- Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, government communication has been more inclusive, in particular thanks to French sign language.
- Interpreters must build consensus around the vocabulary and new words to adopt that have arisen in recent months, even if it is not always easy.
- The deaf and hard of hearing now hope to be an integral part of society.
A few months ago, they were almost absent from the media. On television, some programs took the trouble to call on sign language interpreters, like Télématin on France 2, Questions au Gouvernement on France 3, or the newspapers of 1 p.m. on BFMTV and 4 p.m. on CNEWS. But since the coronavirus crisis started, things have started to change. Instead of being in a small window at the bottom right of the screen, the translators in LSF took up space, their proper place, next to Emmanuel Macron, as during his intervention in Angers on March 31 by example.
"We have seen a sharp increase in accessibility in LSF in communications related to Covid-19", rejoices the National Federation of the Deaf in France through a press release. This improvement is actually explained by the commitment of the Head of State during the National Disability Conference of February 11, 2020, one month before the start of confinement. The stated objective was clear: to reinforce “the accessibility of essential programs” for all citizens. But how have the interpreters, who are increasingly seen on the screen, adapted linguistically to the health crisis?
Not easy to translate "hydroxychloroquine"
As with all languages in the world, the deaf and hard of hearing had to deal with a new vocabulary. Stéphan Barrère, interpreter in French sign language, has rediscovered what looks like "zero video". Dated February 8, a man explains how the word "coronavirus" is signed in Japan. The translation is done with two hands, one closed, and the other, placed flat above, mimics the crown with the fingers apart. "The sign followed the pandemic, it left Southeast Asia and spread around the world," says Stéphan Barrère.
If the coronavirus has found its translation quickly, things are not so simple for other scientific words, such as "hydroxychloroquine". No sign has yet made consensus in the LSF for the moment, according to Stéphan Barrère, so we had to adapt to the time of Jérôme Salomon's daily press briefings, in which the interpreter participated. "When we started to hear about it, I went to Wikipedia, where we find the chemical abbreviation of the molecule, namely HCQ," he says. A solution that he therefore favored during the interventions of the Director General of Health. But there are several options available to translators. Typing, or spelling the word in space, would be too tedious in such a context. Other interpreters prefer to use a periphrasis such as "malaria medicine" to speak of hydroxychloroquine.
A delicate exercise both in substance and in form
Translating the words of an elected official or public official is not easy in such a context. Starting from the principle that the speeches will be made in a controlled and pointed language, the sign language interpreters must work on the substance and the form. In the first case, it is sometimes necessary to confront unusual terms such as "serological, virological, or PCR tests". On form, you have to keep pace. In the exercise of press points by Jérôme Salomon, the difficulty lies in the accumulation of figures, and all this without pause.
As was the case for the French language, the new vocabulary linked to the coronavirus crisis was quickly acquired in LSF, because current events wanted it. "In three days, I had to translate" coronavirus "hundreds of times, we only talked about that, says Stéphan Barrère. The signs and speeches that the deaf and hard of hearing need to have access to are the same as ours. Hence the paramount importance of translating official speeches, which was still too rare a few months ago. “Jérôme Salomon's interventions were the only reliable daily information solution that deaf people had on the evolution of the disease. We therefore understand the importance of these ten minutes offered by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, "decrypts the interpreter.
Towards a better visibility of deaf and hard of hearing people?
Behind this awareness of the government hides the memory of the attacks of November 2015. At this time, the speeches of François Hollande and Manuel Valls are not translated, which creates a real anger with deaf and hard of hearing people. This blatant lack of communication only reinforces the deficiency of French society in the integration of the community.
This is the whole issue of the increasing inclusion of sign language interpreters on television: bringing visibility to people who have been in dire need of it for ages. "Society must understand that there is a deaf population which, until now, did not have access to this information", warns Stéphan Barrère. In France, there are an estimated 300,000 deaf people, a third of whom are fluent in sign language. The challenge for society is now to make efforts to make itself more accessible to them.
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- Coronavirus
- Covid 19
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