By Hsieh Yun-Ru, Melanie A. Leng
Turning the Key to Unlock Literary Landscapes
A simple word, an expressive hand sign, an assistive picture—what may be viewed as unimportant or trivial to some can actually be a window of opportunity for others. Equal cultural rights are like a key: turn it to the right angle and a wholly unique literary landscape will open up for all to explore.
Allowing the Faintest Voices to be Seen
In the past, tour guides were often accompanied by sign language interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing. These individuals would rarely interact directly with tour guides, and instead had to rely on sign language interpreters to convey their messages. As a result, tour guides often spoke directly to the sign language interpreters and would ignore the deaf individuals present. To address this issue, we launched the Taiwan Sign Language Guide Training Workshop to train deaf and hard of hearing individuals to become tour guides, enabling them to use their native sign language to explain the architectural features and permanent exhibitions of the museum to visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing. This has also helped them build their self-confidence.
During the training workshop, a deaf person shared a memory from fifty years ago. When he was a child, he often rode his bicycle past NMTL. Whenever he walked in to visit, he felt the wooden floorboards creaking beneath his feet. To him, this was his first personal contact with NMTL. Since NMTL has been remodeled, physical remnants of this memory are no more. However, the past sensations of walking on the wooden floorboards which seemed to speak with every footstep have been preserved by the sensitive touch of this deaf individual, connecting him to his beautiful childhood memories.
Taiwan Sign Language is a three-dimensional language. When introducing the architectural term "oeil-de-boeuf" or "ox-eye window," besides forming the shape of a bull's eye, the hands also overlap to show the opening and closing of louvered windows to convey its function of ventilation. This vividness is a unique aspect of sign language that cannot be presented through oral tour guides.
In the summer, we organized the Children's Sign Language Summer Camp, inviting elementary school children aged 7 to 12 to learn Taiwan Sign Language under the guidance of a deaf teacher. Through the interpretation of children's poems using vivid body language and expressions, the distance between them and literature is shortened, creating a quiet yet lively atmosphere.
Allowing Abstruse Literature to be Understood
The key to attaining a higher literary state lies in the ability to relay the inner world with a simple sentence. During the "Easy Reading Promotion Seminar" held at NMTL, Mr. Yuan of Luway Opportunity Center expressed, "I really enjoy looking at exhibitions, but the language used is too difficult. I need someone to explain it to me. Having an easy-to-read booklet with simple explanations and pictures can help me understand the content."
In order to translate the content of the permanent exhibition “Power of Literature: Writing OUR TAIWAN” into easy-to-understand language for individuals with intellectual disabilities, we invited members of the nearby Luway Opportunity Center to visit the museum. The group assisted us by creating an interactive Peh-ōe-jī business card machine, drew "literary fortune slips" with poems printed on them, and took on the role of reviewers to discuss and decide the contents of the easy-to-read edition of the exhibition pamphlet. NMTL only needed to ensure the accuracy of the contents.
During this translation process, literature sheds its gorgeous attire and instead garbs itself in sincerity and simplicity. The visiting members invested much effort into reading word by word. Whenever they encountered unfamiliar words, they would record its pronunciation with phonetic symbols. If a sentence was too difficult, it would then be paraphrased into simpler language.
After four meetings, NMTL’s first easy-to-read guide pamphlet was complete. It is a guide that has been handwritten and read word by word by people with intellectual disabilities. Its contents feature their perspectives and the ways in which they interact with literature. Through this pamphlet, one will find that literature is actually simple and sincere. Everyone can use a language that they can understand to tell their story to the world.
After four meetings, NMTL’s first easy-to-read guide pamphlet was complete. It is a guide that has been handwritten and read word by word by people with intellectual disabilities. Its contents feature their perspectives and the ways in which they interact with literature. Through this pamphlet, one will find that literature is actually simple and sincere. Everyone can use a language that they can understand to tell their story to the world.