Interpreters in Japan don transparent masks during press conferences
MAEBASHI — A sign language interpreter who attends the press conferences of Gunma Gov. Ichita Yamamoto has recently been wearing a transparent mask to keep her mouth visible, to provide easy to understand information for people with hearing difficulties, who usually refer to the movements of other person’s mouth when communicating.
As the number of people wearing masks has increased due to the spread of the new coronavirus, they have difficulty understanding what others are saying. The Gunma prefectural government is making an effort to convey information related to coronavirus to many people in an easy-to-understand manner.
According to an association of the hear impaired in the prefecture, in addition to hand movements, mouth movements and facial expressions are important factors in sign language. For example, a proper noun is expressed through movements of the mouth, and affirmation or denial is transmitted through the movement of the jaw. People with hearing problems often use the facial expressions of others as a reference, while those without hearing problems can understand the emotions of others such as amusement and sadness through vocal intonations .
As more and more people wear masks due to the coronavirus outbreak, people with hearing difficulties are increasingly requesting others to write out things for them, even if it takes time.
The transparent masks used during Gunma prefectural government press conferences are made of plastic and keep the mouth visible. The interior is specially processed to prevent fogging when the wearer exhales.
A Gunma prefectural government’s sign language interpreter wore one of the masks for the first time on April 28 at a press conference, after a government official found a similar mask being used at a press conference of another prefecture via the internet.
On March 12, when the second and third cases of coronavirus infections in the prefecture were discovered, Yamamoto held an emergency press conference and introduced sign language interpretation so that those hard of hearing could understand what was being said. But the interpreter communicated without mask to keep their mouth visible, while the officials of the government in attendance wore them.
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A sign language interpreter communicates in front of an acrylic board at the Gunma prefectural government office on April 23. (The Yomiuri Shimbun)
After that, the prefectural government decided to increase infection prevention measures during press conferences. On April 23, a transparent acrylic board measuring 60 centimeters by 90 centimeters was placed in front of an interpreter. However, because some complained that the light reflected off the board, making it difficult to see the interpreter’s mouth, the transparent masks were adopted.
“I was worried that transparent masks would fog up, but I was relieved to find that there was no problem. We would like to continue to use masks like these,” an official of the prefectural government’s secretarial division said.
The association of the hear impaired in the prefecture found the use of transparent masks meaningful as press conferences of the prefectural government are broadcast on video posting sites such as YouTube. The association has received praise from its constituents saying, “I’m glad there was an interpreter.”
“Since the content [of the press conferences on coronavirus] is related to human life, We hope [the prefectural government] will have interpreters on as many occasions as possible,” Kenichi Hayakawa, president of the association, said.
