Catching on the live telecasts of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcements are so important for us during this period of Covid-19 pandemic. However other than our Prime Minister, the one who caught more attentions while watching the speech is the sign language interpreter which shown at the bottom right of the screen.
The sign language interpreter, Tan Lee Be was being a topic among the public since her presence on the press briefing of Prime Minister. Some netizens laughed at her by saying that she was playing TikTok behind the Prime Minister because of her hand movements and facial expressions.
▼ Here’s a viral post of Twitter user telling that Tan Lee Bee is a sign language interpreter who already has long experience actually.
Siapakah Tan Lee Bee yang sering diketawakan bermain TikTok disebelah Perdana Menteri? Jurubahasa isyarat yang berkhidmat lebih 25 tahun di RTM, Lee Bee memulakan kerjayanya menerusi program Selamat Pagi Malaysia (SPM) pada 1986. pic.twitter.com/vt5shPwiVE
— Isskandar #StayAtHome 🇲🇾 (@IsskndarAriffin) May 12, 2020
Tan Lee Bee works as a sign language interpreter on Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) news broadcasts for over 25 years. The 58-year-old woman started her career from signing for the programme Selamat Pagi Malaysia (SPM) in 1986.
“It was the first TV programme in Malaysia that aired early in the morning and they need quick news interpreters so that the deaf and mute community could understand the content while watching,” Tan Lee Bee said in an interview of Harian Metro.
Tan Lee Bee is fluent in Bahasa Malaysia because she grew up in Segamat, Johor. She learnt sign language by communicating with her sibling who is deaf.
According to the report of Berita Harian, Tan didn’t take any formal training when she started working at RTM.
Since the SPM morning programme was ended in 1988, the Welfare Association of Ministers’ Wives (BAKTI) gave Tan a one-year scholarship for advancing skills in the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the University of Tennessee in United States.
She had been teaching for a few years after coming back to Malaysia and in 1995, she decided to return to RTM as a full-time sign language interpreter until now.
“What we do with our roles might seem small, yet I am happy with this responsibility because we can help the deaf community to get the accurate information, “ Tan shared.
She added, “Hand movements, facial expressions, and body language are required to be in line with what is being read and I need to think quickly to meet the standards of Malaysian Sign Language.”
▼ The Malaysian Sign Language wrote a post on Facebook recently. They said that it was very inappropriate to those who laughed at Tan signing like playing TikTok. “Please be aware and shouldn’t make it as a joke. Respect us as you respect your parents! “
Netizens’ responses:
Source: Berita Harian