KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — To ensure that hearing-impaired people can keep up with the news on the Covid-19 outbreak, several sign language interpreters and deaf persons have come up with a short video containing vital information for them.
Deputy president of the Malaysian Sign Language and Deaf Studies Association, Amir Hamidi Abdul Manan, said among others, the sign language video include advice to stay at home as well as measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
He said compared to text messages, the video in sign language was a more effective and faster medium of delivery to the deaf community.
“The majority of deaf people are not proficient in verbal and written languages like Bahasa Malaysia (BM) or English, so they find difficulty understanding text messages which are complex.
“So to them, the sign language is the first language, followed by a second language like BM, English and others. They are very dependent on visuals like the sign language, for faster and clearer understanding,” he told Bernama.
He said since the movement control order (MCO) period began on March 18, sign language interpreters and deaf persons had voluntarily produced a video containing important information and shared it on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.
Amir Hamidi who is attached to the Social Welfare Department also said infographic messages which are easily read such as statistics of infected cases and photographs on the Covid-19 pandemic help the deaf community understand information better.
On the sign language service on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) which delivers latest information on the daily press conference on Covid-19, he said it was useful to deaf persons who are able to follow ‘live’ the developments on the situation.
“Yes, it really does help, it is an equal opportunity access. Without it, the deaf will have to keep looking (for information) and get a text copy of the speech from the internet after the press conference.
“So having a sign language interpreter during the live telecast is a basic necessity and really helps the deaf community,” he said.
Amir Hamidi also proposed that the screen for the sign language interpreter be half or a quarter of the television screen, as per international standards.
This is because a small screen makes it difficult for hearing-impaired persons to see the hand movements of the interpreter and they may not get the message that is being conveyed.
Meanwhile, RTM sign language interpreter Tan Lee Bee said she uses simple sign language to convey the news about Covid-19 so that all hearing-impaired people can understand what is being conveyed.
For instance, she said the word ‘frontliners’ was translated into ‘police, doctors and hospital staff’ in sign language while the word “combat’ was translated into ‘stopped’. — Bernama
