2019 has been inspiring so far. Of course, starting the calendar is arbitrary and technically irrelevant, but something about the Earth reaching the end of another revolution simply shines a dramatic light on things that they suddenly glimmer with great potential. It also helps that the Philippine Association of Interpreters and Deaf Empowerment starts its next batch of sign language classes this week.
The entire training will be held every Saturday from January to March from 9 in the morning to 12 noon. That's about 36 hours of classroom sessions, plus the additional "culmination activity" where students are expected to showcase their new knowledge of signing in a celebratory ceremony of sort. I signed up at around 9AM to find 5 other beginners already waiting for the class. Signing up for this cost me P4,300 which I think is a pretty good investment. What was interesting was that during the opening talks, the instructor Mr. Michael Potian enumerated options should we choose to follow sign language as a full-time career. From what I understood, a part-time interpreter can make P25,000/month on the average. Of course, the rates depend on the employers, which are usually big shot schools such as La Salle. It's also nice to note that people who know how to sign are more desirable candidates for a VISA.
So for the first our and a half, the components of signing are introduced, including things to be constantly mindful of such as consistency and orientation of the palm. During the last part of the training was where I got my first taste of signing: the alphabet and the numbers. Let me just express that learning the numbers in sign language is no more easier than learning it in Japanese, which got really complicated for me real fast after counting from 10. The trainer gave us one week to master these and I think I'm getting the hang of the alphabet. Hopefully muscle memory catches up with me soon as apparently speed of signing is an important aspect of a good interpreter.
I really look forward to interacting with actual deaf people for the first time. Of course, our basic knowledge will quite literally be elementary to them, but every one has to start somewhere.
[UPDATE]
Day 2 of learning sign language amps up the challenge, especially for someone as competitive as I am. Not only am I taking this class with professionals who already have experience interacting with the deaf-mute, but most (if not all) of them already have mastered fingerspelling in their youth. I don't think it's a petty matter, since the pace that the class is being taught effectively affects the learning of each student. Unfortunately, the instructor could not care less about that as according to him, he is there only to teach, it is up to us to practice the skill.
We had our first taste of song interpretation today with Martina McBride's My Valentine. Apparently, songs (and other forms of literary art) are not as easy as it seems to interpret as idioms and figures of speech tend to be lost to deaf people. Interpreters basically interpret the gist of a line in a song, somehow losing the artistic quality it is written with, as the price of understanding the actual message. I'm sure there is more to it than this. Maybe it's in the advanced classes, which I at this point I am inching my way very slowly.
So for the first batch of vocabs, we were given basic words. Now things got confusing for a second since for this class (Level 1) we are not actually being taught the grammar for FSL but rather Signing Exact English (SEE) or the word-for-word interpretation. Apparently, not all literate deaf persons can understand SEE but it is the first step in learning the language. With this in mind, we were also introduced to non-standard FSL words such as 'a', 'an', 'the', 'are', 'is', etc. just to "fill in the gaps" in SEE. In this aspect,, learning how to fingerspell is proving to be more and more useful.
[UPDATE]
Last Sunday, during our mandatory mass to watch a sign language interpreter, I got to not just meet the deaf people who are regulars at EDSA Shrine, but also got to hang out with them, a very humbling and amazing learning experience. Not only did it turned my perception of deaf individuals completely, I also got a glimpse of what it really is that our instructor Mr. Michael wants us to learn from the deaf, and it's something in the lines of "they're just like us", a fact that the hearing don't often consider, as much as I'd hate to admit.
In two weeks, we are also to finalize our "articles" for the evaluations, mainly (1) a 25-sentence long autobiography in SEE, (2) a 4-stanza poem with 4 lines each in SEE (3) a one-page short story in SEE and (5) a song to interpret in FSL. It's actually pretty exciting that I'm getting to know the personalities in the class, rather than knowing them by face and seat position. Some of them are really nice people who want to succeed and serve, just like I do. I'm having so much fun I'm quite considering doing interpreting work on the side.
[UPDATE] This week I didn't get to hang out with my new friends from the Catholic Laymen's Association of the Deaf (CLAD) but during mass I did get to spend some time with a couple of people from my class. It feels good that I am actually getting to know deeper into the lives of the people I am taking this journey with.
[UPDATE] Last week I learned that the Top 3 students from our FSL class will be performing their song interpretations on the culmination program on the 30th. This is a pretty big deal since it is a chance to showcase our efforts in front of other deaf people, interpreters, not to mention the prestige. I really feel like I need to up my game.
For my interpretation, I decided to go for Bob Dylan's signature hit Blowin' in the Wind after once again hearing Joan Baez's amazing rendition. A remnant from my stoner days. Surprisingly, our instructor was the only one who knew the song and I could tell he was pretty impressed with the choice because it really has a very deep message. That is why I feel like I need to interpret this really, really well: I want to convey the meaningful words of Dylan through my signing. The process, however is proving to be more difficult than expected. I often lose focus while in the middle of the song, for some reason. Maybe it's the pressure of wanting to deliver it as emotional as I can without looking like a clown that's throwing me off. I am losing my confidence, to be honest. Maybe I'm just setting myself up for failure again. Maybe I should've chosen a nursery rhyme or something.
[UPDATE] The final evaluations are coming closer and the "competition" is getting tougher. Everybody in the class is getting better with their chosen materials, making me realize how much practice is still needed in mine. One of us is interpreting Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, and I have to say it's a really good piece: aside from the hand signs, the interpreter get to move around because of the lyrics of the song singing about walking and moving around with feet. It's a really interesting piece, that compared to the mellow and deep piece that I'm going to do, I feel like I have to put something extra into my performance to make it more endearing.
[UPDATE] The results are out and I'm on the Top 3! Turned out the panel was impressed by my interpretation of Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind. I have to admit, I was ecstatic when I received the text message from the instructor telling me I will be presenting during the culmination ceremony. It felt so good to be honored for something you really put your heart into.
Aside from the Top 3 presenting their song, each class also presented a group performance. We did the recently released Kacey Musgraves song Rainbow, which had been on constant loop on my playlist for the past couple of weeks. I suggested the song to the class because it sends a beautiful message about staying strong amidst turmoil and emotional pain. Plus, I think it fits us perfectly because there were seven of us to represent to colors of the rainbow.
The semester is over and it's time to wear the proverbial goggles as I look back on all the early mornings and restless nights I sacrificed to learn what I have learned. I honestly I will be able to enjoy signing for the deaf this much, though there are still lots to learn. On to Level 2!
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