DAILY MOTH: HBO Max’s show, “The Pitt” - brought in ASL translators. The translation was directed by Sarah Tubert.

SARAH TUBERT: Hello! I’m Sarah Tubert. (Sign name) I’m the Director of Season 2’s “The Pitt” with ASL dubbing.

DAILY MOTH: As they worked on the script translation, they decided to reach out to two doctors, Dr. IV Mirus and Dr. Zach Featherstone.

DR. IV MIRUS: I’m Dr. IV Mirus.

DR. ZACH FEATHERSTONE: I’m Dr. Zach.

DAILY MOTH: One is CODA and the other is Deaf. They work with ASLTelemed

and do medical news for “The Daily Moth.” Sarah reached out to them for advice and tips on signs. Their advice is in “The Pitt.”

SARAH TUBERT: Having a Deaf and CODA doctor helped to guide us through all the medical terminology in ASL. It was very special.

[Instagram post from @SarahTubert showing a picture of her crew.]

Dr. Featherstone has developed medical terminology in ASL for many years. I was able to work closely with him on how to translate his medical terms for TV. It was powerful!

DR. ZACH FEATHERSTONE: It’s neat. I’ve been involved with medical translation for about 20 years now. I’m doing a medical text translation right now with a partner through a grant. It is a wonderful opportunity and it applies to “The Pitt.” To try and incorporate signs for the medical world. Many things people didn’t realize. For example, “Bolus” is a term many don’t know. It means to bring an IV, fast. A bag is hung up to expedite the flow, very quickly. That’s why we sign it this way. Or… the term, “exchange transfusion” means you need to get the blood out and new blood in. We sign it this way. But if it is “dialysis,” you add “filter.” So it’s clear which types we are doing. (Shows examples of signs). Drip. There’s a variety. It’s really cool to learn and we’re trying to make it equal with English spoken words and ASL signs. You just have to not force a link between English and ASL. Leave ASL alone and English alone too.

SARAH TUBERT: What did the daily work look like? We receive a script from the producer and they will label all of the medical phrases. Our doctors will read and translate in ASL in their authentic way.

DR. IV MIRUS: I work in emergency medicine. I’m a doctor. My work is very similar to Dr. Robbie in “The Pitt.” I teach residents and medical students. I also meet with patients. It’s so cool to watch the show because “The Pitt” is the most realistic medical drama I’ve ever seen since “E.R.” It’s similar with the medical terminology, the procedures, words, feelings, emotions — it’s real and what we experience in the emergency department. Obviously, in “The Pitt,” there are bad shifts and sometimes it’s not as bad. However our experiences are similar. It’s really cool to see ASL access and to work on this project. To see two worlds, the ASL/Deaf community (my world) and emergency medicine dovetail.

SARAH TUBERT: It was a beautiful collaboration and effort. We interacted, learned, and grew together!

DAILY MOTH: Thank you so much you three for commenting. If you’re curious, you can check out Max’s “The Pitt.” You can look for the ASL translation version.