By: Ashley Tulio, Communications Specialist The definition of communication is giving, receiving, or exchanging ideas, information, signals, or messages through appropriate media, enabling individuals or groups to persuade, seek information, provide information, or express emotions. When I was in high school, I believed that communication was purely the exchange of words, either through verbal or written means. I wasn’t the strongest student within my English class, nor was I among the strongest presenters. I used…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator Late last year, with the airing of The Mandalorian, Tusken Sign Language was introduced to the public. Accompanied by the unbearable cuteness of ‘Baby Yoda’ and the attention it brought to the Deaf community’s contributions to the film industry, the series and Tusken Sign Language trended online, adding a new member to the family of fictional languages. Fictional languages, familiar to fans of sci-fi and fantasy genres, have a…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator In the past few months, as Canada started vaccinating the first few eligible groups of people against COVID-19, provinces, including Manitoba, have chosen to prioritize Indigenous knowledge keepers for the first batches of jabs. In Ontario, this prioritization applies to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit adults. The policy was well-received by local Indigenous communities, as knowledge keepers serve are vital in preserving their languages and cultures, which, until two…
By: Ashley Tulio, Communications Specialist After a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are still learning to live with the stress, anxiety, fear, frustrations, and uncertainty. People have to constantly adjust to the changes in rules and regulations and adapt to the personal circumstances occurring in their lives. Feeling less productive and having a shorter attention span is common during these times. Research shows that concentration, memory, and cognition suffer when people are under stress…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator Among the thousands of languages spoken in today’s world, only around 100 can be translated using machine translation. When technology really can’t do it all for us, we rely heavily on human translators and interpreters for the huge volume of information exchange that’s happening every day. While thanking them and appreciating their commitment, it’s also important to acknowledge that translation and interpretation are not easy jobs. To honour the…
By: Latha Sukumar, Executive Director And now finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. But as the saying goes “it is darkest before dawn..” We have to keep our marbles about us during this darkest hour of what still seems like a perpetual lockdown. `It has been a while since I reflected on MCIS and how it has weathered this global crisis. In a word, MCIS and its staff have been spectacular….
By: Ashley Tulio, Communications Specialist American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language in which the brain processes linguistic information through the eyes. The movement of the hands, body, and facial expressions all play essential parts in conveying information. In spoken language, emotions and questions can be shown by raising the pitch of voices or adjusting the word order. However, ASL users express emotions and ask questions by raising their eyebrows, widening their eyes, and…
By: Deanna Nemeth, Communications and New Business Development Manager Over the past decade, there has been a push to celebrate women and their achievements on International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8 every year. However, the origins of International Women’s Day date back way earlier, right to the early 20thCentury, and stem from labour and socialist movements. Why, though, are we limited to officially celebrating women on only one day of the year? I…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator We all know it’s hard to learn a new language. Transitioning from one language to another is way more difficult than transitioning from using the system of a Windows PC to that of a Mac laptop. The realm of languages is so vast and diverse that it’s almost impossible for one person to master them all – the about 7,000 languages spoken in today’s world, and the 180 spoken…
By: Cheryl Lu, Social Media Coordinator If there has been one common goal for people all around the globe in the past year, it would be to end the COVID-19 global pandemic. The disease doesn’t discriminate. Since last March, we have witnessed people from all walks of life with different social statuses and cultural backgrounds falling into its trap. A year has passed, and the virus still doesn’t seem to want to stop. What is…
