The art of interpreting songs in sign language

At first glance, it looks like they are dancing and moving their hands and arms, but their work goes far beyond translating a song into sign language.

The LSPR interpreters at the concert “Yo no me quiero ir de aquí” (“I don’t want to leave here”) by the reggaetón star Bad Bunny have gone viral on social media for the rhythm and flavor they bring to their performances.

Two of them, Emely Fontánez, 28, y Paola Pérez, 26, both from National Interpreters Puerto Rico, spoke with Platea and told us how they were received by the audience after participating in the concerts—noting that there were deaf people at all three performances—and how the art of interpreting a song in LSPR works.

📚 How did they prepare to interpret the concert at LSPR?

Ideally, interpreters should have the list of songs that will be played at the concert in advance so that they can study them. In this case, they did not have that list until an hour before the concert began, which was a great challenge, especially for the first performance.

However, since National Interpreters Puerto Rico learned on July 7 that it would be one of four companies interpreting the concerts at the Residencia in LSPR, the interpreters began studying the songs of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, keeping in mind that the focus would be on his latest album, Debí tirar más fotos.

“We divided the songs among the team and began to study them. This song: what is it about? Is it a sad song? Is it a song about heartbreak? Why did the artist really write that song? Then, we go verse by verse, line by line, conceptualizing from Spanish, in this case Bad Bunny, to sign language, because sign language has a different grammar,” Emely explained.

In the case of songs with metaphors, Paola explained that they analyze the message behind each one. She gave the example of the phrase “my heart is on fire,” which they do not interpret literally, but rather sign “I am in love” so that the message of the song is understood in LSPR.

🔢 How many people are needed to interpret a concert in LSPR?

In this case, each performance has had three interpreters working together. When one interprets, there is another in front anticipating what the song might say, so they help each other to make the interpretation as clear and accurate as possible.

One of the interpreters printed out almost all of Bad Bunny’s lyrics so they would be available in case they were sung.

“It’s a lot of mental and physical strain” to do a job like this, said Emely, who was exhausted after interpreting the concert.

🙌 Why interpret concerts in sign language?

“The importance of having sign language interpreters is that we are practically there as a bridge of communication… Really, we have the same function as a ramp: we are accessibility,” explained Emely.

The LSPR interpreter added that “we all have the right to enjoy art,” especially knowing that Puerto Rican culture is expressed so much through music.

🤬 Do you filter out the “bad words” in the songs?

“Deaf people have the right to enjoy it in the same way that we as listeners do. If what you hear is vulgar, it’s going to come across as vulgar because, clearly, you have to interpret what you hear and not put filters on it to soften things. It is what it is. It’s simply accessibility,” explained Paola.

Emely pointed out that in LSPR “there are bad words too. It’s a language like any other, and these are words from Puerto Rico.” Therefore, in a song like Safaera, the message is conveyed as it is.

“I am the bridge. I forget that I am Emely, I forget that I am a teacher. My mom and dad know that I am working. And, literally, it’s about conveying the message as it is,” she added.

What is Puerto Rican deaf culture like?

For Gabriel Cuadrado, a 22-year-old graphic designer who belongs to the deaf community, there is a “Puerto Rican deaf culture” that, like our Puerto Rican culture, is made up of people who “have a lot of energy and good vibes.”

Gabriel Cuadrado, graphic designer and member of the deaf community.

“We are a community that pitches in to support each other, and that is something very Puerto Rican. It is something I feel, appreciate, and am proud of that identity I have accepted,” Gabriel said in an interview with Platea.

For him, it is important “not to tell deaf people that they cannot achieve certain things.” On the contrary, “as a deaf person, I know that I can achieve anything I set my mind to and not be inferior to other people… I want to tell (other deaf people) that they can do it, and that is something very significant and cultural in the deaf community of Puerto Rico.”

🫶 How has the deaf community welcomed interpreters at concerts?

Gabriel said that his concert experience has been transformed by having an LSPR interpreter.

Without an LSPR interpreter, “it’s not like I’m involved in the same enjoyment that everyone else is having,” Gabriel said.

“When we have the LSPR interpreter, I can see the stage, the audience, everyone is connected, I can also connect with the singer’s message and understand those songs. That’s where I connect with the message and the intention,” Gabriel said.

🎶 Since when has the Choliseo had interpreters?

At the end of March, the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (the “Choli”) launched the first phase of the “Sign Language at the Choli” project to make entertainment more accessible and inclusive for people with hearing impairments, who number more than 150,000 in Puerto Rico, or 4.7% of the population, according to the 2021 Census.

This initiative is part of the Sign Check project and allows for a strategic space to be set aside at the Choli for the deaf community with preferential visibility toward LSPR interpreters, so that they can enjoy concerts in the designated area.

Challenges that persist. Although deaf people are placed in a specific area, they are sometimes far from the interpreters, so they cannot necessarily see clearly what is being said, especially if the deaf person has vision problems, said Emely and Paola.

Another challenge is lighting, which is sometimes poor and does not allow for clear viewing of the interpretation. “There are many things that are being refined over time,” said Paola.