STA, 30 March 2021 - Natalija Spark, an interpreter of the Slovenian sign language and a psychotherapist, has become the Slovenian Woman of the Year 2020, a title conferred by the women's magazine Jana/Zarja and its readers.
Having a connection with the hearing world is particularly important for the deaf during the coronavirus epidemic, the organisers said in a press release last evening.
Spark was born to deaf parents, which played a major part when she was choosing her vocation - helping others, the organisers said.
She also takes part in Theatre Interpreter, a project launched a few years ago to bring theatre productions closer to the deaf.
Thanking for the title, Spark said that she saw all the 12 candidates as winners.
"For me this unforgettable gift confirms that I am doing the right thing, although it is often unpleasant," she was quoted as saying.
The list of women whom the magazine and its readers shortlisted as outstanding and inspiring features a group as diverse as an art historian, farmer, boxing champion, retired teacher, volunteer, athlete, doctor, journalist, humanitarian workers, and nurses as a group.
