We are accustomed to considering oral speech to be the only and main language of people. But besides it, there are other ways of expressing words and thoughts. People with hearing loss for interpersonal communication use sign language and facial expressions. It is intended for communication between deaf people and is called sign language. Sign speech is carried out using a visual channel for transmitting information. This type of communication is not widespread and has not yet been fully studied. In our country alone, 2 million people use Russian sign language.
In sign language, information is transmitted from talking man to the listener through the movement of hands, eyes or body. It is perceived through the visual channel and has the following properties:
- In sign language, the main focus is on the space around the person speaking. When communicating, it affects all levels of language.
- Unlike sounding words reaching the ears sequentially, the language of the deaf is shown and perceived simultaneously. This helps convey more information using a single gesture.
There is no universal in the world sign language for deaf and dumb people. There are more than 100 sign languages used for communication between people with speech and hearing impairments. People using different gestures will not understand each other. Deaf people, like speaking people, can learn or forget the sign language of another country.
The use of sign language is expanding every year, making a primitive communication system a suitable area for expressing a variety of thoughts and ideas. Sign language is used in educational system, on television, video lessons. Russian sign language is used only for interpersonal communication between people.
In Europe, the language of the deaf appeared at the beginning of the 18th century. Before his advent, deaf people lived and studied in isolation from others. The first school for the deaf and dumb appeared in 1760 in France. The main task of teachers was to teach reading and writing to deaf children. To solve this problem, the old French sign language, which appeared among a group of deaf and dumb people, was used. It was slightly modified. Specially designed teaching gestures were added that were used to indicate grammar. In training, a “facial method” of transmitting information was used, when each letter was indicated by a separate hand gesture.
This training system later began to be used in Russia. In 1806, the first school for the deaf was opened in Pavlovsk. And in 1951, the World Federation of the Deaf appeared. The members of the organization decided to create a standard sign language. It was to be used for deaf professionals and public figures participating in the work of the congress.
To standardize sign language, experts from many countries, having analyzed similar gestures used by different nationalities, developed a common language for all. And in 1973, a dictionary of sign speech was published, which was prepared by the World Federation of the Deaf.
Shortly thereafter, at the VII Congress of Deafness in America, the international language deaf, which was used for communication between deaf people from different countries who took part in world-class events.
Linguistics of sign language
Despite the prevailing opinion about the language of the deaf as a primitive language, it has a rich vocabulary and is not at all easy to use. A linguistic study was carried out, which proved the presence in the language of elements that are present in full-fledged oral speech.
The words of gestures consist of simple components - hirems, which do not carry any semantic load. There are 3 elements that describe the structure and differences between gestures:
- The position of the gesture towards the speaker's body;
The gesture can be used in a neutral space, at the same level with a part of the body without touching it.
- The shape of the hand that performs the gesture;
- Hand movement when performing a gesture.
The movement of the hand in space and the movement of the hand or fingers while the position of the hand remains unchanged are taken into account.
- Movement of hands in space relative to the body of the speaker or each other.
Gestures are schematic in nature, invented during communication, and have a distinctive connection with the visual designation of the word. The language of the deaf has its own grammar to facilitate communication on diverse topics and is not a visual repetition of ordinary language.
Distinctive features of the structure of sign language
- Specificity;
There is no generalization in the gesture, limited by the sign of the object and action. There is not a single gesture that uses the words “big” and “go.” Such words are used in various gestures that accurately convey the characteristics or movement of a person.
A gesture can represent an object. The sounds or letters that make up words, independent of the characteristics of the object, can be conveyed with a special movement of the hand. For example, to depict a house, hands show the roof, and to depict friendship, they show a handshake.
The origin of the names of things in speech is sometimes impossible to explain. The origin of gestures is easier to explain, since their history of creation and occurrence is known. But even this fades over time and becomes more sketchy.
- Imagery;
Thanks to imagery, gestures are easier to remember and assimilate. It makes gestures clearer for deaf people to communicate with each other.
- Syncretism;
Gestures have the property of unity in conveying words that are different in sound but have the same meaning. For example, fire, bonfire or video, filming. To designate synonyms in a gesture, additional features of the object are used. For example, the words “draw” and “frame” are shown to indicate a painting.
- Amorphous;
Sign language consists of concepts, but it is not capable of expressing such forms of grammar as case, gender, tense, number, aspect. For this purpose, gestural facial speech is used, which from a small number of gestures receives ordinary combinations of words. This happens by gluing (agglutination) words in a certain order:
- A person or object is a designation of action (I - sleep);
- The action taking place is negation (to be able to do so);
- The designation of the item is quality;
- The condition of an object or person (cat – sick, slightly).
