Have you ever heard of a silent cafe where you only get coffee with gestures? The initiative kretjrejkretnjo.si, which was designed by the Association of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Associations of Slovenia with the help of Mastercard, shone in the Lolita cafe in Ljubljana. The project not only connects, but also enriches Slovenian sign language, especially in the field of finance. They started by publishing the first financial dictionary for the deaf and with a platform where everyone can contribute to the development of new gestures.
In today's society, words connect us, express thoughts and give us access to information. But what if the language stock is limited? This is how members of the deaf community in Slovenia often feel. Slovenian sign language covers only approx 25,000 gestures, which is much less than the average Slovenian vocabulary, which includes more than 110,000 words in book form, and even more in colloquial language - as many as 500,000. In order to reduce this gap, the Association of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Associations of Slovenia, in cooperation with Mastercard, designed a platform contribute to.si.
How does predijrejkretnjo.si work?
The initiative allows everyone to contribute to the development of new gestures. You can support individual expressions that do not yet exist in the Slovenian sign language through the platform djjejkretnjo.si. In this way, they collect funds for a professional group that will take care of the development of new gestures. The group includes interpreters, Slavists, and members of the deaf community who advocate for the expansion of sign language. Each new gesture will become publicly available in Dictionary of Slovenian Sign Language, which will allow greater accessibility and use of the language.
The first financial dictionary for the deaf
Financial literacy is one of the foundations of modern life, but access to this knowledge is not always equal. According to research conducted by the Mediana Institute in collaboration with the Association of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Associations of Slovenia, most deaf people have problems understanding complex financial concepts, such as interest, taxes or fees. Therefore, in cooperation with Mastercard, they released the first Slovenian financial dictionary for the deaf, with which they want to reduce the lack of financial knowledge and enable greater independence and security in financial tasks. "Greater financial literacy enables greater independence and security," he says Luka Gabrovšek, Country Manager at Mastercard Slovenia.
Cafe Lolita became a "deaf-friendly Mastercard cafe"
In support of the initiative, Mastercard together with Cafe Lolita established a special quiet zone on Cankarjev embankment in Ljubljana, where you can order coffee with gestures until November 15 – "Good afternoon, one coffee please. Thank you.” And the result? Free coffee and a sweet surprise! This simple gesture gives visitors an insight into the world of the deaf, while at the same time raising awareness of the importance of sign language in everyday life.
Financial literacy as a bridge to greater inclusion
The research showed that the majority of deaf people in Slovenia are not financially literate, which can lead to vulnerability to online scams. Only a third of deaf people use an online bank, a third of them store their PIN in an inappropriate way, which exposes them to theft of data and funds. A financial dictionary and financial literacy workshops planned by Mastercard in the future will provide the deaf community with the tools to become more financially confident.
Well-known Slovenians support the project
The prjejjejkretnjo.si project is supported by a number of famous faces, including the former president of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor, who was already one of the key initiators for the entry of Slovenian sign language into the constitution in 2021. They also join in with their support Prices Prevc, influencer Eva Centrich and famous faces of the Slovenian social scene.
Mastercard and efforts towards an inclusive society
Prispevajkretnjo.si is just one of many initiatives that Mastercard supports in the direction of a more inclusive society. Already in 2022, several events and talks dedicated to the inclusion of all social groups were held under the slogan "A table for everyone". In addition, Mastercard financed the interpretation of the musical and theater show "Slovenska Muzka", provided transportation for the deaf and disabled to sports events, and introduced the first Mastercard Touch Card™ payment card, designed with accessibility in mind for the blind and partially sighted.
Importance for the future
S contribute to.si a new chapter in accessibility and inclusion in Slovenian society is opening. The project allows everyone to contribute to the enrichment of sign language, so that deaf people can communicate more easily and confidently in a world that is often not adapted to them. Luka Gabrovšek when presenting the initiative, pointed out: “This is just the beginning. Our goal is to build bridges to an equal future in which everyone has the same opportunities for expression and understanding."
Prispevajkretnjo.si is not just a project, it is a movement that leads Slovenia to a more equal society. As he symbolically said Borut Pahor: "You can imagine, we will create a dictionary like no other, maybe we will even be the first in the world in Slovenia!"
