At the same time as our last newsletter landed in your inbox telling you about CICED’s plans for a new project with the deaf organization/CHAVITA in Tanzania, we were online with the sign language interpreters’ association/TASLI.
Better and more sign language and better and more sign language interpreting are two sides of the same coin for better inclusion of the deaf in Tanzanian society.
As the focus on deaf rights, including the right to be heard, increases, so does the need for quality and quantity in sign language interpreting. There are almost 100 sign language interpreters to work with up to approximately 700,000 deaf and hard of hearing people.
Many of the interpreters are self-taught and have to navigate multiple sign language models developed by different actors over the last few hundred years. The working conditions of sign language interpreters are nothing to shout about either.
Over the next few months, we are developing a project with TASLI to raise awareness of sign language interpreting among the deaf community and public and private stakeholders. The project should also contribute to better quality sign language interpreting and improve conditions for interpreters.
We look forward to telling you more in this area too.
The image is a screen shot from the meeting with TASLI’s board of directors. 12.2.21.