- Grammatical spatiality.
Sign language conveys several phrases and words simultaneously. An expression conveyed in this way contains, in addition to gestures, also non-manual components. This is the facial expression of the speaking person, the movement of body parts, the gaze. This type of information transfer is used, like intonation in oral speech.
The language of deaf people is non-linear. Grammar is transmitted along with vocabulary, the speaker’s gesture can change during communication.
Russian sign language training
Learning sign language will take the same amount of time as any other language; special video courses will come in handy. In addition to the theoretical part, practice is required. Without it, it is impossible to master the language. Understanding deaf people is much more difficult than showing something yourself. The test speech contains words or expressions that have no translation into Russian.
You can learn sign language on your own, using video lessons or a dictionary. Using video training, you can learn how to use such simple but necessary words like “thank you”, “sorry”, “love”. The word “thank you” in the language of the deaf is useful in life when meeting deaf people.
Using video lessons, it is easier to learn and remember information, understand how to correctly perform a gesture, and practice repeating movements. Studying the language of the deaf, with the help of dictionaries, lectures or video lessons, solves the following problems:
- Improving speech skills through the use of sign language;
- Expanding knowledge about the linguistic component of language;
- Formation of knowledge about the language of the deaf as a natural form of communication between people, the presence of similar and distinctive characteristics with other languages;
- Familiarization with the history of the emergence of language and stages of development;
- Forming the importance of language learning and understanding the role of Russian and sign speech in the life of society.
Language learning with special program or a video lesson contributes to the development of communication in different life conditions, during informal communication with friends, parents, unfamiliar people or during a conversation in a formal setting.
As you know, learning a language always begins with theory. Therefore, in the first stages of learning the language of the deaf and mute, you will need to acquire self-instruction books. With their help you can study the necessary theoretical basis, which are needed for language proficiency at a basic, that is, initial level. In the language of the deaf and dumb, the basics are the alphabet and the words themselves.
How to independently learn to speak the language of the deaf and mute?
If you want to learn to speak sign language, you need to have a minimum vocabulary. In the language of the deaf and dumb, almost any word can be expressed with a specific gesture. Learn the most common words people use in Everyday life, and also learn to pronounce simple phrases.
Special dictionaries are perfect for this purpose: the announcer shows a gesture corresponding to the word, and correct articulation. Similar dictionaries can be found on sites dedicated to learning sign language. But you can also use book-size dictionaries. True, there you will only see gestures on, and this is not such a visual way to learn words.
To speak the language of the deaf, you will also need to learn the fingerprint alphabet. It consists of 33 gestures, each of which corresponds to a specific letter of the alphabet. In conversation, the dactylic alphabet is not often used, but you still need to know it: letter gestures are used when pronouncing new words for which there are no special gestures yet, as well as for proper names (first names, surnames, titles settlements and so on.).
Once you have mastered the theoretical part, that is, the deaf alphabet and the basic vocabulary, you will need to find a way to communicate with native speakers, with which you will train your speaking skills.
Where can you practice sign language?
It is important to understand that learning to speak the language of the deaf without practice is an impossible task. Only in the process of real communication can you master conversational skills at such a level that you can understand sign language well and be able to communicate in it.
So, where can you talk to native sign language speakers? First of all, these are all kinds of online resources: social media, thematic forums and specialized sites whose audience is hard of hearing or deaf people. Modern means of communication will allow you to fully communicate with native speakers without leaving your home.
You can take a more complex, but at the same time more effective path. Find out if your city has special schools for the deaf or any other communities for the hard of hearing and deaf people. Of course, a hearing person will not be able to become a full member of such an organization. But this is possible if you learn the language of the deaf and dumb not for pleasure, but in order to communicate in it with someone close to you. You can also sign up as a volunteer at a boarding school for deaf children. There you will be completely immersed in the language environment, as you will be able to truly communicate closely with native sign language speakers. And at the same time do good deeds - as a rule, volunteers are always needed in such institutions.
