Talking Hands earns criticism

Talking Hands was featured on Die Höhle der Löwen on Monday. As a result, affected people and activists accused the start-up of misrepresenting parts of German sign language.

Whoever takes part in Die Höhle der Löwen doesn't always know what the outcome will be: Investment, rejection, harsh judgment from the jury or even a shitstorm. Frankfurt start-up Talking Hands has also experienced this. They were on the show on Monday and did not receive an investment. But a lot of criticism. Why? Talking Hands has developed small books with visualized signs in German Sign Language (DGS). After their appearance on the show, affected people and activists criticized the founders on social media for using the wrong signs in their little books.

When confronted with the accusations, the founders explained to the FAZ that the whole thing was a misunderstanding: the signs shown were not part of German sign language, but of sign-supported communication (SAC), which is primarily used by people with a language learning disability or Down syndrome. "Deaf people are not our target group at all," explains founder Maria Möller. On the Talking Hands website, however, there is also a section for sign language, which is visibly aimed at those affected or anyone who wants to learn to sign.

The activist and author Julia Probst picked out individual signs on Twitter that were wrong: "The two don't speak #signlanguage. This also explains why the books contain incorrectly executed signs," she writes. One example is the word "television", which can no longer be found under the heading GUK or DGS, but can be found via the search window.

The two founders Möller and Laura Mohn also worked together with social pedagogues and specialist staff from an integrated daycare center to create the books, writes the FAZ. It is therefore to be hoped that those affected or experts in German sign language were among them.