scholarly journals Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak on the Performance of Sign Language Interpreters

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1077-1085
Author(s):  
Saeb Kamel Ellala ◽  
Ibrahim Hammad ◽  
Mohamed Abushaira

In general, stress affects the efficiency of workers’ performance. With the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic outbreak, sign language interpreters experience increased stress due to various factors. This study aims to determine the stressors faced by sign language interpreters during the pandemic. To achieve this goal, we prepared a questionnaire consisting of 15 paragraphs covering psychological, health, cognitive, linguistic and environmental aspects. Then, we surveyed 57 sign language interpreters in the Arab region. In the analysis, we calculated the average performance levels in addition to the differences between participants’ average scores. We also divided the stress levels into three categories: simple, moderate and severe. Results indicated that the stress was medium on average and no statistically significant differences in the performance average in accordance with the study variables (gender, experience and workplace).

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Esperança ◽  
Ana Telma Pereira ◽  
António Macedo

Abstract Background The patient-centeredness (PC) is particularly challenging for the deaf population, mainly due to communication barriers. We compared the perception of PC, regarding the last medical appointment, satisfaction with the consult, adherence and health perception among a group of deaf adults and a group of adults from the general population; and analyzed the relation between these variables in adult's deaf group. Methods Adults from the general population (n = 1335) and deaf adults (n = 36) from different national associations completed the validated Portuguese version of a self-reported questionnaire (PPCD-16) and answered questions on satisfaction, adherence and health perception. The deaf group subsample watched a video with the translation of the questionnaire to Portuguese Sign Language. Results The two subsamples didn’t differ significantly in the PPCD-16 total and dimensional scores; only in 5 items, related to the perception of the consult motive and to the doctor’s concern for the patient, did the deaf group subsample show significantly lower scores. The same was verified for the satisfaction, adherence, and physical and psychological health perceptions. The PPCD-16 total and dimensional scores presented a significant, positive and moderate- high correlation with satisfaction and adherence. Total PPCD-16 and the dimensional score of Empathy were significant predictors of satisfaction and adherence. Conclusions There wereńt significant differences between the two groups in the PPCD-16 scores, but deaf participants consider that ‘many times’, they cańt understand and be understood by the physician. These factors may contribute to their lower satisfaction and adherence. More studies will be necessary to show the relevance of Portuguese Sign Language interpreters.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A255-A256
Author(s):  
Veronica Hire ◽  
Casey Thurmon ◽  
Hope Snyder ◽  
Ryan Harra ◽  
Jamie Walker ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Sleep modulates a number of psychological and cognitive processes, such as emotion regulation, executive control, and coping with stress. It is therefore not surprising that insufficient sleep quality or quantity are associated with greater self-reported stress levels. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a particularly stressful and unprecedented time in history. While stress has been undoubtedly high during the past year, it’s less clear to what extent sleep has affected people’s perceived stress on a daily basis. The aim of this research was to estimate whether daily variations in sleep quality and duration were associated with general stress and/or stress related to COVID-19. Methods The study used a nationally representative sample to assess daily variations in sleep and stress for a period of two weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Morning assessments were conducted using online sleep diaries. These diaries were used to estimate sleep duration (in minutes) and sleep quality (subjective rating on a 5-point Likert scale). Evening assessments were also completed online and prompted participants to rate (0 to 100) their current “general” stress level, as well as their current anxiety in relation to COVID-19. Separate mixed effects models were conducted with days (Level 1) nested within participants (Level 2). Stress variables were lagged by a day to estimate the association between sleep (AM assessment) and stress (PM assessment). TST and SQ were entered as fixed effects and intercepts were allowed to vary randomly. Results 4,048 participants (Mage = 46.3 years; 78% women) were included as part of the analyses. The results supported that lower self-reported sleep quality predicted greater general stress levels (b = -1.43, p < 0.001). Lower self-reported sleep quality also predicted greater COVID-19 related anxiety (b = -0.543, p < 0.001). In contrast, sleep duration was not significantly related to general stress or COVID-19 anxiety after controlling for sleep quality. Conclusion The present data supports that daily variations in sleep quality are related to a person’s overall stress levels and COVID-19 anxiety. These findings may have implications for the role of good sleep in mitigating the increases in stress that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Support (if any) Vargas: K23HL141581


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (26) ◽  
pp. 201-218
Author(s):  
Lucken Bueno Lucas ◽  
Renan Guilherme Pimentel ◽  
Simone Luccas

The process of school inclusion for people with disabilities is a recent development, especially for the deaf individuals, so the study of how this inclusion process occurs and the teaching of Sciences/Biology for these individuals is still incipient. The objective of this work was to investigate how science/biology teaching takes place for deaf students in the city of Cornélio Procópio-PR and what difficulties are encountered by the students, teachers, and sign language interpreters in the scenario of school inclusion. To reach this goal, we interviewed teachers and interpreters who work in elementary and middle schools of the public network that attend deaf students in Cornélio Procópio. The results of the interviews demonstrated that all those involved in this process face difficulties, the interpreters indicate language as an obstacle to the interpretation of Sciences and Biology classes, since Brazilian Sign Language presents a deficit of lexicons in relation to the Portuguese Language. On the other hand, the main difficulty for the teachers is the lack of preparation to work in classes which include deaf people, jeopardizing not only their interaction with the students, but also the teaching of Sciences and Biology. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jemina Napier ◽  
Rosemary Oram ◽  
Alys Young ◽  
Robert Skinner

Abstract Deaf people’s lives are predicated to some extent on working with sign language interpreters. The self is translated on a regular basis and is a long-term state of being. Identity becomes known and performed through the translated self in many interactions, especially at work. (Hearing) others’ experience of deaf people, largely formed indirectly through the use of sign language interpreters, is rarely understood as intercultural or from a sociocultural linguistic perspective. This study positions itself at the cross-roads of translation studies, sociolinguistics and deaf studies, to specifically discuss findings from a scoping study that sought, for the first time, to explore whether the experience of being ‘known’ through translation is a pertinent issue for deaf signers. Through interviews with three deaf signers, we examine how they draw upon their linguistic repertoires and adopt bimodal translanguaging strategies in their work to assert or maintain their professional identity, including bypassing their representation through interpreters. This group we refer to as ‘Deaf Contextual Speakers’ (DCS). The DCS revealed the tensions they experienced as deaf signers in reinforcing, contravening or perpetuating language ideologies, with respect to assumptions that hearing people make about them as deaf people, their language use in differing contexts; the status of sign language; as well as the perceptions of other deaf signers about their translanguaging choices. This preliminary discussion of DCS’ engagement with translation, translanguaging and professional identity(ies) will contribute to theoretical discussions of translanguaging through the examination of how this group of deaf people draw upon their multilingual and multimodal repertoires, contingent and situational influences on these choices, and extend our understanding of the relationship between language use, power, identity, translation and representation.


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