CAXIAS do Sul, Brazil, May 17 – Behind every successful sports team or individual, there stands a dedicated team of background staff who work tirelessly to enable the much-needed focus and success.
Likewise, in Deaf Sports athlete success often depends on the work and support of a group of people who operate from behind the scenes.
Rightly so, Kenya’s spirited 11th overall position at the 24th Summer Deaflympics could hardly escape the attention of sign language Interpreters who have not only become family here in Caxius do Sul, but the pillar of success for the exhilarating medal rush.
By and large, athletes who are Deaf are typically surrounded by coaches and officials who can hear on the field and in the locker room but who need the presence of the Interpreters to execute their technical duties.
We talked to one of Team Kenya signers in Caxius do Sul on a wide range of issues to establish the impact of their dedicated role for the contingent.
According to Pamela Wango, who was translating for Athletics team, the relationship between a Deaf client and the interpreter is very unique.
Depending on the individual, sometimes an Interpreter has to wear many hats, and can be a close confidant with those they share concerns and their worries, or someone they look up to for guidance and advice.
“The athletes also depend on the Interpreter to deliver quality services and ensure there is clear communication between them and the coach. For instance, in athletics during training corrections are made after the athlete has ran not when they’re running.”
“The Coach sometimes comments as soon as they note something and unlike the hearing community the Deaf cannot hear this feedback in real time. It’s the responsibility of the interpreter to take note and go over it with the coach and the interpreter after they’ve ran.”
Wango goes on to explain that there are technical facets to sports, like explaining an injury, what is happening in their bodies, the benefits of specific foods and exercises over others.
“When an athlete understands the why, they have confidence, it builds self-initiative, grows their capacity and generally they perform much better.”
Wango also reveals that her work of a sign language Interpreter is not only to facilitate communication but to also bridge the gap between the hearing and the Deaf communities.
‘As an Interpreter born to Deaf parents, it becomes especially crucial for us to facilitate growth in the Deaf community to not only make sure that our clients receive communication in their own language but that they understand the nitty gritty to be able to benefit from this information even when they do not have an interpreter on site.”
Just like the hearing community, Wango goes on to explain that trust is earned with hard work, professionalism and above the willingness to learn.
“As an Interpreter, I have to earn trust with each athlete in my team. Each sportsperson is different, and has different needs. It is my duty to meet them at their point of need and be specific about how I approach different individuals.”
“To take time with the client ensure they are heard and are well understood and to communicate to them in a way they understand. This builds trust with the athlete and with the team as a whole.”
Asked what Informed her gusto and passion as a sign language Interpreter, she expounds: “First and foremost, I am a CODA, which means a Child Of Deaf Adults. Being a CODA, sign language has been part of my life since I was born. I cannot even remember learning how to sign the alphabets or some words, I just found myself knowing how to.”
With both deaf parents, Wango has always remained enthusiastic about sign language.
“I remember when I was younger, I was always competing with my younger brother. We were always trying to see who could sign better. I remember asking him to sign the word ‘true’ and we argued over it, till our mother got home and we asked. I have always been a sign language user,” narrated Wango, who chose to do sign language because of his love for the language, Deaf culture and the Deaf community.
“I do sign language for passion, I do sign language because I want to share everything I know with the Deaf community. I do sign language because it is in my roots, it is my culture, it’s how I was raised.”
–Day to day challenges—
Wango is of the opinion that of sign language Interrupters be increased for purposes of efficiency in camp.
“In an ideal setting, I feel there should be a standard ratio of Deaf clients to Interpreters to ensure maximum output so that at the end of the day we are all happy and content.”
Sign language is different and at the same time not very different. Different countries use different sign language.
In Kenya for instance, we use Kenya Sign Language (KSL), she explains: “The thing with sign language is, it’s a visual language, you may not be from that country but just from seeing how a word is signed from the facial expression and lip reading and just the way it’s signed, you could understand the signs to certain words and even the concept in a conversation.”
“In the Deaflympics, we use more international sign language which are basically signs that are not for any specific cultural context and are not country specific, they’re actually more neutral and descriptive and therefore easily understood.”
–Idea of sign language in Schools curriculum–
Wango, who has been with the team for a long period, believes incorporating sign language for all in school curriculum will go a long way in changing the societal attitude of the hearing fraternity towards the Deaf community.
“I think sign language is the easiest language to learn, it’s a visual language, there are no jargons or pronunciations. It’s just as you see it. I would love to see a whole generation of sign language users.”
And as we build this generation of sign language users, I believe all work places, institutions, literally all spaces should have someone who can sign or have access to someone who can offer sign language interpretation services at all times. Especially corporates offering services to the general public.
–Conflict Resolution–
The professional ethics of a sign language require that interpreters be impartial.
“Usually, incase of conflict my role is to ensure all parties are able to express themselves adequately and are understood from their perspective.
Usually, disputes are handled by the team Captain, then forwarded to the coach if they remain unresolved.”
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Caxias do Sul, Brazil-
