A Bridge Made of Hands

1Lin Ya-wen, 27, works as a Taiwan Sign Language interpreter in Taichung, helping deaf people communicate at hospitals, in courtrooms, and at job interviews. We asked her about a job that most people only notice in the corner of a TV screen during news conferences.

2Q: How did you become interested in sign language?

3A: The girl next door, who was my age, was deaf. At first we communicated by pointing and drawing, but her mother taught me a few signs, and soon we were chatting for hours. I didn't realize then that I was learning a real language with its own grammar. I just thought we had a secret code.

4Q: Many people assume sign language is the same everywhere. Is that true?

5A: Not at all. That's probably the most common misunderstanding. Taiwan Sign Language is quite different from American Sign Language, for example. Even within Taiwan, older and younger signers sometimes use different signs for the same idea, just as spoken languages change over time.

6Q: What is the hardest part of your job?

7A: Staying neutral. In a hospital, a doctor might deliver bad news, and I have to pass on every word accurately, even when I feel sad for the patient. My role is to be a bridge, not to decide what someone should hear. The work is also physically tiring. For long meetings, interpreters usually work in pairs and switch every twenty minutes or so, because our concentration drops quickly.

8Q: What would you like hearing people to understand?

9A: That deaf people don't need to be "helped" so much as they need access. When information is available in sign language, deaf people can make their own decisions like anyone else. I'd also love to see more hearing people learn a few basic signs. Even "hello" and "thank you" can make someone feel welcome.