Sign language interpreting on Chinese TV: a survey on user perspectives

Sign language interpreting (SLI) on television has become a regular and relatively widespread type of media interpreting in China, with over 170 TV channels now airing sign language interpreted programmes daily or weekly. This research surveys the Chinese d/Deaf community on the general reception of these programmes, their comprehension levels and their perspectives on its quality. The research aims at revealing the gap between the programme makers' intentions and the reality experienced by the d/Deaf viewers, as well as examining the possible cross-modality differences in quality perceptions. The survey findings reveal the low ratings of the programmes and any issues with quality, which the authors hope will draw the attention of programme makers and interpreters and help direct resources to the correction of the current status quo, thus truly improving the access of China's 20 million d/Deaf people to information.