Auslan interpreters make live music accessible to deaf community

ABC NEWS (Australia)

They're a familiar sight at emergency announcements and news conferences, and Auslan interpreters are becoming increasingly common at concerts and fringe shows. Conveying more than just words is a delicate and considered task and something that brings joy to interpreters and the deaf community alike.

Transcript

00:00While her friends were going to concerts and festivals growing up, Cheryl Wilhelm often

00:07stayed home.

00:08Yeah, look, I missed a lot.

00:12As a teenager I was just sort of growing up and dancing and did I really understand the

00:17music?

00:18Not really.

00:19Cheryl's been hard of hearing since she was five and is profoundly deaf without a hearing

00:24aid.

00:25But lately there's been a shift.

00:27Well, now it's much more accessible, it's a lot better.

00:31It's just really nice because to be included, I think that's the main thing.

00:36For Deborah Swan it's about much more than simply conveying the lyrics.

00:41We do want access to be able to get that vibe and to get the environment and the feeling

00:46around it.

00:47That's what's really important.

00:48Listening to the music over and over and over, researching what the lyrics might mean, embodying

00:55the feeling of the song through movement, through your facial expression, through trying to

01:03represent the performer in the way you're moving.

01:08Musicians like Emma Perkins say interpreters have been a welcome addition.

01:12It just feels great to be able to connect with people who may not have experienced what we

01:16see.

01:17So with the interpreters it's just a really amazing experience and very much worthwhile.

01:21Speaking of audiosigh

Category

Transcript

Recommended