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<p class="MsoNormal">Eurovision Song Contest will be signed for the first time<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By Bethany Bell BBC News<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> 20 May 2015<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> From the section<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Entertainment & Arts<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Delil Yilmaz and Alice Hu are among the performers translating the performances for a deaf audience<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the first time, the Eurovision Song Contest is being presented for deaf people in International Sign Language.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A team of six deaf artists and two hearing interpreters are performing at the semi-finals and the Grand Final.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Austrian broadcaster ORF said it was inspired by the victory of Conchita Wurst last year to make the contest even more inclusive.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Eurovision is European - so let's make it for the deaf community too," said ORF's Eva-Maria Hinterwirth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"It is always said music is a language that is understood by everyone, so we thought, let's make it reality and bring music closer to deaf people."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The project is all about storytelling, she told the BBC. "The interpreters don't translate the lyrics, they tell stories and convey the emotions behind the songs."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This year's UK entry Electro Velvet have been rehearsing in Vienna ahead of Saturday's grand final<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Delil Yilmaz, a sign language interpreter who can hear, explained his team's approach to the UK's entry,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Still in Love with You<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">, by Electro Velvet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"It's a very energetic song about a man and a woman who are in love. In these three minutes they are proving their love."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"The first twenty seconds of the UK song is only instrumental music, so you can't sign piano or violin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"This is information that is not really necessary for someone who has never heard a tone in their life. You just have to put the emotions behind those instruments into a story," he said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"When I turn to the right, I act like a man, very macho with a beard and when I turn to the left side, I am the woman with make-up and perfume. "<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kathrin Zechner, the managing director of ORF TV, said the deaf performers were not there to steal the show.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"They are supporting and interpreting for the artist and the viewers. They are stars but they are not ego-centric; they're spreading the emotion."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alice Hu, one of the deaf performers, said one of the hardest things was learning how to move in time to the beat.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"You can imagine, I can't hear and I have to feel the rhythm. Delil, the only hearing one, really helped me and told me to move a bit more or less. We worked a lot and had so much fun."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nine countries, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovenia are broadcasting the International Sign Language performances, which will also be live-streamed on<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">eurovision.tv<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">and<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ORF<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">.<o:p></o:p></p>
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