Sign language enables participation in Germany
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Marcel Zamojski and a team of interpreters translate the 8 PM news program, tagesschau, into German Sign Language for the Phoenix television channel in Cologne, Germany.
Zamojski prepares by learning the broad topics of the broadcast but doesn’t receive the text in advance, requiring him to interpret live as speakers present information.
He relies on various reference materials, as there is no single dictionary for German Sign Language, and collaborates with colleagues to ensure consistent signs for current events and people, like football coach Jürgen Klopp. German Sign Language follows a different grammatical structure than spoken German, placing verbs at the end of sentences, which affects the timing of interpretation.
The number of people using German Sign Language isn’t precisely known, but the German Deaf Association estimates around 80,000 deaf people and another 140,000 severely hearing-impaired people in the country rely on sign language interpreters. In Essen, the “TonZeichen” (Sound Sign) choir also promotes inclusion by simultaneously singing and signing songs. Christiane Terveen, a singer who is hard of hearing, joined the choir because opportunities for people with hearing impairments are limited.
Martina Meurer, chair of the Evangelical Deaf Association in Essen, attended an inclusive church service featuring the choir, highlighting the importance of community for deaf people. Terveen believes greater access to events in sign language could reduce social isolation, as it’s easier to cope with loneliness at home than to feel excluded in a group.
