Pokémon and Sign Language

There is a night news program where I am that for about a year or so has added a sign language interpreter on screen to assist those with hearing impairments, following the trend of other similar programs on other channels. I don't know much about sign language, particularly when local variants are involved, but I can sense their linguistic properties as with ordinary spoken and written language. And since I'm a Pokémon fan, I'm compelled to think about this topic with Pokémon in tow, particularly how one can relate to the other.

Considering the games, there is really not much to consider. The games are highly visual and utilize written language, which hardly need to be signed - the interpreter I mentioned above similarly doesn't sign anything written that appears on the screen when long stretches of those appear. In the most extreme case, it may be possible for one to ask how the cries of Pokémon might be visualized, and this may be signed appropriately to illustrate certain perceptions; this would still be uncommon and unusual.

The one thing about Pokémon that may need to be signed is the anime, in the case that written captions are unavailable for an odd reason or another; here, the local dub has no captions, and therefore signing the dialogue could very well be an option. While it is not likely that the broadcast itself will be signed as with the news program, it may be possible to sign a recorded replay if one knows where to look for it with a physical interpreter. In fact, it may be better to sign this as the pace of the anime could be quite rapid and interpreter and viewer alike may need to take the time to take in everything.

That just leaves the question of "what" and "how" to sign. The names of Pokémon, which are often referred to, may be the hardest to sign, as they may not resemble standard language. But it may still be possible to sign what they resemble, or the actual names themselves according to standard language if they are close enough. The same would be true of specific terms such as moves, but most of these are close to natural language anyway, there wouldn't be much of an issue. The rest would follow standard signing rules and suggestions, which is outside the scope of this post.

Sign language and Pokémon are two things that don't necessarily go together, but in some cases they may very well have to. The games don't really require signing except for one small part in a rather remote case, but as with the television news broadcast, the anime may benefit from this if push comes to shove. The right ways of signing, even for the esoteric language elements that Pokémon has, should be able to make things come to life for those who need a way of seeing the things that one may not be able to hear, which can only be a good thing.

One year ago: A Daily Pokémon Routine

Two years ago: Missing Ranger

Three years ago: 3DS Pokémon Badges