A feeling of jubilation spread throughout Indian households when Bumrah's dismissal proved to be a turning point in the match, favoring his team. How did the Indian deaf community perceive the feeling of joy when Bumrah fired Rizwan?
Located in the lower right corner of television and digital screens in India, a sign language interpreter quickly communicated happiness over the in-game dismissal through her animated expressions and precise hand gestures.
The inclusion of sign language interpretation in Star Sports 3 and Disney+ Hotstar's Hindi commentary for Indian matches is the result of a partnership established beginning with IPL 2024 between the broadcasters and India Signing Hands, an organization with headquarters in Mumbai dedicated to addressing accessibility challenges for the deaf community in India. "It was a very close match, as if everyone thought India was going to lose. Then, at the last moment, the situation in the match changed. It came back so strong that everyone was hooked on the screen. Even the deaf people really enjoyed the translation into sign language because those strong emotions and the strong words that the commentators used made it a very exciting match," he says. Mansi Shah, sign language interpreter, in a telephone conversation with IANS.
According to estimates provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023, India will be home to a deaf community of approximately 63 million people. Therefore, it makes sign language interpretation crucial for effective communication and understanding between deaf people and people with normal hearing.
Mansi confidently recognizes sign language as his native language without hesitation. Mansi, a certified interpreter, communicates naturally through sign language because she was raised by deaf parents. She states how sign language interpretation is providing a sense of belonging to deaf cricket spectators in India. "For something like this to happen is really very monumental because this is being done for the first time in the world and in India, We know how big cricket is. Also, deaf people have always loved cricket and like any other fan, they are crazy about it.
"So for them to see that 'oh, I'm going to have sign language to watch at the game.' That feeling of just sitting and watching the game along with their hearing counterparts, and being included in the game, has been incredible." she adds.
Mansi remembers how deaf people had limited experience watching cricket matches without sign language. "They could only see the score, the wickets and whatever graph was on the screen. But now, with the ISL interpretation, they can learn so many facts shared by the commentators, like there are so many jokes that are told during the match." you can really feel that vibe, like when you hear the comment, you feel a certain way, right? That comment played by the on-screen interpreter has really changed the entire game of accessibility for watching cricket in India. , because deaf people can now see and understand what is happening in a game. "It's become a lot more accessible to them and they feel more inclusive now."
To prepare for the Men's T20 World Cup, Mansi and other sign language interpreters such as Priya Sundaram, Shivoy Sharma, Kinjal Shah and Namra Shah, teamed up with sign language experts to design signs for cricket-related terminology and establish signaling representations for certain cricketers. .
To increase accuracy, several deaf cricketers joined the team and provided valuable feedback on sign language interpretation for the tournament. Performers use hand gestures to show the direction of a shot, the trajectory of a throw, and the extras awarded. If a ball or shot is a real pleasure in a desperate situation, it is conveyed through the perfect sign, where the Thumb and index finger are in a circle, with the other fingers straight or relaxed away from the palm. "Just like Hindi, Marathi or English, each language has its own grammar, which encapsulates emotions. So when you want to express yourself, you use the grammar and words of the language to express yourself.
"Similarly, in sign language, if you want to express your emotions or you want to express something, you do it through grammar, which is a facial expression, or through body movement and the shape of your hands. All of this is the grammar of the sign language through which the interpreter can express himself.
"In a game, it's a very exciting moment when the capture is made, and you can see that expression on the interpreter's face as well. That's how deaf people can connect with what's being said, because facial expressions have a great importance for deaf hearing people."Hearing people can hear and listen, but deaf people cannot hear. That is why they consume through their visual sense, which is sight. For them, everything depends on their eyes, that's why sign language is called visual language," explains Mansi.
The deaf community has received a wealth of wisdom about cricket in recent months, leaving them with a deep sense of importance they have never experienced before.
"Before, what would happen is they would sit with their families and watch, but they would ask, 'Oh, what happened? Can you tell me what he said?' Then their relative would explain it to them, but it was very brief and made them feel abandoned. "They always thought, 'Oh, I'm not satisfied. I want to know more about what happened.' But they had no choice and they had to stay silent. Now. "They can see it independently; they don't need to depend on anyone. So that independence is a kind of empowerment of a community to learn and dream."
"If tomorrow, just by looking at this performance, so many little deaf children dream of 'Oh, I want to be a cricketer', it would mean that this opens up more paths for them. We hope this is not the case. All of us across the community want to do even more for them," adds Mansi.
Mansi's voice fills with joy as she reveals her parents' pure happiness at watching matches broadcast through sign language and their newfound enthusiasm for seeking similar interpretations from other visual media. "They never cared before: Hindi broadcasting or in English, because they couldn't hear it. But now, seeing the sign language interpretation there, it was a proud moment, like they said, 'Okay, our language is being transmitted.' "For you on the broadcast after so long." So they are very, very overwhelmed and now they simply demand: 'Give me this movie or series in sign language.'
"So the demands have skyrocketed. We are all ready to give them anything in sign language. I really hope that the sign language movement translates to other sports in the country as well.
"The thing is now let's just open the floodgates, and why not? Everything can be done and it's not like, 'Oh, this or that can't be done.' Just like listening to people sitting and consuming content, "You can do the same thing." in sign language. So, once again, the whole world is an oyster when it comes to that now," he stated.
