Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Find out more at https://gupress.gallaudet.edu/internationalperspectives
"Sign Language Interpreter Education in China" | Chapter summary in Chinese Sign Language (CSL)
Chapter authors: Xiaoyan Xiao, Wei Lu, and Xiao Zhao
From “International Perspectives on Sign Language Translator and Interpreter Education”
Edited by Jemina Napier, Stacey Webb, and Robert Adam
Published by Gallaudet University Press
**This video may not be repurposed or incorporated into other works in any way without the express written consent of the signer and the chapter authors.**
Visual description: Wei Lu is signing in CSL. He is Chinese, has short hair, wears glasses, and has on a wristwatch. He is wearing a black long-sleeve sweatshirt, and the background is greyish.
Transcript:
Hello everyone. This abstract is a summary by Xiao, Lu, and Zhao on this topic. China has a huge population of 1.4 billion, and a deaf population of 20 million, ranking first in the world. Historically, being deaf has been viewed as a disability in China. The cultural recognition is still underdeveloped.
China's language services industry has enjoyed rapid growth, in languages like English, French, German, etc. However, sign language interpreting remains under the purview of the China Disabled Persons' Federation. In 2007, sign language interpreting was officially recognized as a profession. Yet development of a national registry system for SL interpreters has just begun and is proceeding slowly. The sign language interpreting market faces challenges, such as lack of full-time employment opportunities and low user satisfaction. The reason for such challenges can be attributed to insufficient training.
Despite being a huge country, China currently has only four SLI programs, mainly under the umbrella of Special Education. These programs face issues such as lack of standardized curriculum design, lack of qualified instructors, limited teaching resources, and insufficient employment opportunities for graduates.
Research on sign language interpreter education in China is also in its initial stage. Research teams, such as the Xiamen University team, have done work on publishing sign language interpreting textbooks, creating a teaching corpus for SLI, researching assessment of SLI, and creating a national certification test.
In 2023, China’s Accessibility Law was enacted. There has been notable progress in accessibility, in some cities, in areas such as news broadcasting, police and court services, and healthcare.
Looking ahead, we are confident that China has the potential to become one of the largest markets for sign language interpreting in the world.
Find out more at https://gupress.gallaudet.edu/internationalperspectives
"Sign Language Interpreter Education in China" | Chapter summary in Chinese Sign Language (CSL)
Chapter authors: Xiaoyan Xiao, Wei Lu, and Xiao Zhao
From “International Perspectives on Sign Language Translator and Interpreter Education”
Edited by Jemina Napier, Stacey Webb, and Robert Adam
Published by Gallaudet University Press
**This video may not be repurposed or incorporated into other works in any way without the express written consent of the signer and the chapter authors.**
Visual description: Wei Lu is signing in CSL. He is Chinese, has short hair, wears glasses, and has on a wristwatch. He is wearing a black long-sleeve sweatshirt, and the background is greyish.
Transcript:
Hello everyone. This abstract is a summary by Xiao, Lu, and Zhao on this topic. China has a huge population of 1.4 billion, and a deaf population of 20 million, ranking first in the world. Historically, being deaf has been viewed as a disability in China. The cultural recognition is still underdeveloped.
China's language services industry has enjoyed rapid growth, in languages like English, French, German, etc. However, sign language interpreting remains under the purview of the China Disabled Persons' Federation. In 2007, sign language interpreting was officially recognized as a profession. Yet development of a national registry system for SL interpreters has just begun and is proceeding slowly. The sign language interpreting market faces challenges, such as lack of full-time employment opportunities and low user satisfaction. The reason for such challenges can be attributed to insufficient training.
Despite being a huge country, China currently has only four SLI programs, mainly under the umbrella of Special Education. These programs face issues such as lack of standardized curriculum design, lack of qualified instructors, limited teaching resources, and insufficient employment opportunities for graduates.
Research on sign language interpreter education in China is also in its initial stage. Research teams, such as the Xiamen University team, have done work on publishing sign language interpreting textbooks, creating a teaching corpus for SLI, researching assessment of SLI, and creating a national certification test.
In 2023, China’s Accessibility Law was enacted. There has been notable progress in accessibility, in some cities, in areas such as news broadcasting, police and court services, and healthcare.
Looking ahead, we are confident that China has the potential to become one of the largest markets for sign language interpreting in the world.