A short sign dictionary will help you, dear reader, master the vocabulary of sign speech. This is a small dictionary with about 200 gestures. Why were these particular gestures selected? Such questions inevitably arise, especially when the volume of the dictionary is small. Our dictionary was created in this way. Since the dictionary is intended primarily for teachers of the deaf, teachers and educators from schools for the deaf participated in determining the composition of the dictionary. For several years, the author offered students of the Moscow State University of Philology, working in boarding schools for the deaf, a list of gestures - “candidates” for the dictionary. And he turned to them with a request: to leave on the list only the most necessary gestures for a teacher and educator, and cross out the rest. But you can add to the list if required. All gestures to which more than 50% of expert teachers objected were excluded from the initial list. Conversely, the dictionary included gestures suggested by experts if more than half of them thought it was appropriate.
The gestures included in the dictionary are mainly used in both Russian sign speech and calque sign speech. They are grouped by topic. Of course, the attribution of many gestures to one topic or another is largely arbitrary. The author here followed the tradition of compiling thematic dictionaries, and also sought to place in each group gestures that denote objects, actions, and signs, so that it would be more convenient to talk on a given topic. At the same time, gestures have continuous numbering. If you, the reader, need to remember, for example, how the gesture INTERFERE is performed, and you don’t know which thematic group it is in, you need to do this. At the end of the dictionary, all gestures (naturally, their verbal designations) are arranged in alphabetical order, and the ordinal index of the INTERFERE gesture will make it easy to find it in the dictionary.
The symbols in the pictures will help you more accurately understand and reproduce the structure of the gesture.
Wishing you success in learning the vocabulary of sign speech, the author expects from you, dear reader, suggestions for improving a short sign dictionary.
Legend
Greetings introduction
1. Hello 2. Goodbye
3. Thank you 4. Sorry (those)
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
5. Name 6. Profession
7. Specialty 8. Who
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
9. What 10. Where
11. When 12. Where
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
13. Where 14. Why
15. Why 16. Whose
FAMILY
17. Man 18. Man
19. Woman 20. Child
21. Family 22. Father
23. Mother 24. Son
25. Daughter 26. Grandmother
27. Grandfather 28. Brother
29. Sister 30. Live
31. Work 32. Respect
33. Take care 34. Help
35. Interfere 36. Friendship
37. Young 38. Old
How a dictionary works and how to use it
A short sign dictionary will help you, dear reader, master the vocabulary of sign speech. This is a small dictionary with about 200 gestures. Why were these particular gestures selected? Such questions inevitably arise, especially when the volume of the dictionary is small. Our dictionary was created in this way. Since the dictionary is intended primarily for teachers of the deaf, teachers and educators from schools for the deaf participated in determining the composition of the dictionary. For several years, the author offered students of the Moscow State University of Philology, working in boarding schools for the deaf, a list of gestures - “candidates” for the dictionary. And he turned to them with a request: to leave on the list only the most necessary gestures for a teacher and educator, and cross out the rest. But you can add to the list if required. All gestures to which more than 50% of expert teachers objected were excluded from the initial list. Conversely, the dictionary included gestures suggested by experts if more than half of them thought it was appropriate.
The gestures included in the dictionary are mainly used in both Russian sign speech and calque sign speech. They are grouped by topic. Of course, the attribution of many gestures to one topic or another is largely arbitrary. The author here followed the tradition of compiling thematic dictionaries, and also sought to place in each group gestures that denote objects, actions, and signs, so that it would be more convenient to talk on a given topic. At the same time, gestures have continuous numbering. If you, the reader, need to remember, for example, how the gesture INTERFERE is performed, and you don’t know which thematic group it is in, you need to do this. At the end of the dictionary, all gestures (naturally, their verbal designations) are arranged in alphabetical order, and the ordinal index of the INTERFERE gesture will make it easy to find it in the dictionary.
The symbols in the pictures will help you more accurately understand and reproduce the structure of the gesture.
Wishing you success in learning the vocabulary of sign speech, the author expects from you, dear reader, suggestions for improving a short sign dictionary.
