Delano,  24.05.2017 • MARTINE HUBERTY

"On Monday 22 May 2017, minister Cahen submitted a bill to parliament to make German sign language an official language of the grand duchy of Luxembourg. The bill will give deaf or hard of hearing the right to an interpreter when they deal with state administrative bodies, if approved.

It will also state the right for every deaf or hard of hearing child to attend classes in sign language in primary and secondary school, whether in a specialised or at an ordinary school. (..)

The bill states that sign language is different from the language (LUG) currently being taught in Luxembourg schools. Sign languages evolved naturally and have not been “invented” by any one person. (..)

The German sign language was chosen because the current “Deutsche Gebärdensprache” (DSG) is used by the majority of the community, and follows the recommendations by Daaflux and experts and NGOs in the field.

New personnel needed

Currently there are only two professional interpreters of sign language in Luxembourg. This means that more personnel needs to be trained. One training course lasts at least 430 hours. The bill foresees therefore that the right for deaf or hard of hearing children to attend an ordinary school enter into force a year later than the rest of the bill, to be able to train enough staff."

"Sign Language Legislation in the European Union", Wheatley, M., A. Pabsch., Edition II. Brussels, EUD, 2012: 

"There is no law in Luxembourg, which mentions sign language explicitly. The critical language situation makes it difficult for sign language to be legally accepted as a minority language, or otherwise be mentioned in legislation."