Non-interpreting Day in Estonia
Text: Regina Toom, Eesti Viipekeele Tõlkide Ühing, Chairman
Translated by: Liivi Hollman, Eesti
Viipekeele Tõlkide Ühing, member of the board
This year, sign language interpreters in Estonia will celebrate a non-interpreting day for the second time. Informing the respective organisations, persons and general public beforehand, our sign language interpreters have decided once a year not to do any interpreting jobs, but to come together from all over Estonia.
I hereby try to explain shortly, why do we need a day like this, how have we decided to spend it and why do we celebrate it on the 3rd day of June each year.
The non-interpreting day is not used to protest against anything as it may seem at the first glance. On the contrary, we have set ourselves an aim to inform the society about sign language interpreters and problems related to interpreting, and on the other hand, to dedicate the day for charging ourselves with positive emotions, to grow and progress.
We have decided to bring interpreters’ profession and interpreting into focus mainly because the situation is far not satisfying at the moment. The most drastic example of it is probably the fact that there is still no interpreter training programme in any school in Estonia. This is because the state still does not find it possible and inevitable to train sign language interpreters, in spite of the great need for qualified interpreters from the part of Deaf community.
The main task and priority of Estonian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (Eesti Viipekeele Tõlkide Ühing), which was established in 1989, has become to provide information about interpreting and stand for the profession of sign language interpreters in the society. Until now our association have carried out our aim through training projects. And we are thankful to our good co-operation partners in Finland. This is the help of Finnish sign language interpreters which has made us stronger and better.
The idea to celebrate the non-interpreting day was actually initiated by a very sad event which took the Estonian sign langauge interpreters unawares. Deceseased Helvi Tõnurist, the president of Estonian Association of Sign Language Interpreters, beloved example and invaluable trainer. As she left us so suddenly and so early, this loss most deeply touched the professional sign language interpreters in Estonia and that is why the general meeting of Estonian Association of Sign Language Interpreters has decided to perpetuate her contribution, role and values by celebrating the non-interpreting day starting from the year 2005, on the 3rd of June, the day she died.
Coming out from the everyday routine to learn and charge yourself, to let the society know, what our needs are, is related to Helvi Tõnurist and her remebrance as she highly evaluated the profession of sign language interpreter and did her job very skillfully and professionally. With her enjoyable humor and her inborn staidness she often comforted herself during the inticate work with a thought that once she would be retired she would find time to read, find time to herself and people around her. Unfortunately the time given to Helvi Tõnurist, came to the end before she was retired. And so many interesting and necessary things for her and other people were left undone.
Our opportunity and outright obligation is to achieve Helvi Tõnurist’s dream – and to her memory we have decided to take time out, once a year, to stand for ourselves and our role in the society. As our daily work is difficult and takes a lot of energy we do need some time to learn and develop professionally as well as charge ourselves with nice thoughts and good emotions.
On the first non-interpreting day (3rd June 2005) we gathered on Helvi’s grave and visited the Botanical Garden in Tallinn after that to enjoy the beauty and peace of the nature. We finished the day sitting together and talking in a small cosy old town cafe. This year we have planned to have a seminar on public speaking.
It is impossible to predict, how much attention would we get this time, but last year the heightened commonweal exceeded our expectations. We were also pleased by very positive, understanding and inspiring support from the Deaf Community to this new initiative.
(Source: SVT publication Kielisilta 2/2006, Finland)