Guide from the world of silence
Sign language interpreter Svetlana Goncharenko from Mogilev helps to hear those who are silent
We press the fist first to the chin, then to the forehead. In the language of the deaf, this is "thank you." We open our palms folded like a boat - we say "book". Learning words in sign language is like a game for me, and for several thousand Belarusians it is a vital necessity. In Mogilev, sign language interpreter Svetlana Goncharenko from the Center for Social Services for the Population of the Leninsky District helps deaf fellow countrymen communicate with others. We talked with her about the features of the sign language and the nuances of unusual work.
“I didn’t choose a profession, but she chose me”
Svetlana, who does not have hearing problems, learned to speak on her fingers before talking:
- I was born into a deaf family. There were many of these among the neighbors. To communicate with them, I had to master manual speech. I did not choose the profession of a sign language interpreter, rather, she chose me. She trained as a seamstress, worked in her specialty. But relatives kept saying: you have good sign language, you get along well with people, so help those who need it. At 43, I decided to try. I've been trying for ten years now.
Goncharenko, who has thoroughly mastered the intricacies of sign language translation, assures that the sign language is quite complicated:
- Something similar to any foreign language: you need to constantly communicate with native speakers so as not to forget. Again, new words appear in everyday life, which means new gestures. There are also dialects: one word in different areas can be shown in its own way. "Police" among Mogilev residents - two fingers on top of the hand, among Gomel residents - thumb and forefinger connected in a circle, raised to the head.
Curiously, in sign language, sometimes a whole sentence can be expressed in one movement. And some words on the fingers are impossible to explain. It is not easy in court: there are many untranslatable terms, and if the lawyer speaks quickly, you have to interrupt the process and explain. A deaf person does not have time to catch the meaning of what was said. The situation was exacerbated by the pandemic. People who cannot hear can read lips. And how to read if the mouth is covered with a mask?
Irreplaceable
There are many nuances in the work of a sign language interpreter. Among the deaf, as well as among the hearing, there are sociable and reserved. To be able to talk to a person, you have to be a psychologist. And also - sociable, stress-resistant, have a quick reaction: simultaneous translation is difficult.
For Goncharenko's wards, he is not just a guide from the world of silence to the world of sounds, but also an assistant in various everyday issues. On the day of our meeting, she took a woman from Mogilev to the doctor, who, at the age of three, after suffering an illness, lost the ability to pick up sounds. Elena Vodicheva had to undergo an examination at the diagnostic center. She says that without Svetlana Nikolaevna she would not have coped.
While the sign language interpreter was waiting for her at the office, another compatriot called.
“We urgently need to go to the Investigative Committee. It looks like she fell for the bait of scammers, lost two thousand rubles, - after hanging up, explains Goncharenko.
With the wards, of which she has more than a hundred, she goes to the executive committees, banks, often to the registry office: to apply for marriage registration, to issue a birth certificate for a child. For the sake of them, he sacrifices his personal time, because he worries about everyone:
- It is a problem for the deaf even to agree on repairs with the masters. We will call several specialists, clarify prices, terms and so on. I take care of these things.
There are four sign language interpreters for the whole of Mogilev, which is catastrophically few. Goncharenko has applications for a month in advance. The load is big. But if you need urgent help, he works online - via Skype, video call.
With us, Tatyana Makushkina got in touch with her. She asked ... to bandage her jacket. The ladies have been communicating for ten years now, they have become very close.
- I took her to the bank, for a loan, when Tatyana was building an apartment. To the maternity hospital - when she gave birth to a son. In the executive committee - for family capital ... And we will bandage a blouse, knitting is my hobby, - the sign language interpreter explains with a smile.
Last year, Svetlana Nikolaevna led three pregnant women: she traveled with them to doctors and hospitals when one of them had a pathology. Once I was standing near the operating room, when a deaf countryman was removed a cancerous tumor.
More than half of the appeals to Svetlana Goncharenko concern the healthcare sector. Therefore, she was delighted when, several years ago, the social service “Deaf Video Assistance” was introduced in one of the clinics in Mogilev. Convenient, saves time. During the appointment, the doctor contacts the sign language interpreter using a webcam, and the deaf patient explains with gestures what worries him, whether he has a temperature, what medications he took.
People with hearing impairments come to the Center for Social Services for the Population of the Leninsky District not only for help, therapy, but also for the sake of communication. Excursions, films with subtitles are organized for them. They do everything so that these people do not fall out of life due to health problems.
COMPETENT
Tatyana Sheiman , Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Society of the Deaf:
- In Belarus, there are about a hundred sign language interpreters for more than ten thousand deaf people. Very little. We hope the situation will change: in 2022, for the first time in the country, the concept of “Belarusian Sign Language” was enshrined at the legislative level. The innovation was reflected in the Law “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Their Social Integration”, which stipulates that the state supports the preservation and development of sign language, provides training for sign language interpreters, retrains teachers working with people with hearing impairments, improves their qualifications, and also promotes learning the basics sign language of specialists in the fields of social protection, healthcare, education, culture, sports and tourism, law enforcement and others.
