China to standardize sign language, Braille

Updated: 2011-11-11 16:55

(Xinhua)

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BEIJING - China has begun to create national standards for sign language and Braille to be used by more than 30 million deaf and blind people, authorities said on Friday.

The standards are being jointly created by the State Language Commission (SLC) and China Disabled Persons'Federation (CDPF). Officials from the two institutions said they will make a more "scientific and user-friendly" Braille system based on the existing system.

Language experts will revise gestures that are not suitable for expression in Chinese and will standardize other gestures and grammar.

Chinese sign language and Braille existed without a standardized system for many years and vary from region to region in China.

Li Weihong, vice minister of the Ministry of Education and director general of the SLC, said that the creation of the new standards is an important part of the government's language-related work.

The standardization will benefit more than 30 million of the country's deaf and blind people, said Li.

Cheng Kai, deputy director of the SDPF, said the present system cannot adapt to a rapidly developing, information-based society.