ABSTRACT
The study highlights trends in sign language interpreting development in the East African Community (EAC) by assessing opportunities, challenges, and suggesting recommendations. The EAC is composed of six countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Sudan. The study is qualitative and the snowball technique was used to contact and get responses from Deaf people and sign language interpreters. The 40 participants involved include 9 Deaf consumers and 31 sign language interpreters.
Findings reveal that only Uganda has a formal academic training programme in sign language interpreting in the region, with Kenya and Tanzania conducting formal short courses while Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan have none. Challenges faced by sign language interpreters in the EAC include unemployment, non-recognition in governments’ public structures, little or no payment after work, it not being seen as a profession, consumers’ unawareness, unskilled sign language interpreters, the absence of sign languge interpreting associations, and limited materials for references.
Our recommendations are that there should be collaboration empowering EAC countries to aim for professionalism and the delivery of interpreting services to satisfy Deaf consumers. Further research and documentation of terms for exceptional settings to ease interpretation is required, as is the establishment of bodies for assessment, testing, and accreditation of interpreters’ competencies, and establishing a national policy on sign language interpreting and service provision.
