VOA常速英语:School for the Deaf in Egypt Works to Overcome Obstacles

Sixteen-year-old Esther is one of the lucky few among deaf children in Egypt able to receive a good education despite financial and social obstacles.
16岁的Esther是埃及少数几个聋人幸运儿之一，尽管面临经济和社会双重障碍，她还是能够接受良好的教育。
She completed six years at the Episcopal Churchs Deaf Unit in Cairo and now attends a government high school.
她在开罗的圣公会聋人学校完成了六年的学业，现在就读于一所公立学校。
"School at the Deaf Unit taught me many things, the government school is not as good."
“聋人学校教会我很多东西，公立学校没有那么好。”
At the deaf primary school, students learn the basics, gaining knowledge they will need to communicate with other people, overcome prejudice in society and contribute productively.
在聋人小学，学生们学习基础知识，获得与他人交流、克服社会偏见和做出贡献所需的知识。
"The children learn reading and writing from an academic perspective and then they learn a skill so they can earn a living and not depend on society."
"孩子们从学术的角度学习阅读和写作，然后他们学习一门技能，这样他们就可以谋生，不依赖社会。"
Many of Egypts five million deaf people come from poor and rural areas and have uneducated parents who are unable to speak to their deaf children.
埃及的500万聋人中，有许多来自贫困和农村地区，他们的父母没有受过教育，无法与耳聋孩子说话。
"We teach the parents how to use the sign language and thats good, enable the parents to communicate with their children."
"我们教父母如何使用手语，这很好，使父母能够与孩子沟通。"
Father Clement teaches the children ethics and good conduct.
Clement神父教孩子们思想道德和良好的行为。
He is deaf himself and says he remembers his childhood in Sudan where the deaf were often ignored and marginalized by society.
他自己也是聋人，他说他还记得自己在苏丹的童年，那里的聋人经常被社会忽视和边缘化。
His first-hand knowledge from experience helps him teach with compassion and empathy.
他从经验中获得的第一手知识帮助他以同情心和同理心进行教学。
"Deaf people have a hard time, they often dont want to be taught.They learn from their friends in the cafes and they learn bad habits which causes problems."
"聋人的日子很不好过，他们往往不愿意接受教育。他们从咖啡馆的朋友那里学习，他们学会了不好的习惯，这就造成了问题。"
Teaching at the deaf school requires patience and it also requires sign language.Recruiting teachers with these skills is not always easy.
在聋人学校教学需要耐心，也需要手语。招聘具备这些技能的教师并不总是容易的。
Another stumbling block in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, forced the school to close the boarding section.
2020年的另一个绊脚石-新冠肺炎，迫使学校关闭了寄宿部。
"We used to provide accommodation for these children who come from far away and who cannot afford the transportation every day.
"我们曾经为这些家离学校很远的孩子提供住宿，他们负担不起每天的交通费。
But now because of the pandemic, we were not able to bring them close to each other because this increased the risk of being infected with the virus."
但现在因为疫情，我们无法让他们彼此靠近，因为这增加了被病毒感染的风险。"
Despite these challenges, the school remains open to help prepare these young students for the world.
尽管面临这些挑战，学校仍然开放，帮助这些年轻学生为走向世界做好准备。
Graduates like Esther leave with options and choices.
像Esther这样的毕业生会有更多的选择。
"I like to visit my old teachers and to help young deaf students. When I finish high school, I want to go to college and study home economics."
"我喜欢去看望我的老教师，也喜欢帮助年轻的耳聋学生。等我高中毕业后，我想上大学，学习家政学。"
Most importantly, Esthers education has opened new horizons.
最重要的是，Esther的教育打开了新的视野。