“Zanzał”, “difficult”, “looked in amazement” – so the Polish media commented on the behaviour of the translator of the Polish Sign Language (PJM) during the March electoral rally Simona Holowna in Czestochowa. Journalists, as well as the second-hand net users and opponents of the Marshal of the Sejm in the race for the presidential seat, unequivocally and unanimously mock the politics that this well-deservedly descends under the electoral threshold, as he embarrasses “even” the individual explaining his speeches.
For example, an expert in non-verbal negotiations and communication, Łukasz Kaca, who was asked by the editorial board of “Faktu” to analyse the situation, confirmed this claim.
"It seems that (the translator – the cars.) was so shocked by what the marshal said that he doubted," he said, although on his website it is empty to look for information on sign language cognition and the needs of deaf people. It can be read that he cooperates with Onet or the Zero Channel – portals that have sympathy for another candidates than the leader of Poland 2050. However, this communicative lacked – as usual – the most important, or social perspective, and specifically – the g/Deaf community.
Cheaper without certificate
The media, busy politicizing an incidental that had already become a meme, but not an chance to discuss availability, did not ask for the opinion of PJM specialists. If they had done so, they would have learned that the interpreter employed by the Hołownia, regardless of what "dirdym" the candidate was or not, did not should be qualified to do his job. And in this case, he didn't have them. Why?
Krzysztof Kotyniewicz, president of the Management Board of the Polish Deaf Union (PZG) points out that it is “the responsibility of the system” due to the fact that “in Poland there are no circumstantial rules for the state certification of sign language translation”. On its own initiative, 2 institutions are actually liable for verifying the level of sign language knowledge: the Polish Sign Language Translation Association and the Polish Sign Language Translation Association.
– We issue certificates, we supply training, we adhere to advanced standards that meet the needs of deaf and compatible with the European Linguistic Description System, but there are besides another translators in the marketplace who do not always have appropriate and easy verifiable competences, I hear.
Because of the deficiency of adequate records in the sign language bill on the list of translators that the voivode creates, anyone who claims to be able to sign up can actually enter into the list of translators, and has had a tiny number of hours of course. In the PZG recommended and educational translators of the PJM Education Center The naturally lowest level – A1 – takes 90h and does not supply the cognition needed to translate highly complex concepts. It operates with a communicative but non-exhaustive "vocality" resource.
– If there are no statutory requirements, it is hard to verify someone's skills, so most likely Simon Holownia and his staff were based on a message from an interpreter who should not accept the order and who, as a deaf person, most likely besides did not hear what the marshal said, or was incapable to slip through it – Kotyniewicz tells me.
Antoni Nowicki, a typical of the Polish squad in tennis for deaf people, as well as a volunteer of the Deaf Academy Foundation, called the situation "scandalical" due to the fact that the message of the translator was not understood by g/Deaf recipients:
“Unfortunately, this is simply a common problem – politicians do not supply professional PJM translators, only take random people, usually after completed PJM courses at level A1.
The Polish Sign Language Translation Association (STPJM) presents a akin position. In consequence to what happened in Częstochowa, they sent the Marshal a letter calling for full access by the g/Deaf community to the electoral run and to regulate the profession.
– My observations show that there is no political organization in Poland that provides full access to information in PJM. Election staffs do not cooperate with PJM translators. And even if they work together, it turns out that incompetent people employment savings, which can lead to misinterpretations of politicians. This, in turn, has a immense influence on deaf people's election decisions. If the translation is of mediocre quality, a deaf voter can unconsciously vote for individual who does not represent his interests," says Joanna Huczyńska, who is simply a deaf translator and vice president of STPJM.
"Employing people without appropriate preparation not only misleads the audience, but besides undermines professionalism and trust in PJM translators" – added representatives of the Association. The Hołównia did not respond to these arguments.
Kajetana Maciejska-Roczan, Vice-President of the General Board of PZG, scientist and educator. Working for the community of the g/Deaf since the 1970s, however, appreciates the fact that the Marshal was the only candidate who at least tried to meet the needs of the g/Deaf: – I have large respect for him, due to the fact that at all press conference or speech in the Sejm he ensures that there is simply a translator standing next to him. Personally, I am hurt by the wave of hatred that poured out on him from people who are not curious in the situation of people with disabilities who are deaf. This is humiliating to us, due to the fact that we are talking about an election group completely excluded and ignored by politicians, though not tiny at all.
