A Study on the Challenges Faced When Interpreting Expressions Made in Sri Lankan Sign Language into Sinhala

Abstract

Sign Language is a visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Like other world languages, it has systematic grammatical and morphological structures. It is the primary mode of communication for individuals with hearing impairments. In Sri Lanka, many deaf children born into deaf families, use Sri Lankan Sign Language (SLSL) as their mother tongue. As such, deaf signers use SLSL fluently, embodying its cultural and community-specific nuances. However, it is observed that when translating ideas conveyed through SLSL into Sinhala, numerous challenges arise. Against this background, this study attempts to identify the key linguistic, cultural, and technical obstacles encountered in translating from SLSL into Sinhala and explore strategies for mitigating them. In this context, the data were collected from fifteen professional and community-based sign language interpreters via semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and Google Forms surveys. The findings emphasize the challenges posed by the variations in the signing pace, regionaland abbreviated variants, semantic shifts, form–movement variations, grammatical incompatibility, lack of deaf cultural awareness, detection difficulties, community signing preferences, and unstructured signing. These challenges lead to misinterpretation, loss of meaning, and communicative reakdowns. Recommendations, include standardizing SLSL through a national corpus and lexicon, establishing accredited interpreter training programs, integrating deaf cultural competency modules, promoting public awareness, and leveraging technology such as video annotation tools. Implementing these measures is supposed to facilitate high-quality SLSL to Sinhala interpretation, ultimately empowering deaf individuals and fosteringinclusive communication in Sri Lanka.