After nearly two years of studying Filipino Sign Language (FSL) and American Sign Language (ASL), I finally finished the five-level course at the Philippine Association of Interpreters for Deaf Empowerment (PAIDE). Of course, my signing definitely has a lot of room for improvement even at this point, but compared to how I started (I didn't even know the alphabet), it was a learning experience from start to finish. I got to meet a number of important figures in the small community of interpreters in the country, but more importantly, I got a taste of communicating with a deaf person in their own terms. There's still a lot to be done to be able to uphold the honor that the certificate has given, but the opportunities are endless and the road to bridging the gap between the hearing and the deaf is just starting for me.
As practicum
Interpreting is not a full time job for me, so I fear it is likely that I lose the skills I have worked so hard to achieve the past two years, so practicing is key. I have no deaf friends whom I always communicate with to keep me on my toes, but at least I have been given a head start into exploring and connecting more within the deaf community's exclusive circle.
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