Legend
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
1. Hello 2. Goodbye
3. Thank you 4. Sorry (those)
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
5. Name 6. Profession
7. Specialty 8. Who
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
9. What 10. Where
11. When 12. Where
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
13. Where 14. Why
15. Why 16. Whose
17. Man 18. Man
19. Woman 20. Child
21. Family 22. Father
23. Mother 24. Son
25. Daughter 26. Grandmother
27. Grandfather 28. Brother
29. Sister 30. Live
31. Work 32. Respect
33. Take care 34. Help
35. Interfere 36. Friendship
37. Young 38. Old
HOUSE APARTMENT
39. City 40. Village
41. Street 42. House
HOUSE APARTMENT
43. Apartment 44. Room
45. Window 46. Kitchen, cooking
HOUSE APARTMENT
47. Lavatory 48. Table
49. Chair 50. Wardrobe
HOUSE APARTMENT
51. Bed 52. TV
53. VCR 54. Do
HOUSE APARTMENT
55. Watch 56. Wash
57. Invite 58. Light
HOUSE APARTMENT
59. Cozy 60. New
61. Clean 62. Dirty
63. School 64. Class
65. Bedroom 66. Dining room
67. Director 68. Teacher
69. Educator 70. Teach
71. Study 72. Computer
73. Meeting 74. Deaf
75. Hearing Impaired 76. Dactylology
77. Sign language 78. Lead
79. Instruct 80. Execute
81. Praise 82. Scold
83. Punish 84. Check
85. Agree 86. Strict
87. Kind 88. Honest
89. Lesson 90. Headphones
91. Book 92. Notebook
93. Pencils 94. Telling
95.Speak 96.Hear
101. Know 102. Don’t know
103. Understand 104. Don’t understand
105. Repeat 106. Remember
107. Remember 108. Forget
109. Think 110. I can, I can
111. I can’t 112. Make a mistake
113. Good 114. Bad
115. Attentively 116. Correct
117. Ashamed 118. Angry, angry
119. Rude 120. Polite
121. Student
122. Diligent
ON A REST
123. Rest 124. Forest
125. River 126. Sea
ON A REST
127. Water 128. Sun
129. Moon 130. Rain
ON A REST
131. Snow 133. Day
132. Morning 134. Evening
ON A REST
135. Night 136. Summer
137. Autumn 138. Spring
ON A REST
139. Winter 140. Excursion, museum
141. Theater 142. Cinema
ON A REST
143. Stadium 144. Physical education
145. Competition 146. Participate
ON A REST
147. Win 148. Lose
149. Play 150. Walk
ON A REST
151. Dance 152. Want
153. Don't want 154. Love
ON A REST
155. Rejoice 156. Wait
157. Deceive 158. Cheerful
ON A REST
159. Agile 160. Strong
161. Weak 162. Easy
ON A REST
163. Difficult 164. Calm
165. White 166. Red
ON A REST
167. Black 168. Green
OUR COUNTRY
169. Homeland
170. State 171. Moscow
OUR COUNTRY
172. People 173. Revolution
174. Party 175. President
OUR COUNTRY
176. Struggle 177. Constitution
178. Elections, choose 179. Deputy
OUR COUNTRY
180. Chairman 181. Government
182. Translator 183. Glasnost
OUR COUNTRY
184. Democracy 185. War
186. World 187. Army
OUR COUNTRY
188. Disarmament
189. Treaty 190. Space
OUR COUNTRY
191. Protect 192. Politics
WHAT DO THESE GESTURES MEAN?
193, 194. Sign name (person's name in sign language)
195. Master of his craft 196. Master of his craft (option)
WHAT DO THESE GESTURES MEAN?
197. It doesn’t concern me 198. Make mistakes
199. Don’t catch me (at home, at work) 200. Amazing,
stunning
201. Same, identical 202. Calm down after
any disturbances
203. Exhausted 204. That's it
GESTURES OF SPOKEN SIGN LANGUAGE
205. Lose sight, forget 206. “Cats are scratching at the heart”
207. Don’t be afraid to say 208. Wait a little
something in the eyes
Index of gestures in alphabetical order
| army | do | ||
| grandmother | democracy | ||
| day | |||
| white | deputy | ||
| struggle | village | ||
| Brother | director | ||
| polite | Kind | ||
| agreement | |||
| right | rain | ||
| funny | house | ||
| spring | Goodbye | ||
| evening | daughter | ||
| video recorder | friendship | ||
| attentively | think | ||
| water | |||
| war | wait | ||
| teacher | woman | ||
| recall | sign language | ||
| elections, choose | live | ||
| fulfill | |||
| where is publicity deaf talk city state rude dirty walk dactylology grandpa | take care | ||
| forget | |||
| For what | |||
| protect | |||
| Hello | |||
| green | |||
| winter | |||
| angry, angry | |||
| know | |||
| play | |||
| excuse me (those) | |||
| Name |
| pencil | deceive | ||||
| apartment | window | ||||
| movie | autumn | ||||
| Class | rest | ||||
| book | father | ||||
| When | where | ||||
| room | make a mistake | ||||
| computer constitution space red bed who goes where kitchen, cook | |||||
| the consignment | |||||
| translator | |||||
| write | |||||
| Badly | |||||
| win | |||||
| repeat | |||||
| policy | |||||
| remember | |||||
| easily | to help | ||||
| forest | understand | ||||
| summer | entrust | ||||
| deft | Why | ||||
| moon | government | ||||
| be in love | chairman | ||||
| invite the president to check lose profession | |||||
| mother | |||||
| interfere | |||||
| world | |||||
| I can, I can | |||||
| young sea Moscow man wash | |||||
