Meet these sign language interpreters from Chennai

When September 23 showed up as the International Day of Sign Languages with the International Week of the Deaf People in tow, The Hindu Downtown touched base with three interpreters who always have a packed schedule ahead of them

With their nimble fingers and animated expressions, they are unmissable even in a crowd of elected representatives. They are integral to government functions being telecast live into drawing rooms.

‘I learn from my students’

As a new faculty at St Louis College for the Deaf in Gandhi Nagar, B. Ambrose felt handicapped — even a wee bit ashamed — for not knowing the sign language. That was way back in 1994 when the college had only a handful of students and not knowing the Indian Sign Language was not a disqualification for employment. But Ambrose felt otherwise: he needed to learn the sign language. That Chennai did not have any institutions teaching it did not help.

“I took it as a challenge and started to learn the sign language by enrolling in different programmes. I was trying out what I learnt with my students and fine-tuning my skills. I am still learning from my students,” says Ambrose, head of department of commerce in the college, who upskills himself through the ISL app.

The 55-year-old faculty and sign language expert is a sought-after presence at events that seek to send out a message about inclusion. For close to 10 years, he has been on news channels’ list of experts, his stint with Puthiya Thalaimur as freelance interpreter for the 3 p.m. news being the longest.

“When the main sign language interpreter, Vijaya Baskaran, is not available I am called,” says Ambrose, adding that doing live news is always a challenge as the interpreter has to match with the anchor’s speed. Government functions are a regular occurrence on his calendar.

‘Helping at police stations’