Aplicativos móveis para intérpretes educacionais de LIBRAS e suas contribuições à formação continuada e à polivalência da prática destes profissionais

Abstract

This research regards the mobile apps for educational Sign Language interpreters and their contribution to the continuous education and the versatility of the practice of these professionals. The general objective is to analyse the relation between these mobile apps in regards to the limits and the possibilities in the practice and continuous education of the educational interpreters, as well as the proposed contributions by one specific mobile app for these professionals in the state of Pernambuco for the effective support to the deaf community in this context. The specific objectives are: to check the limits and the possibiliteis of these Sign Language mobile apps in the solution of the difficulties related to the multipurpose for the practice of the educational interpreters; and to evaluate the perception of the Sign Language interpreters as per the importance of the mobile apps in regards to the multipurpose aspect in its practice and at the continuous education. To support this research, we used as theoretical basis the authors such as: Quadros (2004), Simões (2015), Dias et al. (2021), Albres (2017), Kelm (2021), Lacerda (2009), among others. Through this study, a prototype of an educational mobile app was developed, with basis to strengh the continuous education of the interpreters and to support the multipurpose practice. A descriptive exploratory study was done under a qualitative approach and to obtain the data, a semi-strutured questionaire was prepared and sent to 60 interpreters, of which, 20 ones were our sample for this study. The data showed that only 5% of the interpreters have specific graduation in the area (bachalor’s degree in Literacy and Sign Language), 50% have degree, 25% are under graduation, 10% have bachelor’s degree in another area and 10% did not inform. Among the 20 participants, 60% know any mobile app in Sign Languague and have used the mobile app to solve doubts and to know the signs, on the other hand, 40% informed no information of any mobile app. As for the usefulness of the applicative in practice, 25% answered that it helps, 30% mentioned that it reasonably helps a little or not, and 45% do not use it; 30% assure the mobile app meets their needs, 25% does not meet their needs, and 45% did not answer. As per the data, we argue that one educational mobile app that contains regional signals of the subjects, does represent a reasonable support to the interpreters at their multipurpose practice and one opportunity to strengh the specific education in the area. Even though there is specific education among the participants, indeed, these knowledges are not for the educational practice purposes in a more specific manner. The conclusion is that, through this Sign Language mobile app, the interpreters may work in a resolutive manner due to the multipurpose and the difficulties in relation to the terms that the subjects do not have signals or that are known, therefore, the educational interpreter is relevant in the area, in fact that, by him, the content of the educational and learning processess occur in a more effective and safer ways.