Located in the lower right corner of television and digital screens in India, a sign language interpreter quickly communicated happiness over the in-game dismissal through her animated expressions and precise hand gestures.
The inclusion of sign language interpretation in Star Sports 3 and Disney+ Hotstar's Hindi commentary for Indian matches is the result of a partnership established beginning with IPL 2024 between the broadcasters and India Signing Hands, an organization with headquarters in Mumbai dedicated to addressing accessibility challenges for the deaf community in India. "It was a very close match, as if everyone thought India was going to lose. Then, at the last moment, the situation in the match changed. It came back so strong that everyone was hooked on the screen. Even the deaf people really enjoyed the translation into sign language because those strong emotions and the strong words that the commentators used made it a very exciting match," he says. Mansi Shah, sign language interpreter, in a telephone conversation with IANS.
According to estimates provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023, India will be home to a deaf community of approximately 63 million people. Therefore, it makes sign language interpretation crucial for effective communication and understanding between deaf people and people with normal hearing.
Mansi confidently recognizes sign language as his native language without hesitation. Mansi, a certified interpreter, communicates naturally through sign language because she was raised by deaf parents. She states how sign language interpretation is providing a sense of belonging to deaf cricket spectators in India. "For something like this to happen is really very monumental because this is being done for the first time in the world and in India, We know how big cricket is. Also, deaf people have always loved cricket and like any other fan, they are crazy about it.
"So for them to see that 'oh, I'm going to have sign language to watch at the game.' That feeling of just sitting and watching the game along with their hearing counterparts, and being included in the game, has been incredible." she adds.
Mansi remembers how deaf people had limited experience watching cricket matches without sign language. "They could only see the score, the wickets and whatever graph was on the screen. But now, with the ISL interpretation, they can learn so many facts shared by the commentators, like there are so many jokes that are told during the match." you can really feel that vibe, like when you hear the comment, you feel a certain way, right? That comment played by the on-screen interpreter has really changed the entire game of accessibility for watching cricket in India. , because deaf people can now see and understand what is happening in a game. "It's become a lot more accessible to them and they feel more inclusive now."
To prepare for the Men's T20 World Cup, Mansi and other sign language interpreters such as Priya Sundaram, Shivoy Sharma, Kinjal Shah and Namra Shah, teamed up with sign language experts to design signs for cricket-related terminology and establish signaling representations for certain cricketers. .
To increase accuracy, several deaf cricketers joined the team and provided valuable feedback on sign language interpretation for the tournament. Performers use hand gestures to show the direction of a shot, the trajectory of a throw, and the extras awarded. If a ball or shot is a real pleasure in a desperate situation, it is conveyed through the perfect sign, where the Thumb and index finger are in a circle, with the other fingers straight or relaxed away from the palm. "Just like Hindi, Marathi or English, each language has its own grammar, which encapsulates emotions. So when you want to express yourself, you use the grammar and words of the language to express yourself.
"Similarly, in sign language, if you want to express your emotions or you want to express something, you do it through grammar, which is a facial expression, or through body movement and the shape of your hands. All of this is the grammar of the sign language through which the interpreter can express himself.
"In a game, it's a very exciting moment when the capture is made, and you can see that expression on the interpreter's face as well. That's how deaf people can connect with what's being said, because facial expressions have a great importance for deaf hearing people."Hearing people can hear and listen, but deaf people cannot hear. That is why they consume through their visual sense, which is sight. For them, everything depends on their eyes, that's why sign language is called visual language," explains Mansi.
The deaf community has received a wealth of wisdom about cricket in recent months, leaving them with a deep sense of importance they have never experienced before.
"Before, what would happen is they would sit with their families and watch, but they would ask, 'Oh, what happened? Can you tell me what he said?' Then their relative would explain it to them, but it was very brief and made them feel abandoned. "They always thought, 'Oh, I'm not satisfied. I want to know more about what happened.' But they had no choice and they had to stay silent. Now. "They can see it independently; they don't need to depend on anyone. So that independence is a kind of empowerment of a community to learn and dream."
"If tomorrow, just by looking at this performance, so many little deaf children dream of 'Oh, I want to be a cricketer', it would mean that this opens up more paths for them. We hope this is not the case. All of us across the community want to do even more for them," adds Mansi.
Mansi's voice fills with joy as she reveals her parents' pure happiness at watching matches broadcast through sign language and their newfound enthusiasm for seeking similar interpretations from other visual media. "They never cared before: Hindi broadcasting or in English, because they couldn't hear it. But now, seeing the sign language interpretation there, it was a proud moment, like they said, 'Okay, our language is being transmitted.' "For you on the broadcast after so long." So they are very, very overwhelmed and now they simply demand: 'Give me this movie or series in sign language.'
"So the demands have skyrocketed. We are all ready to give them anything in sign language. I really hope that the sign language movement translates to other sports in the country as well.
"The thing is now let's just open the floodgates, and why not? Everything can be done and it's not like, 'Oh, this or that can't be done.' Just like listening to people sitting and consuming content, "You can do the same thing." in sign language. So, once again, the whole world is an oyster when it comes to that now," he stated.
