Marla Berkowitz is an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.
[1][2][3] During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, she became known because of her interpretation of Ohio governor Mike DeWine's daily press conferences.
Berkowitz was raised in a Conservative Jewish household in Rockville Centre, New York on Long Island.
[5] A colleague, Naomi Brunn, approached her about a project to make New York City synagogues accessible to Deaf members.
[5] Berkowitz is a senior lecturer with the American Sign Language (ASL) program at Ohio State University.
[9] As she gained recognition, she "knew there would be ignorant comments such as, 'Why is she making those big facial expressions?'
[7] Berkowitz told The Lantern: "facial expressions are a crucial part of the language and serve as grammar markers to indicate whether a speaker is asking a question or making a statement.