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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/20/content_3515605.htm
Before China can begin promoting the use of International Sign Language, it has to teach deaf people and their friends to use the country's standard sign language instead of the numerous regional dialects used around the country.
Although many deaf people realize the importance of learning International Sign Language to communicate with the deaf from other countries, they first have to learn China's national sign language, local officials said yesterday at the 17th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the World Federation of the Deaf.
"We can only teach ISL through our national standardized sign language," said Gao Qingzhu, principal of Shanghai Oriental International Sign Language School.
China's sign language and the international system use the same signs for about 50 percent of words.
It is impossible to design courses and compile textbooks for deaf people from all over China who have only mastered local sign languages.
The national sign language has been promoted for more than a decade, but most local deaf people still only understand the local dialect.
This creates problems for non-deaf people who have learned the national sign language to communicate with the deaf.
"It's just like most Shanghainese tend to speak Shanghaihua between themselves," Hong Ze of the Shanghai Association of the Deaf said through a sign language translator.
Even those who learned the national sign language in schools for the deaf, tend to forget what they learned, as they have to use the "dialect" to communicate with most other deaf people, who haven't mastered standardized sign language, Hong added.
He said only about 5 percent of the deaf people in Shanghai have mastered the national sign language."As far as I know, no school around the country offers 'dialect' sign language classes for non-deaf people," said Dong Huifang from the Disabled People's Federation in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province.
When deaf people have trouble communicating with doctors, bank clerks or other professionals, volunteers who have studied sign language are often unable to help them because they don't understand the regional dialect. "The national standardized sign language was designed from the perspective of ordinary people, not from the deaf," said Hong.
More than 120 delegates from 16 countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific Region are attending the WFD conference in Shanghai, which will close on Friday
Before China can begin promoting the use of International Sign Language, it has to teach deaf people and their friends to use the country's standard sign language instead of the numerous regional dialects used around the country.
Although many deaf people realize the importance of learning International Sign Language to communicate with the deaf from other countries, they first have to learn China's national sign language, local officials said yesterday at the 17th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the World Federation of the Deaf.
"We can only teach ISL through our national standardized sign language," said Gao Qingzhu, principal of Shanghai Oriental International Sign Language School.
China's sign language and the international system use the same signs for about 50 percent of words.
It is impossible to design courses and compile textbooks for deaf people from all over China who have only mastered local sign languages.
The national sign language has been promoted for more than a decade, but most local deaf people still only understand the local dialect.
This creates problems for non-deaf people who have learned the national sign language to communicate with the deaf.
"It's just like most Shanghainese tend to speak Shanghaihua between themselves," Hong Ze of the Shanghai Association of the Deaf said through a sign language translator.
Even those who learned the national sign language in schools for the deaf, tend to forget what they learned, as they have to use the "dialect" to communicate with most other deaf people, who haven't mastered standardized sign language, Hong added.
He said only about 5 percent of the deaf people in Shanghai have mastered the national sign language."As far as I know, no school around the country offers 'dialect' sign language classes for non-deaf people," said Dong Huifang from the Disabled People's Federation in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province.
When deaf people have trouble communicating with doctors, bank clerks or other professionals, volunteers who have studied sign language are often unable to help them because they don't understand the regional dialect. "The national standardized sign language was designed from the perspective of ordinary people, not from the deaf," said Hong.
More than 120 delegates from 16 countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific Region are attending the WFD conference in Shanghai, which will close on Friday