Culture ministry asks Kurdish television to provide sign language interpretation

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Ministry of Culture and Youth on Tuesday asked all television stations to provide sign language interpretation services to their viewers, particularly during news hours.

The decision was made based on the recommendation of the committee of international advocacy of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

“We inform you [visual media] to use sign language interpretation, particularly during news broadcasts,” according to the statement.

Several organizations had previously lobbied for the provision of these services to assist those with hearing impairments. 

When sign language was provided during Kurdish news programs in the past, hearing impaired viewers were not able to clearly understand the translation due to the poor linguistic skills of the interpreters, according to a report by the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration.

The lack of effective sign language interpreters and minimal training opportunities are the main issues facing all of Iraq, the report finds.

In fact, according to the international organization, accurate data about the number of deaf people or those with hearing impairments in Iraq is not available.