Politicians are silent
PZG statistic indicate that in Poland up to 80 1000 people do not hear and communicate only with sign language. However, this is an underestimated number, due to the fact that many g/Deaf do not study their disability anywhere.
– On the another hand, the data available to the State under the case law strategy are neither reliable nor precise, due to the fact that the 03-L code, under which the deaf are subject, besides includes non-speaking persons, with aphasia and many others. On the another hand, we besides request to include people with proceeding problems, and these can be up to 3 million (it is worth pointing out that proceeding loss, although it makes life difficult, is very frequently qualified as a light degree of disability – for example, cars) – says Krzysztof Kotyniewicz. We must be aware that this number is constantly increasing, even due to the immense problem with sound pollution.
However, while individual who loses his proceeding usually knows the Polish language and can usage for example subtitles, in the case of people who are deaf or deaf from birth or early childhood, a translation on PJM is needed. The provision of the second during the PZG election run demanded in a letter sent in January 2025 to the six largest electoral committees.
– We mention to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the UN Convention, Act on ensuring accessibility for people with peculiar needs and the Disability Strategy. Only 3 committees – Karol Nawrocki, Szymon Holownia and Sławomir Mentzen – answered us – but these were only confirmations of receiving our messages, without any declaration – said Kajetana Maciejska-Roczan.
Joanna Huczyńska says that “as a individual Deaf frequently goes to elections, without being certain who to vote for”: “The information about candidates is given in Polish, which makes me not always realize who individuals are and what programs they have. Searching for information online besides does not help, due to the fact that most of the materials are in Polish only. In specified situations, I frequently ask the family, friends or friends who talk Polish, who to vote for best. It's sad due to the fact that it shows that many Deaf do not have full freedom in forming their own political opinion.
From the Vice-President of PZG, I learn that, while in many places in Poland there are various associations and organizations supporting the Deaf besides in the exercise of their electoral rights, any lead, for example, firelights, where information on politicians and campaigns is provided, we cannot regulation out that there is manipulation, abuse, unclean suggestions, who to vote for and who not.
– If we do not have access to electoral programmes translated into the Polish language, how can individual make their own political opinions and opinions? My husband does not hear completely, he barely knows Polish, he only speaks PJM, so it is entirely based on what I translate to him – says Maciejska-Roczan, who besides does not hear, but he knows Polish and PJM. It stresses that even erstwhile g/Deaf – as a group of grassroots, socially active and considered cultural minority, straight and not through organizations, they request their rights, they are disregarded.
This was, for example, at 1 of Charles Nawrocki's rallies, erstwhile g/Deaf people who wanted to ask questions to a candidate met with contempt, ridicule, and yet received a pen and a card.
– This shows a complete deficiency of awareness that the Deaf are utilizing PJM and will not necessarily be able to compose something that will be understood by proceeding people. Therefore, they may feel ashamed of ridicule, fear of aggression, or impatience of the environment, due to the fact that specified reactions happen very frequently erstwhile there is no explanation. As a result, deaf people will not even want to exercise the right to information, civilian rights, electoral rights, due to the fact that they feel that these attempts are doomed to failure," says Krzysztof Kotyniewicz, adding that he has been fighting for the presence of translations in public space for years, including alongside the Ombudsman, and besides appearing on parliamentary committees. But if there was no access to the information, it's not.
Political debates not for all
The media cannot be expected either, although according to the guidelines of the National Broadcasting Council in 2025 they should meet the availability criteria in 100%. Even on TVP not all programs have a translation, any do not meet standards due to mediocre visual vulnerability of translators.
– Although, for example, Marshal Holovnia made certain that PJM interpreters were in the plenary room, they are sometimes obscured by news strips in television. Not so long ago, I drew the attention of TVN24 to the fact that she showed staff from the session of the Sejm, in which only the elbow of the translator was visible. I see a change now. I don't know if this is the effect of my writing to them, but it shouldn't be that all time you gotta intervene – says Marta Abramczyk, president of the Mazowieckie PZG Branch, and animator of the cultural life of the deaf.
The issue of information and political debates is so not, as Joanna Huczyńska emphasizes, the work of the political party, only the organizers of the debate, specified as public tv and private broadcasters.
Listen to the author's podcast:
– Availability in the form of live subtitles and translations should be standard, but the Broadcasting Act does not require the translation of circumstantial content. The public broadcaster chooses which programs are translated, only has to fulfil the availability work expressed in percentages (for PJM in general it is 1% of all content – like cars) - the translator specifies. What's it like with private broadcasters? They don't have any regulations.
