Covid-19 crisis prompts surge in interest to learn sign language
Imran Webb has become a familiar face on TV screens during the COVID-19 crisis, and his work is encouraging others to think about learning a new language.
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Imran Webb is used to getting noticed.
Not surprising really as he has played cricket at Goodwood for many years and is the coach of the South Australian Deaf Cricket team which has won two of the past three national championships.
But in the past while most of the people stopping him have wanted to talk cricket, these days he is getting a lot of “where have I seen you before?” from strangers.
Perhaps it’s not surprising as Mr Webb is regularly seen on television these days, alongside the Premier and health officials, as he interprets their words for the deaf and hard of hearing in South Australia.
The 35 year old from Old Reynella is part of a team of full-time Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreters who take turns in front of the cameras.
While a crisis such as COVID-19 or the recent bushfires means a regular appearance for interpreters it is a small part of their regular work.
On any given day, Mr Webb can find himself interpreting at a doctor’s appointment for a hearing impaired family or in a workplace meeting.
“I run my own business, and I am a casual with five or six different agencies across the country, so you never know what might be on the agenda,” he says.
“It’s changed a lot from when I started, these days you can do video from home and be working anywhere across the country.”
While Mr Webb says standing in front of a class is not for him, those who do go down that road are likely to be in for a busy time in the future.
Anecdotally interpreters say that whenever there is a crisis which requires them to be on TV, the number of people interested in learning Auslan grows.
These claims are backed by Rebecca Young, the general manager of communications and engagement at Deaf Can:Do based at Welland.
She says there is always a spike in interest when interpreters are “busy and visible”.
“We recently had an interpreter interviewed on the ABC and following that there would have been at least an extra 100 inquiries from people asking about our courses,” Ms Young says.
“This year I’d say we have had double our usual inquiries and our online courses filled up pretty quickly.”
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Ms Young says the group did have “grand plans” for the launch of further courses this year, but in the current situation anything they do is likely to be online.
And she has a warning for anyone thinking they might like to learn Auslan and then go on to interpreting.
“We get people who say they are interested in doing a course and becoming an interpreter,” she says.
“But it’s a very technical career, particularly working in the media.”