Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 12655 | 21 June 2011

Support for a European sign language dictionary on the Internet

Signatories: Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Tina ACKETOFT, Sweden, ALDE ; Mr Lennart AXELSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Lokman AYVA, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Mikael CEDERBRATT, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Andres HERKEL, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Mats JOHANSSON, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Ms Kerstin LUNDGREN, Sweden, ALDE ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Mikael OSCARSSON, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Christos POURGOURIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Janusz RACHOŃ, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Lord John E. TOMLINSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Özlem TÜRKÖNE, Turkey, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Assembly, in its Recommendation 1598 (2003) on Protection of sign languages in the member states of the Council of Europe, especially paragraph 10 vii., recommends that the Committee of Ministers encourage member states to utilise the new technologies and make them available to deaf people.

Sign language, just like spoken languages, is different all over the world. Sign language is the first language for a deaf person and the mother tongue would be their second.

A visual dictionary of sign language on the Internet would contribute to increase the possibilities for a common future labour market for deaf professionals in Europe. It would help deaf students in vocational training, deaf and hard of hearing at work, sign language interpreters and vocational teachers for deaf.

Individual and international sign language dictionaries are available in various countries but none that take such a comprehensive approach as the web-based tool “Spread the sign” [(1) www.spreadthesign.com]. It contains 14 languages in 2011.

Therefore, the Assembly asks the Committee of Ministers to encourage the member states of the Council of Europe to co-operate internationally with regard to develop and expand the visual sign language dictionary on the Internet.