According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Brazil has 10 million people with some type of hearing impairment. The need to guarantee the inclusion of this population in society, expanding education and employment opportunities, led to the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) being officially recognized in 2002, through Law 10,436. While the Portuguese language is oral-auditory, the comprehension of Libras is related to manual movements and facial expressions with its own grammatical organization and flexible phrasal structures.<\/p>\n
Working as a sign language interpreter for 15 years, Reginaldo dos Santos is responsible for daily translating the press conference on the COVID-19 pandemic\u2014held with the Minas Gerais State Department of Health (SES-MG) and broadcast by Rede Minas\u2014for the state's deaf and mute individuals. Words like pandemic, novel coronavirus, and gatherings have become part of the sign language translation. And, just as happens with certain Portuguese vocabulary words, the new gestures and expressions have also gone viral in the deaf community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as the pandemic began, signs corresponding to the most used terms emerged. I am part of several networks that bring together interpreters, deaf people, and experts in the field who constantly exchange information,\u201d Reginaldo says. In addition to translating the press conference, the professional works on social media lives and is qualified to guide the hearing impaired in accessing various services.<\/p>\n
Contrary to what one might imagine, neither he nor anyone in his family is part of any hearing-impaired groups. \u201cAt first, my interest was in doing volunteer work. In fact, I am now learning Spanish to help immigrants,\u201d reveals the interpreter, who turned solidarity into a profession.<\/p>\n
Reginaldo's work is dynamic: he arrives at the Administrative City around 11:30 a.m. and receives a copy of the questions that will be part of the press conference from the master of ceremonies. \u201cIn a few minutes I read through them and consider the best interpretation. Since the translation is simultaneous, I rely on the experience I've already acquired,\u201d says the translator, referring to unforeseen events that happen every now and then during a live broadcast.<\/p>\n
The translator and interpreter needs to be attentive to what the master of ceremonies, the State Health Secretary, Carlos Eduardo Amaral, and other members of the press conference intend to say. Their work involves time restrictions, appropriate choices, preparation, in addition to the specificities that the context may present.<\/p>\n
History \u2013 In Brazil, the pioneer in the dissemination of communication with the deaf was the French professor Ernest Huet, who came to the country at the invitation of Dom Pedro II and helped found the Imperial Institute of Deaf-Mutes in 1857 in Rio de Janeiro. With its own structure, syntax, and grammatical organization, featuring objective and flexible constructions, Libras is considered a language in which each word has its own sign.<\/p>\n
Since 2011, the State has adopted translations into Libras, but, due to the excess of technical terms brought by the pandemic, it was necessary to provide specific training for Reginaldo dos Santos. \u201cHis performance is essential to ensure that everyone has access to information,\u201d says Aline Brand\u00e3o, superintendent of the Events and Ceremonial Center of the government of Minas Gerais, who is responsible for the daily organization of the press conference. (The information is from Ag\u00eancia Minas)<\/p>\n
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