| work | |||||
| rejoice | |||||
| disarmament | |||||
| tell | |||||
| child revolution river draw Motherland scold | |||||
| punish | |||||
| people | |||||
| headphones | |||||
| dont know | |||||
| I can not | lead | ||||
| don't understand don't want a new night | |||||
| light | |||||
| family | |||||
| sister strong hearing impaired weak hear watch snow meeting agree sun competition bedroom thank you specialty calm stadium diligent old table dining room strict chair ashamed count son dance theater TV notebook difficult | restroom | ||||
| respect | |||||
| Street | |||||
| lesson | |||||
| morning | |||||
| participate | |||||
| teacher | |||||
| learn | |||||
| student | |||||
| study | |||||
| cosy | |||||
| physical education praise good to want | |||||
| whose man is black honest clean read that closet school excursion museum | |||||
Instead of a preface,
There are about 120 thousand deaf people in Russia. The main language of communication for them is Russian sign language. There are less than a thousand interpreters from sign language into Russian - this profession is rare and in demand. Director of the Center for Education of the Deaf and Sign Language Anna Komarova responded to awkward questions about the profession.
Anna Komarova
Deaf or deaf: how to speak correctly about those who cannot hear?
It is indecent to say “deaf-mute”, because the word “deaf-mute” implies that a person cannot express himself, and the deaf have their own language - sign language. So "deaf-mute" is only used in conversations about history - for example, when we talk about the first schools for deaf children.
In English, “deaf” - Deaf - is written with a capital letter, like any other sociocultural community or nationality. The deaf themselves are proud of the word “deaf,” but various euphemisms like “a person with impaired or insufficient hearing” imply that a deaf person does not have something, although the deaf themselves consider themselves simply different, different.
We can divide the deaf community according to medical criteria into several groups:
- hard of hearing, that is, those who, thanks to hearing aids, can recognize speech or hear sounds environment;
- deaf, i.e. those who have lost their hearing already having developed verbal language;
- deaf.
Is Russian sign language the same as Russian, only with your hands?
No. Russian Sign Language (RSL), which is spoken by deaf people, is very different from Russian; it has its own grammar and different word order. For example, the attribute comes after the noun, as in French, and the negation “not” after the verb, as in German. He is as different from Russian as any foreign language. Russian Sign Language is included in the same language group as French Sign Language and American Sign Language, but British Sign Language is in a different language group.
There is also Russian language in gestures, when gestures accompany the words of Russian sentences. Sometimes it is called “tracing paper”; it used to be shown on TV, but only those who speak Russian well, most often those who are late deaf or hard of hearing, understand it. Deaf people, even those who can read newspapers freely, do not understand him. Especially if on the screen it is a small head in a circle. Russian subtitles are much better in this case.
The deaf also use the “manual” alphabet, when one gesture is not a word, but only a letter. The alphabet, called dactylology, is used to designate terms and proper names.
Deaf people have slang. Gestures that only one group understands. The deaf have their own slang - it may not coincide at all with Russian, however, if a word is popular on the Internet, it is also in sign language.
A Brief History of Sign Language
All modern sign languages are quite young. Russian sign language is one of the oldest in the world, dating back to the 1760s. Deaf people probably used signs before, but we don't know which ones. For example, it is known for sure that artels of deaf artists in Italy in the 16th century and in the Orphanage in Moscow in the 18th century spoke with gestures, but there are no records of the gestures themselves. In general, a national sign language appears when stable groups of deaf people appear.
But for a long time Deaf communities have been fought against. In the 19th century, in the USA, in Europe and here, the Oralist movement was especially influential - those who believed that the deaf should be taught verbal language, and that the deaf should be prohibited from marrying each other. Deaf teachers were prohibited from working in schools, so hearing people taught the deaf. This was based on various religious misconceptions such as: you cannot reach God if you do not speak verbal language, or that if you use gestures, then you are a subhuman, a monkey.
