One step forward, two steps back...

Abstract

Even though French Belgian Sign Langage has been legally recognised since 2003, qualified interpreters are still scarce in French-speaking Belgium, and many newly-trained interpreters lack both skill and experience because their training is too short. A full-time academic programme is urgently needed but is constantly delayed for political, financial and philosophical reasons. This paper focuses on the problems that arise in implementing such a course in French-speaking Belgium, and further outlines the obstacles to be overcome in order for the profession of signed language interpreter to be truly recognized.