Gameshow I’m watching just asked which citrus fruit is also known as a shaddock and, having never heard of it, wondered if the interpreter was in the same boat and had to spell it out or something
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It does depend on the context. If material is prepared ahead of time (a concert where a performer will be singing songs to which the lyrics exist, a written speech, or a game show where at least the qustions and correct answers are known) it can give the interpreter an opportunity to prepare. If the talk is more free flowing but about a given topic, the interpret or will usually ask ahead of time if there are technical terms, specific names, etc that they will need to look up and understand. Signs may not even exist for many or the signs may be very regional so a bit of research may be needed to prepared.
As many have mentioned, ASL does have the advantage of being able to finger spell a word. And there are some unique tricks/quirks to ASL. You can place a word in space. This is commonly done for names so instead of using pronouns when they talk about Jonathan they can “place” him at a point in front of them and then refer to that person without having to respell out the name every time, but it’s also done with places and things (you can also interact between two placed people or things, signal between to say “they” or set up a person and a store and sign the word go from the person to the store to mean “this person with a long name went to the store with a long name” in a single movement. So if a term is likely to be repeated and you don’t know the sign for it, you can finger spell it once’s and set it in space and keep referring back to it.
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