Tens of thousands of Brazilians gathered at Rio de Janeiro's mega-festival Rock in Rio on Friday, with many staking out spots of artificial grass all day to hear Katy Perry. As her music keyed up, enormous screens around the stage showed someone else in their bottom corners—a sign language interpreter. The woman snapped her fingers and swayed, then pumped her arms as the beat gathered force. "It seems like I'm onstage with her, in front of everyone," Laísa Martins told the AP afterward. As Katy Perry belted out her first verse, Martins started signing. It's the first time in its 40-year history that Rock in Rio is featuring sign language interpreters on its big screens. It's a multifaceted, evolving effort:
- The methods: Inside a container backstage, interpreters sign in front of a green screen as their images appear above the stage. Organizers invite dozens of deaf people and their companions into a VIP area, right by the stage and close enough to speakers to feel the music pulsing through their bodies. Rock in Rio is one of the most accessible festivals for deaf people in the world, said its coordinator of plurality, but still works to innovate. Future editions could include vibrating platforms or a product similar to the vibrating vests tested last year. This year was also the first time that Rock in Rio offered audio description earpieces for those with limited vision.
- Change in the law: Interpreters have started popping up at festivals and concerts across Brazil in recent years. Their sudden ubiquity stems from Brazil's 2015 inclusion law that sought to put the country at the forefront of accessibility and establish that people with disabilities have the right to access cultural events while guaranteeing organizers provide means of doing so.
- Part of the show: Some interpreters have drawn the spotlight themselves with their flair and flashy dress, gaining thousands of social media followers. Demand for them is surging so much that many start working before finishing their education. Interpreters convey more than just lyrics, which they study ahead of the show. They dance to the rhythm and pull faces to transmit the music's energy and emotion. That pumps up the crowd, deaf and hearing people alike. "During samba songs, we're dancing samba," one said. "It's just like that."
- The need: In Brazil, 2.3 million people are partially or completely deaf, according to the national statistics institute. But fewer than two-thirds of those who are completely deaf know how to use Brazilian sign language, far fewer among those with some hearing. That's because people opt for cochlear implants, learn only lip-reading, or go deaf later in life. So subtitles could be more effective at transmitting lyrics; Colombian singer Karol G sang so quickly at times Friday night that some words were lost on one interpreter who said he isn't fluent in Spanish.
Henrique Miranda Martins, 24, danced and signed along with the interpreter, often in synchrony, during Brazilian singer Iza's performance on Friday. "I can follow the interpreter, and I'm very happy to be able to feel the music and live this experience," Martins said, per the AP. "For deaf people, it's very important. We can't be outside this here. We need to be inside, with accessibility, together with everyone participating in everything. I'm very happy." It's one of Latin America's biggest festivals, drawing 100,000 people a day over seven days. Sunday is its last day. (More Rio de Janeiro stories.)
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