'Sign language interpreters should be trained and accredited'
The government has been urged to ensure that the sign language interpreters hired in government agencies have been properly trained and accredited.
This call comes after Women and Family Development Deputy Minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff said the government is planning to create a permanent post for sign language interpreters in all government agencies...
The government has been urged to ensure that the sign language interpreters hired in government agencies have been properly trained and accredited.
This call comes after Women and Family Development Deputy Minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff said the government is planning to create a permanent post for sign language interpreters in all government agencies.
The president of Malaysian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (MyASLI), Wan Zuraidah Abu (below), stressed that sign language interpreting is a profession and the government should not hire just anyone who can do sign language.
“We are willing to work together with the government. We can prepare people for training and accreditation. We just want to make sure they are professionally trained and accredited by the deaf associations,” Wan Zuraidah said when contacted by Malaysiakini.
Besides proficiency in Malaysia Sign Language (BIM), she explained, an interpreter needs to have specialised knowledge in certain areas and be beholden to certain codes of ethics, for example, to respect confidentiality.
Although the interpreting service is much needed, the number of sign language interpreters in Malaysia remains small.
Wan Zuraidah lamented that, in general, sign language interpreters are currently not well paid, and their job is not secure due to insufficient acknowledgement of the profession.
According to the government statistics, there were more than 38,600 deaf people nationwide, as at the end of last year.
Only 90 people accredited, for now
Wan Zuraidah, who is also the Head of Sign Language Interpreting (BIM) Services, Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD), estimated that there are only 30 full-time interpreters in the country.
There are 90 people accredited for their sign language interpreting ability, which includes part-time, full-time and those who are not currently engaged in interpreting works, she said.
Under the Perikatan Nasional government, there are around 300 government agencies parked under 27 ministries. In other words, the aspiration of having at least one interpreter in each agency might not be realised in the short term.
Certain agencies should be prioritised
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Society of the Deaf (KLSD) president Eamienor Zakiah Md Zuki suggested that certain ministries and departments should be prioritised for the hiring of sign language interpreters.
The Health Ministry, Welfare Department, Higher Education Ministry, Education Ministry, police stations, courts, Department of Islamic Development, Road Transport Department, Parliament and National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) are the governmental units that should implement the policy first.
"Some deaf patients are not fluent in the official language (Bahasa Malaysia) and miscommunication may occur when they communicate with doctors in written form. As a result, they are given the wrong medicine or undergo the wrong treatment," Eamienor Zakiah (below) said.
Deaf women who are pregnant or making post-natal visits to Klinik Kesihatan are also at risk as miscommunication may happen, without interpreting services, she said.
She welcomed the government's plan to ensure that every agency has a sign language interpreter and she hopes that sign language interpreting can be included as a governmental post.
"Currently, the sign language interpreter is not yet included under (the regulation of) the Public Service Commission. What we have now is the court interpreter, that is for different functions.
“As a result, most people don't think there is a future in being a sign language interpreter. However, at the same time, sign language interpreting service is an urgent need in every aspect of the life of a deaf," Eamienor Zakiah added.
KLSD has been providing the sign language interpreting service since 1990, until the service was taken over by MFD in 1996.
MFD initiated an MQA accredited diploma programme in Sign Language Interpreting at International University College of Technology Twintech, from 2007 to 2010, which was subsidised by the Malaysian government.
According to Wan Zuraidah, there were 90 sign language interpreters accredited from the diploma course in 2010, but not all of them managed to work as sign language interpreters as the government did not guarantee employment opportunities for these graduates.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.