Holidays of Ukraine - Day of Sign Language Interpreter

Representatives of many professions are marked with a special day on the calendar to celebrate their successes in the work field. One of the most unusual and rare occupations is a specialist in the field of sign language interpretation, a sign language interpreter or a fingerprint interpreter. All these complex definitions characterize the work activities of people who, in their daily work, help the hard of hearing and deaf to perceive the world around them, express their thoughts using gestures, conduct a dialogue, understand phrases addressed to them and communicate freely in society. Thanks to their knowledge and well-honed skills, sign language interpreters are transforming the way of communication, replacing words with a set of gestures. This is a very responsible and difficult job. Scientists have recognized the profession of a translator-dactylologist as one of the most difficult and dangerous for health, because you have to be under tiring physical stress. In order for speech for the deaf to be coherent and clear, a specialist must reproduce active gestures, conveying certain concepts. This is the continuous work of muscles that are constantly in good shape. In addition, with constant concentration of attention, facial expressions are also involved, as an integral part of sign language, which leads to various diseases and disorders. To celebrate the services of sign language interpreters to society, on May 25, 2009, at a plenum of the central administration of the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf, a professional holiday was officially approved. Representatives from the European Commonwealth and the World Association of Dactylologist Translators enthusiastically greeted the desire of Ukrainian society to celebrate such an important and difficult profession. Since then, the holiday of the translator-dactylologist has been celebrated annually on May 20. The new holiday is largely social and educational in nature. It is important to awaken public interest in the everyday problems of people with hearing loss and to draw attention to their special needs. This is the key to success on the path to ensuring normal living conditions, communication and self-expression of each individual citizen. Statistics say that out of 1.5 million people who have problems with the auditory system, 150 thousand cannot do without the help of a qualified interpreter. However, there is a catastrophic shortage of representatives of the profession. The reason is the lack of prospects in training and low wages. According to statistics, there are slightly more than three hundred professional sign language interpreters in Ukraine. These people make a great contribution to social projects for the deaf and hard of hearing, helping people with special needs adapt to modern life. The modest history of celebrating Sign Language Interpreter Day nevertheless contributed to the formation of individual traditions. As a rule, the holiday includes mass celebrations and various events that are designed to recognize the best specialists and professionals in their field. Since 2009, festive ceremonies have been held every year. In 2011, the All-Ukrainian Conference of Sign Language Interpreters was held. It was attended by eminent representatives of the profession from Europe and around the world. The participants outlined prospects for the development of social programs for people with hearing diseases, and the best translators and dactylologists were awarded.