Conference

Abstract for “Regional Sign Languages: Comparison of Legal Frame to Improve their Presence in the Spanish Justice System”

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Àngela Callado, University Jaume I

Since October 23, 2007, the Spanish sign languages of the Spanish State have been recognized through the Act 27/2007. However, according to the Spanish National Confederation of Deaf People, only the Spanish and Catalan sign languages currently coexist in the Spanish State The reality is that there are more than 10 dialectal varieties of the Spanish sign language – all of them enclosed in one single Act. Besides this reigning confusion, there is also a legal loophole in the Act 27/2007 which sets aside the responsibility of regulating and recognizing the rest of the sign languages of the State. Normally, they are limited to the territories of each region. The only place in which the regional sign language has achieved official status is Catalonia, where an Act has been established in order to recognize the Catalan sign language (Act 17/2010, June 3rd). This Act is explicitly recognized in the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia and has its own regulatory autonomy in the territorial scope. Since the Catalan sign language has its own regulations, it is strongly considered to be an independent language (and not a dialect). What we aim to analyse in this project is whether the regional legislation has given both languages official status in the entire Spanish territory, and whether the users of sign language have the duty of learning both and the right to use them in any administrative situation. We compare the Spanish regulation to the regulation of other countries with a similar multilingual situation. Our objective is to determine the existing gaps in the proposal submitted by the Spanish State to guarantee the rights of the deaf people of the State.

References

Ley 27/2007, de 23 de octubre, por la que se reconocen las lenguas de signos españolas y se regulan los medios de apoyo a la comunicación oral de las personas sordas, con discapacidad auditiva y sordociegas [Act 27/2007, October 23rd, on the recognition of the different Spanish sign languages and the regulation of the communication with deaf and hard of hearing people], Spanish official gazette no. 255, published October 24, 2007, pp. 43251 to 43259

Llei 17/2010, del 3 de juny, de la llengua de signes catalana [Act 17/2010, June 3rd, on the Catalan sign language], Catalan official gazette no. 729/VIII, published June 2, 2010

 

Conference

Abstract for “Minorized Humanity: Human Contact as a Translation Competence”

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Luisa Rodríguez Muñoz, University of Córdoba

Sworn translation is one of the written translation modalities that bring together professionals and direct clients sharing social spaces. Partly because of the need to exchange not only electronic files but also original documents, sworn translators still receive their clients personally at their offices. This situation may be both an opportunity and a threat depending on the interpersonal competence the translator has developed during his formal and informal training. Furthermore, the sworn translator and interpreter is a key element in migratory processes as they certificate the authenticity of translations of documents from the migrants’ legal systems. In this situation, the professional faces a striking power imbalance which requires mediation and challenges the neutrality usually linked to professionalism. Their social role demands sworn translators and interpreters to assume their responsibility as a public service. Depending on their point of view, this responsibility can allow them to build on their experience and knowledge in an interactive way. In so doing, they can also gain insights into the context of their projects, advance their profession in society, retain costumers, diversify their products and establish no official networks based on their expert knowledge. Thus, they can highlight their discursive and cultural expertise, facing the harshness of migratory bureaucracy. In this contribution, the traditional professionalism model of sworn translation is questioned and a new dialogue is opened with an interventionism legitimized by a defined role from a not-so-new ethical view.

 

 

 

Conference

Abstract for “Sign Language as a Minoritized Language in the Justice System and the Public Administration: A Proposal to Improve the Spanish System Based on the Austrian Law”

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Carolina Seguí, University Jaume I

The Spanish population has around 120,000 users of the different sign languages existing in the state. None of them has been recognized as an official language and the normalization of its use and its standardization in both administration and society is still a work in progres. Our system is regulated by the Act 27/2007 (passed on October 23rd, 2007), which recognizes the different Spanish sign languages ??and regulates how communication with deaf and hard of hearing people must be facilitated by the justice system. The consideration of sign languages as second-rate languages often makes deaf people vulnerable in front of the administration and the justice system. When considering education, the same reality applies. This poster examines legislative models where the national sign language has achieved official status. Focusing specifically on the analysis of the Austrian legislation, we will identify areas where modifications are crucial to improve the situation of deaf citizens in the Spanish legal system. Our proposal is built on contemporary postmonolingualism, as it tries to bring together the plurality of identities, specially languages and cultures, that coexist in the same territory. As of now no proposal has been developed to include sign language in the postmonolingual landscape. This contribution aims to fill in this gap and raise awareness as to the minorized condition of sign language users.

References

Ley 27/2007, de 23 de octubre, por la que se reconocen las lenguas de signos españolas y se regulan los medios de apoyo a la comunicación oral de las personas sordas, con discapacidad auditiva y sordociegas [Act 27/2007, October 23rd, recognizing the different Spanish sign languages and regulating how communication with deaf and hard of hearing people must be], Spanish official gazette no. 255, published October 24, 2007, pp. 43251 to 43259