The Sign Language Interpreter Trust (SLIT), based in Bulawayo, is training 20 people in sign language interpretation so that they may provide interpretation services in various sectors of business and social life.
Sign language is a tool for self-expression, communication, and connection that goes beyond simply conveying information to act as a bridge connecting individuals to their community, history, and sense of belonging.
On Wednesday, SLIT hosted an inception workshop to introduce the transformative project ‘Amplifying Deaf Performances through Trained Sign Language Interpreters (ADP-TI),’which aims to bridge the gap between deaf people and the world of theatre through skilled sign language interpretation.
“We are grateful to Culture Fund Trust Zimbabwe who with support from the European Union delegation in Zimbabwe sponsored us,” said SLIT Director, Mbiko Nxumalo, who said the funding will be used to train 20 Sign language interpreters.
These 20 sign language interpreters will be awarded certificates after nine months of training.
Nxumalo stated that the trained interpreters will be taken to courts, hospitals and police stations to do legal interpreting.
Some of the interpreters will also be taken to weddings to do the social interpreting.
“We are training 20 qualified sign language interpreters specialising in theatre, but the training will cover all the aspects of interpreting medical, legal, educational and social interpreting,” said the director of SLIT.
However, Nxumalo stressed that the organisation will specialise in theatre interpreting which encompasses all the aspects of interpreting.
SLIT is also in the process of selecting people who are fluent in Sign language and also speak local hearing languages, which include Ndebele, Shona and English.
“We put out a call for applications and people are sending in their applications and they will be called in for an interview that will be done by Deaf people,” Nxumalo said.
The director said at the end of the programme, the 20 trained interpreters will be attached at SLIT and can be used in any assignment.
