Would you mind to use correct term please? Correct term is Jurubahasa BIM (BIM interpreter), instead of Jurubahasa Isyarat (Sign Language Interpreter).

It is really very important to use correct term. I have seen wrong terms in mass media and it will cause people think that every interpreter in Malaysia masters 200 sign languages which is not true.

Nobody here in Malaysia or other countries is expert to evaluate interpreters for 200 sign languages.

I could not understand why media keeps using this “sign language interpreter” when the term is not correct.

Government officers will not understand that Malaysian Deaf is capable to communicate in BIM only, not 200 sign languages. People misunderstand that KTBM is a sign language, which is not true too. If we keep promising “sign language interpreter”, the government will say,

Since it is “sign language”, so why not we take sign language from Japan, UK, Australia, Hong Kong for the Deaf students. All sign languages are just same thing. Everyone uses hands.

Well. If people have this perspective, they would consider that sign language in Malaysia is low. At the time, our young Deaf students will suffer because of bad terms we use. The students would not be able to understand how BIM can be their identity. History will only repeat itself.

When we even ask the government to stop using KTBM in the special education for the Deaf and they will reply: KTBM is a sign language also because Deaf students use hand to communicate.

Like that, we are wasting time for advocate work because we did not do it properly.

So MFD has this very important responsibility to promote correct terms, especially when dealing with the government and media. Now almost 20 years already since the establishment, Deaf community and the public should have known the term BIM. However, it was not the case.

Since Deaf community is not well educated about BIM, and they could not advocate for their rights to use BIM in Malaysia, this one we definitely can’t blame them because they did not receive proper exposure about BIM.

There are a few Deaf people deny that they are using BIM but they are using KTBM. When I took a look at their communication, they are using BIM that’s for sure.

Look at this situation. Quite bad! Deaf people did not know that they are actually communicating in BIM all time. If they don’t know BIM is their language, how come we will be able to advocate ?

What important is that to gather more Deaf people to work together towards a better future. If we work solo, it does not go anywhere when there are so many disagreement in the Deaf community.

Let’s use correct term so that everyone in the Deaf community and the general public will understand Deaf people better. They will understand that Deaf people use BIM, not random sign language. Every country, Deaf people have their own local/national sign language. In this case, it will be always BIM, not “sign language”. So we need to make it clearer and help to speed up the recognition of BIM in Malaysia, especially the government’s knowledge.

BIM interpreter / Jurubahasa BIM

Malaysian Sign Language Interpreter / Jurubahasa Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia.

For example, I need an BIM interpreter to be present in this conference so that I will be able to have full participation.

If you use “sign language interpreter”, which sign language do you refer? I don’t want JSL, Auslan, BSL, LSF and so on because I am not fluent in all these languages. I am fluent in BIM only.


You are all okay with the use of “sign language” / “bahasa isyarat” but we are not okay with these sentences.

1) Ibu bapa saya bertutur dalam bahasa isyarat di rumah.
2) Abang saya tidak pernah ambil kursus bahasa isyarat. Sebab itu dia tidak fasih dalam bahasa itu.
3) My parents took a sign language course.
4) My teacher teaches us how to communicate in sign language.)


If you still think that “sign language” is right term to use, so I am sure you would agree the sentences below make sense to you after I removed “sign” / “isyarat” in each sentence.

1) Ibu bapa saya bertutur dalam bahasa di rumah.
2) Abang saya tidak pernah ambil kursus bahasa. Sebab itu dia tidak fasih dalam bahasa itu.
3) My parents took a language course.
4) My teacher teaches us how to communicate in language.


If we use correct term for spoken languages, it would make better information.

1) Ibu bapa saya bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris di rumah.
2) Abang saya tidak pernah ambil kursus bahasa Arab. Sebab itu dia tidak fasih dalam bahasa itu.
3) My parents took Malay language course.
4) My teacher teaches us how to communicate in French.


If we use correct term for sign languages, it would make better information.

1) Ibu bapa saya bertutur dalam ASL di rumah.
2) Abang saya tidak pernah ambil kursus BIM. Sebab itu dia tidak fasih dalam bahasa itu.
3) My parents took Auslan course.
4) My teacher teaches us how to communicate in JSL.

So now would you please consider using right terms.

Show your support towards Deaf community!

This concern is shared on social media on 5 November 2021.
Please feel free to contact: Anthony Chong. Email: anthonychong123@gmail.com; Telegram: https://t.me/anthonychong123


PDF copy can be found here.