Most sign language interpreting service offered by me is between a sign language and a spoken language to facilitate the communication between a Deaf signer and a hearing (i.e., non-deaf) person. Put it this way - my presence provides instant access to information signed/spoken by the other party to you. Given my training in interpreting and linguistics, I hope my service will ensure the communication needs and information access of both parties.
On the other hand, there are trained Deaf interpreters who often provide service of (i) interpreting between two sign languages, (ii) mediating language variants intralingually, etc. Deaf signers, who are more competent in their language in full range, could cover certain assignments which require certain specialties.
In Hong Kong, teaming in sign language interpretation service is not common. Noted that a team interpreter would be able to monitor and ensure quality of output. It would also allow team interpreters to rotate their roles during long assignments to avoid fatigue and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Team support would be more than valuable to our psychological health in case of stressful and traumatic situations. (Right, we sometimes face traumas and/or vicarious trauma during interpreting!)
If it is the very first time you hire an interpreter, feel free to ask questions any time so that everybody can feel more comfortable in the process of reaching the goals together.
本人服務的範圍大多數是手語和口語之間的傳譯，以方便使用手語的聾人和使用口語的健聽人（即非聾人）之間的交流。即是說，我在現場為雙方即時傳遞來自手語或口語的信息。建基於我過往在傳譯和語言學方面的培訓，我極希望我所提供的傳譯服務能夠確保雙方的溝通順暢，在過程中獲取所需信息，以達至雙方所想要達到的目標。
另一方面，我們的專業還有一群已受培訓的聾人譯者，在兩種手語或同一手語的多種變體裡提供傳譯服務。聾譯者的高手語能力足以涵蓋不同的受眾所需，覆蓋某些需要特定專業的傳譯工作。
在香港這城市裡，團隊手語傳譯服務並不常見。值得關注的是團隊傳譯將能夠即時監控並確保翻譯質素。兩位（或以上）的譯者更可以讓譯者在長時間工作中透過角色工作分配轉換，以避免疲勞帶來的質素下降，甚至能減低患上腕管綜合症的機會。在受高壓力和可能造成創傷經驗的情況下，團隊譯者更能互相支持，促進譯者的心理健康。（你沒有看錯，我們的工作有時會帶來心理創傷和/或替代性心理創傷。）
如果這是您第一次聘用手語譯者，歡迎您隨時提問，好讓在場的所有人都能在安逸自在的過程中，暢達溝通，達到目標。
Deafness is sometimes known as an invisible disability. We might come across deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals without noticing their hearing status. Depending on the degree of residual hearing levels, equipment (including hearing aids, FM system, cochlear implants) might help to amplify sounds so that a deaf/hard-of-hearing individual might be able to hear. However, our technology is not that advance. Amplified sounds might be heard but understanding speech is a different thing.
Sign language is one of the communication means used by Deaf/deaf/hard-of-hearing people. It is a fully accessible language to most deaf individuals because of its visual-gestural modality. There are different sign languages in the world. (Do we have a universal spoken language on earth?) Since 1960's, different scientific studies have shown that sign language is a natural language, like English, Cantonese, Spanish, Japanese, etc. Bilingual studies have shown that a deaf baby exposed to a sign language and a spoken language would develop both languages simultaneously. Learning a sign language does no harm to any deaf infants (or adults).
When we are working with individuals who embrace sign language and their Deaf identity, many of them come from their own Deaf Community. Being Deaf, from the cultural point of view, is a pride. Deaf people forms a different linguistic minority, who embrace their own language, culture, living style, and potentials brought by their vision. Exploring "Deaf" is a process - Deafhood - indeed.
「耳聾」很多時都是一個不被察覺到的受障類別。我們日常可能跟聾人或半聾人擦身而過卻未察覺。視乎這位朋友的剩餘聽力到底有多少，一些器材（包括助聽器、調頻系統、人工耳窩等）或許可以放大聲音的分貝，讓聾人或半聾人能聽到聲音。不過，我們的科技並不真的是那麼發達。放大了的聲音可以被聽到，但是否能明白健聽人在說的口語是甚麼則是另一回事。
「手語」是聾人或半聾人所採用的其中一種溝通方法。由於手語的視覺和動態特質，對於大部分的聾人朋友來說，它是一個完全能夠無障礙且能通達的語言。世界上有很多不同的手語。（試想想「世界上的口語語言只有一種嗎？」）自1960年代起，不少的科研已證明了手語是自然語言的一種，跟粵語、英語、西班牙語、日語等一樣，擁有同樣的語言地位。雙語研究更指出聾孩在嬰兒時期接觸到手語和口語，這類型的同步雙語發展對聾童語言發展有益。聾孩（或成人）學習手語並不會構成任何不良影響。
很多與我們一起擁抱手語的朋友，他們其實來自聾人社群，他／她們以自身的「聾人身份」為傲。從文化角度出發，「聾人社群」是一群以手語為日常語言的小眾，除此以外，他／她們更擁有自身的文化和生活方式。從他／她們的角度出發，更為我們的世界帶來另一種視野。「身為聾人」更加是個人成長中的一個自我發現的過程。
Conscience is not only about a person's moral sense of right and wrong. It is also your behavior and response, as well as action, towards brutality and oppression within our society.
Advocacy is the action taken to influence decisions within political, economic, social systems, and institutions. I stand by the side of oppressee; I voice my opinions against oppression. All in all, I advocate for human rights.
「良知」不單單是一個人分辨對與錯的道德價值觀，更是一個人在面對社會內的殘酷和壓迫而作出的行為、反應和行動。
在政治、經濟、社會系統和機構層面作出建議和以行動去改變有關決策的是「倡議」工作。我選擇站在雞蛋這一邊，我為對抗高牆而發聲，因為我捍衛的是人權。