National Sign Language Day 12.2. – Humak Publishes Celebratory Online Content
National Day of Sign Languages is celebrated on 12.2.2022. In honour of the celebration, Humak’s experts in the focus area of Interpreting and Linguistic Accessibility have organized a diverse programme for calendar week 6. The programme introduces Finnish and Finland-Swedish sign languages from many different perspectives through blog posts, videos, and informational texts.
National Day of Sign Languages is now celebrated for the 13th time and it has taken its place as the most important holiday for the sign language community. The day is also the birthday of C. O. Malm (1826-1863), also known as the pioneer of Finnish Sign Language (kuurojenliitto.fi).
Greetings of the Principal Lecturer – Finnish and Finland-Swedish Day of Sign Languages
National Day of Sign Languages is celebrated on Saturday 12.2.2022. In honour of the celebration, Humak’s experts in the focus area of Interpretation and Linguistic Accessibility have organized a diverse programme for calendar week 6. The programme offers the opportunity to get familiar with Finnish and Finland-Swedish sign languages from many different perspectives through blog posts, videos, and informational texts.
Liisa Halkosaari‘s blog post highlights the fact that there are two sign languages in Finland, of which the Finland-Swedish Sign Language in particular is endangered. Halkosaari is involved in the Livs3 project, which focuses on the revilatization of Finland-Swedish Sign Language. She discusses the contents and implementation of the project in her blog post.
Other content published this week has discussed the sign languages from different perspectives. Juha Manunen talks about the different user groups of sign language in his blog post. Outi Kuvaja‘s informational text discusses the diverse offer of sign language interpreting in terms of vocational studies. Marja Eskel, on the other hand, has held a children’s event with her students, which we can see glimpses of in the form of a video. Related to this, Karoliina Miettinen discusses forms of studying and professional contacts in her informational text.
Arttu Liikamaa has also made videos with first-year students, through which we can take a look at interpreting studies and what it is like to study sign language. Third-year interpreting students have edited and subtitled these videos. Liikamaa has also produced videos with sophomores that focus on why students have applied to study interpreting. Scroll down for links to these videos.
Have a pleasant week and enjoy the 13th National Day of Sign Languages 2022!
Lena Segler-Heikkilä, Principal Lecturer, Interpreting and Linguistic Accessibility
Videos Made by Interpreting Students
See Arttu Liikamaa and his students’ videos, in which first-year students answer to the following questions:
- What has been the best part about studying sing language interpreting?
- What has it been like to study sign language?
The video has been subtitled by fourth-year sign language interpreting students.
Here you can see first-year students and sophomores signing Happy Sign Language Day.
Text: Lena Segler-Heikkilä, ed. Marika Stam.
Translation: Mari Ervasti.
2022-02-11 16:00:52