1) Basic Sign Language

Date: August 11, 2015
Location: Taipei Fuhsing Private School

During the course of the research project, we would have various opportunities to meet with the deaf athletes. Therefore, the teacher invited Ms. Hui-ju Kung from the counseling center to give us a special lesson on sign language, so that we would be able to better communicate with the hearing-impaired persons. Ms. Kung told us to speak slowly and look directly in the eyes of the other person while talking to them, as some of them might need to read our lips to facilitate understanding.

Next, Ms. Kung taught us several basic words in sign language. For example, pointing the thumb at oneself means "I"; sliding the forefinger from one's nose to the cheek and then putting one's thumb up as in "thumbs up" stands for "Dad". Ms. Kung then asked us to guess the gesture for "Mom". A student asked whether if it was to put the thumb upside down as in "thumbs down", which caused all of us to roar with laughter. Ms. Kung then explained smilingly that the gestures for "Mom" and "Dad" were actually very similar; instead of putting the thumb up, we put the little finger up for "Mom". She added that this might be related to patriarchy, or male dominance, in early Taiwanese traditions. After such an interesting explanation, all of us remember the sign gestures for "Mom" and "Dad" vividly.

From this lesson, we began to appreciate the value of the hearing ability we often take for granted, and the importance of protecting our ears. This class also opened our eyes to the beauty and wonders of sign language, and helped to make our interview with the Deaf Women's Basketball Team more successful. At the end of the lesson, everyone thanked the teacher in sign language that we just learned. From this lesson, we understood the inconvenience of the hearing-impaired. We admire the perseverance of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team even more. Thank you, Ms. Kung, for giving us such a valuable extended learning lecture.

2) Television Station Tour

Date: August 3, 2015
Location: TVBS Station in Neihu

We were honored to visit TVBS television station under the lead of Ms. Kai-wen Chuang, a famous news anchor. After we entered the magnificent building, we were immediately attracted by the various TV screens on the walls of the lobby. Ms. Chuang told us these were programs produced by TVBS, including news, sports, entertainment, drama, etc.

Ms. Chuang then led us to the news studio, where live news can be broadcasted here around the clock. Through the large glass panel, we could see clearly what was going on inside. There were only the news anchor and the video photographer; the director actually monitored the process by communicating with the anchor through the earphone. In addition to the anchor's desk, there was also a large touchscreen on the wall, on which news video clips could be played with just at a slight touch of the finger.

Next, we went upstairs and visited the sub control room, where Ms. Chen, the director, introduced the functions for us. We were so dazzled at the numerous screens in the room, and began to admire the staff working here for their multi-tasking ability. It was amazing to see them operating so many machines at the same time while receiving feedbacks from the headsets and processing live broadcasts.

We learned that an anchor has to articulate clearly and also to rise up to various situations and challenges. Thank you, Ms. Chuang, for unveiling the secrets behind the news studio and gave us an insider tour. This visit opened our eyes to a different profession; perhaps we might become future anchors ourselves!