This talk considers the artistic interpreting of music into Czech sign language and focuses on its importance for the cultural life of deaf people. People with hearing impairment have only limited options for perceiving cultural events such as theatre performances, musical and vocal concerts. Using artistic interpretation brings down this barrier and provides the deaf with the same kind of experience as the hearing people. Furthermore, the hearing audience, owing to the artistic interpretation, receives access to this very specific way of communication which is more visual in character and is closely connected with expression via motion. Any visitors of the work demonstration will have a chance to get to know the activities of the Hands Dance group, which has been dealing with the topic of artistic interpreting for the past five years. An explanation will be provided for the character and individual types of artistic interpreting of music, as well as an introduction to the method of working with texts and the song’s rhythm and various approaches to interpreting music. The presentation will be supported by real examples. The artistic interpretation into sign language is primarily aimed at people with hearing impairment. That is why the input of deaf people is a vital element in the translation process, as well as interpretation itself. The involvement of deaf artists will be one of the key points of this topic. Artistic interpreting is a considerably young field in which only a limited number of individuals work, yet it is still steadily developing. Its benefit for better social inclusion of persons with hearing impairment is indisputable, as well as its help with the overall growth of cultural events by adding the socially integrative aspect.
Daniela Cincibus Vacková is a professional sign language interpreter for the deaf. She has studied the Deaf studies program at Charles University in Prague and consequently has broadened her qualifications by graduating from the Special Education program at Masaryk University in Brno. Pursuing further the artistic direction of her interpreter work, she is currently studying in a PhD program at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno. At JAMU, she also works as an interpreter in the Drama Education for the Hearing Impaired study program of JAMU. She is also a founding member of the Hands Dance group which has since 2014 dedicated itself to artistic interpreting of music and theatre performances. The topic of artistic interpreting for the Deaf is the main focus of her PhD work.