Page No 1 - World Federation of the Deaf

7.9.2.3 What is the general opinion of these sign language interpreting services?
Country What is the general opinion of these sign language interpreting services?
Costa Rica
1) In general, the interpreters’ service is good when they are working from spoken language to sign language,
but from sign to spoken their skills are very poor.
2) There is a need to expand the number of interpreters to provide a good quality service.
Cuba It is acceptable.
El Salvador The service is satisfactory. We know we need more research into sign language for greater conceptual depth.
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Not satisfactory. Most especially the Interpreter Training Programme at the University is not acceptable to the
Deaf Community; their signing skills are very poor.
It is beautiful to see that Deaf people can be included/understand; for the great majority of people it is very
mysterious and interesting to see two or several people using sign language.
The Interpreting Service is satisfactory; however we have a very limited number of interpreters available for
the general community.
It is average; however in the near future, the Government will be responsible to provide sign language
interpreting services.
The service is satisfactory; however all interpreters need to improve their knowledge of the topics of health,
national law, politics, government relations with people with disabilities and other areas.
More training for new interpreters is necessary.
Panama Provision of interpreting services for Deaf people in Panama only started about six months ago.
Additional Information from Guyana
The sign language interpreting service is just at the beginning level, as the service was only established three or four years
ago. The interpreters are not skilled yet but they are learning everyday and improving their signing skills, taught by volunteer
instructors from foreign countries, especially two Americans who are not interpreters but know and use sign language very
well. There is a great need for two or three scholarships for hard-working volunteer interpreters to advance their studies in
the field of interpreting abroad, which will in turn help in establishing a better interpreting service in Guyana in the future. In
the next year or two we are thinking of teaching sign language to hearing participants who seriously want to become sign
language interpreters.
7.9.3 Do sign language interpreters receive payment for interpreting services in your country?
7.9.3.1 Who is responsible for paying for a sign language interpreter?
7.9.3.2 What is the average hourly rate of payment for sign language interpreters in your country?
Country
Do sign
language
interpreters
receive
payment for
interpreting
services in
your
country?
Who is
responsible
for paying
for a sign
language
interpreter?
Government
National
Association
of the
Deaf/Deaf
Group
Deaf
People
Costa Rica Yes
Cuba Yes
Dominican Republic No
Others
State universities
and television
stations
Ministry of
Education, INDER
(National Institute
of Sport, Physical
Education and
Recreation)
What is the average
hourly rate of
payment for sign
language interpreters
in your country?
Between USD3.00 -
USD6.00 per hour
(4.07€ - 8.14€ on 29 th
February 2008)
The basic monthly
wage is USD355
(253.47€ on 29 th
February 2008)
The Project was under the auspices of the Swedish National Association of the Deaf (SDR) and the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), Page No 72
and funded by the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (Sida) and Swedish Organisations’ of Disabled Persons
International Aid Association (Shia).