Oddly enough, the idea that if you speak with your voice, you are higher on the evolutionary ladder has proven to be extremely tenacious. To my 16 year old mother in one of the best schools In Moscow in the 1950s, a biology teacher (!) explained that those who use gestures and wave their hands gradually become covered with fur and turn into monkeys. However, other misconceptions can also be considered game: deaf people are often considered mentally disabled or simply stupid, although deafness has nothing to do with mental abilities. Unfortunately, bad translation can also be to blame for this.
The deaf felt relatively calm in 1938, a seemingly terrible time of repression, but it was then that a decree was issued that sign language should be used to teach the deaf. This is explained by the fact that during industrialization the country needed qualified personnel for factories, and quality education It is impossible for deaf people to live without sign language.
Unfortunately, already in 1950, Stalin’s article “Marxism and Questions of Linguistics” was published, where sign language was called an unreal, ersatz language. After this, Russian sign language began to be banned again.
Where are sign language interpreters trained?
Since 2012 - at the Moscow State University linguistic university, at the Department of English. Students teach English language, as well as Russian and British sign languages.
So far there have been two releases of 10 people. Of the first 5 people work with RSL. For example, one graduate is seriously involved in linguistics, went to various foreign seminars, has now received a grant from an English university and is going to write for several years scientific work.
Another graduate interprets for the deaf community; she also interpreted the UN session in Switzerland and is returning today after Olympic Games deaf people in Turkey.
Another one works with RSL at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, and is engaged in art and painting by deaf artists. Two more are engaged in community interpreting, that is, they translate in any situation: for example, one of them translated for our deaf-blind people in Finland, and now she is going to Denmark... In the second issue, the guys have not yet decided.
Before MSLU, translators mostly learned the language in courses or mastered it in the family. The majority of Russian Sign Language interpreters in our country are from deaf families, most often these are the eldest hearing daughters. Another small part are missionaries or those who want to help the deaf. But knowing a language and being able to translate are very different skills. So the level vocational training very different.
What should a sign language interpreter be able to do?
Unlike translators from other languages, working with sign language is, with rare exceptions, simultaneous interpretation: that is, you listen to verbal language and translate it into gestures or translate gestures into oral speech.
In addition, ordinary interpreters sit in a booth, no one sees them, and they are entirely focused on translating; if they make a mistake, then no one knows that this particular person made a mistake. A sign language interpreter stands on stage, and his work is evaluated by everyone who knows sign language, everyone sees his mistakes. It's not easy morally.
It is important that the specialist can interpret not only in one direction, but also understand what the deaf person is saying. It happens that due to the translator’s mistakes, due to his poor command of both sign language and literate Russian, the speech of a deaf person seems incoherent, illogical, and everyone thinks that he is stupid.
Where do sign language interpreters work?
Sign language interpreters can work in the same places as interpreters of any other languages: at conferences, universities, social institutions, and business. But for some reason, historically, it has developed in our country that a sign language interpreter is for some reason a social worker, but in Europe and the USA this problem no longer exists. Our average translator is a woman with average special education from a deaf family who works in the deaf community and who can do it all: she is a secretary, an accountant, a lawyer, an assistant, she makes coffee. And this is fundamentally wrong.
Those who want to help often come into the profession. For example, when we ask through questionnaires what essential qualities a translator has, they write “kindness”. Everyone writes “kindness,” but in general, a translator shouldn’t be kind, he should be a professional, attentive, accurate, but here everyone wants to advise a deaf person or make decisions for him.
Ideally, the translator should be invisible: translate so that it seems to the hearing person that the deaf person is speaking, and to the deaf person that the hearing person is speaking his language. Then the translator is really great.
A translator is needed when visiting a doctor, for any legal actions. Now we demand that everyone who works in the courts undergo mandatory certification and receive a certificate of admission to interpret in court. There are stories when translators made mistakes in translation, and this was reflected in the verdicts: on the charges and on the terms of punishment.
Translation is needed not only in court or hospital, but also in business, for example, employees of MTS and Megafon learn sign language in order to serve deaf clients. MFC has an agreement for remote translation: the interpreter works via Skype with the center, the deaf client has free access to translation.
But translators are most needed in institutes and colleges, because without them it is very difficult to get an education. And now we are fighting so that deaf people can study where they want, and not where there are groups. It’s just that since Soviet times it has developed so that if you are deaf, you are doomed to study as an engineer, because at MSTU. Bauman has had special groups with an interpreter since the 1930s, but in other places they may not exist.
For example, this year one completely deaf girl entered the Moscow State Linguistic University - she wants to study linguistics, become the first certified deaf linguist, but who and under what conditions will translate all her lectures? The question is still open.