Different sign language dialects to be united

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

The Turkish Language Institute (TDK) has started work to unify the different sign languages used by hearing impaired people.

The Ministry of Family and Social Policies, the Ministry of Education and the Turkish Language Institute (TDK) will jointly prepare a dictionary with 1,986 words to iron out the differences between different sign languages. The sign language educators will start teaching after being subjected to an examination on the new dictionary, daily Star reported.

With the new Turkish Sign Language Dictionary, the differences between sign languages that are caused by the mistakes of educators will be reduced. A “Sign Language Interpreter Certificate” certificate will be given to those who pass the exam on the new dictionary.

The exam will only be held once. The due date for applications for the sign language interpreter certificate exam has been determined at the Provincial National Education Directorates as Sept. 21.

There are 1,986 words and expressions in the ministry-approved Sign Language Dictionary. The dictionary will contain the signs of words and expressions in sign language, not the meanings.