There have already been debates in Poland translated on PJM on public television, which is simply a step towards accessibility, but not a solution that the deaf community in Poland is constantly asking for. To this day, there are requests to enlarge the figure of the translator to half the tallness of the screen – adds Huczyńska, indicating that the availability of at least 2 translators is besides important. In the case of debates, the optimal number would be 4 people, due to the fact that "translations are dynamic, fast exchanges and the quality of translation drops after 15-20 minutes of translation without interruption".
– With a dynamic exchange of views, it is besides worth dividing translators into roles. There was no specified realization in Poland – I hear from Huczyńska, which shows that this solution works successfully, for example, in the USA.
On the another hand, PZG representatives noted that the only station that presently cares about translating all its content into sign language is... tv Republic.
– abruptly it turned out that this availability could be ensured, although the same people had previously worked on TVP, where it was different," says Krzysztof Kotyniewicz.
– In fact, this work should be for everyone and in all public spaces, due to the fact that the run is just a part of life, which is highly hard for the Deaf in Poland all day. The deficiency of communication, the availability of interpreters, for whom deaf people must pay for themselves, for example in hospitals, and the reluctance to employment people with this disability makes many people into poorness or depression," adds Marta Abramczyk, from whom I learn that it would be an crucial step to recognise sign language as official, especially since the European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on Sign Language Deaf on 17 June 1988.
The resolution calls for all associate States to recognise national sign languages as authoritative deaf languages.
– erstwhile I was in South Korea, I couldn't aid but wonder how many messages in collective transport and urban space were translated into sign language. This is the consequence of the establishment of a Korean sign language in 2016 with an authoritative language for deaf people, equal to Korean. akin solutions have been utilized in South Africa, says Abramczyk.
“And in the heart of Europe, it is hard to ask for anything,” Kotyniewicz said.
"We're going for a better tomorrow"
The deaf do not stay passive. They are organised to draw the attention of decision-makers and society to the discrimination experienced. On Friday 4 April in Warsaw there will be a protest entitled “Głusi – go for a better tomorrow”, during which – as Antoni Nowicki explains to me – 3 main postulates will be presented, consulted within the community and supported by the Polish Deaf Union, and the Association of Translations of Polish Sign Language.
The first concerns financial benefits for g/Deaf who ‘in Poland, they frequently face difficulties in the labour market, due to the "no adjustment of the vocational and educational environment, and even interior wellness and safety regulations". Another is the improvement in accessibility, which assumes the presence of PJM translators in public institutions, offices, medical and educational institutions. “It is essential to supply permanent and free access to PJM translators and mandatory subtitles to all audiovisual materials,” Nowicki emphasises.
– Availability is simply a substance of life and death. The problem for the Deaf, for example, is to call an ambulance. Many people share related stories on the protest organization website Deaf – going for a better tomorrow. We besides know cases of discrimination erstwhile deaf people are active in road accidents. It is rather common practice to blame them for causing an incidental and punishing them with a ticket, even though the blame is not on their side. In court cases, even blinking experts are frequently not called upon. I could number like that forever,” says Abramczyk.
According to Krzysztof Kotyniewicz, sign language is forgotten in the simplest, most urgent, most apparent and all issues. A good example is the coronavirus pandemic, during which no 1 from the government took care of communication in PJM. The wellness minister introduced teleporades, completely forgetting the needs of the Deaf.
“The war in Ukraine showed in turn that the Polish state was incapable to aid deaf refugees. Many of them were turned abroad. It was only after the interventions of NGOs that the helpline was launched. But let's imagine that the war starts with us and the request for evacuation will be signaled mainly soundly – the president of PZG spreads his hands. After a while, he adds that he sees how slow reasoning about the needs of people with disabilities is changing in Poland, but – as he emphasizes – the needs of the deaf people are forgotten.
We are Polish citizens. We just talk another language. See us or come with us – says Krzysztof Kotyniewicz, inviting you to a Friday protest.
**
To 5 presidential candidates or their committees (Karol Nawrocki, Sławomir Mentzen, Rafał Trzaskowski, Magdalena Biejat and Adrian Zandberg) I sent a request for information about reasons why meetings with voters and election programs have no translations on PJM. I have not received an answer so far, I will study on advancement in political criticism. An election run for hearers only? The deaf invitation to protest
