La increíble y triste historia de la interpretación de lengua de señas: Reflexiones identitarias desde Colombia

Abstract

This paper presents some reflections on the identities of sign language interpreters in Colombia, from a study conducted between 2004 and 2014. It presents an ethnographic summary of discussions and challenges of sign language interpretation in the country during this period, resulting from the author's experience as an activist and researcher of sign languages and deaf culture. Based on Sánchez García's essays and research project PS02-14, Intérpretes de lengua de señas: hipótesis a partir de la obra de Harlan Lane (Sign language Interpreters: A Hypothesis from Harlan Lane's Work), funded by UNAD, this paper aims to shed light on the identities around sign language interpretation as a multidimensional problem that demands interdisciplinary research approaches. In Colombia, the emergence of sign language interpretation as a profession (and the "identities" around it) has been a complex process, related in complex ways to phenomena such as the political consolidation of Deaf organizations, Deaf education, religious movements, and the absence of institutional actions on the part of the Government, in the context of global capitalist market demands.