Miss-Delectable
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Deaf want to be heard in public - Fiji Times Online
The absence of specialised interpreters in essential service areas prevents deaf people from living normal lives, says Fiji Association of the Deaf president, Tomasi Taberanibou.
He said deaf people were often unserved when visiting places such as banks, hospitals and police stations.
Speaking in sign language, Mr Taberanibou told a workshop in Suva that the lack of these specialist communicators in public areas was leading to discomfort and communication breakdowns.
He said this was an area that the Government and NGOs needed to look into, to help improve the lifestyles of his members.
The workshop, which will train locals as sign language interpreters and has more than 40 delegates from around the country, is expected to help move towards addressing the problem.
The Sign Language Interpreters workshop aims to train new and current interpreters in best practice, ethics and other interpreting skills.
"We are very proud of what we have achieved at FAD and we are committed to making sign language interpreting a recognised profession in Fiji,'' said Mr Taberanibou.
"We see this workshop as the first step towards raising the standard of interpreting in the country.''
The Ausaid and NZaid-funded workshop includes two sign specialists from Australia, who will teach the 40 participants attending from all around the country.
Della Goswell and Jemina Napier, who are both level 3 trained interpreters, are expected to bring a wealth of experience to locals keen on bettering their skill level in the profession.
The absence of specialised interpreters in essential service areas prevents deaf people from living normal lives, says Fiji Association of the Deaf president, Tomasi Taberanibou.
He said deaf people were often unserved when visiting places such as banks, hospitals and police stations.
Speaking in sign language, Mr Taberanibou told a workshop in Suva that the lack of these specialist communicators in public areas was leading to discomfort and communication breakdowns.
He said this was an area that the Government and NGOs needed to look into, to help improve the lifestyles of his members.
The workshop, which will train locals as sign language interpreters and has more than 40 delegates from around the country, is expected to help move towards addressing the problem.
The Sign Language Interpreters workshop aims to train new and current interpreters in best practice, ethics and other interpreting skills.
"We are very proud of what we have achieved at FAD and we are committed to making sign language interpreting a recognised profession in Fiji,'' said Mr Taberanibou.
"We see this workshop as the first step towards raising the standard of interpreting in the country.''
The Ausaid and NZaid-funded workshop includes two sign specialists from Australia, who will teach the 40 participants attending from all around the country.
Della Goswell and Jemina Napier, who are both level 3 trained interpreters, are expected to bring a wealth of experience to locals keen on bettering their skill level in the profession.