talk that hits it about 20 times. @aharper34, do you pre-check with the presenter if sibling enzymes might pop up so your spatial plan leaves room to contrast them?