I'm a Deaf Coachella interpreter. We don't just translate lyrics — we put on shows full of art and culture.

• Branton Stewart is a Certified Deaf Interpreter who's signing at Coachella this year.
• Stewart's job isn't just to translate the lyrics — it's to communicate the culture and emotion behind the show.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Branton Stewart, a Certified Deaf Interpreter who will sign at Coachella's music festival this year. It has been edited for clarity.

I'm Branton Stewart, a Certified Deaf Interpreter, and I'm signing at Coachella this year. It'll actually be my first time performing there on stage.

In 2013, Tracy L'Angelle, a hearing interpreter who helps coordinate Coachella's interpreters, called me to be her American Sign Language coach. We worked together to understand how to sign for the music.

Both Deaf and hearing people can be certified or non-certified interpreters

With Deaf people interpreting, they're often performing in their native language. It's important to have Deaf person who's specialized in interpreting who knows how to study, analyze, and translate the lyrics from English to ASL, or from one language to another.

Austin Whitney, the founder of an organization called Accessible Festivals, was in the early discussions about putting Deaf interpreters on the stage at Coachella. Whitney created Accessible Festivals to help make festivals more enjoyable for members of the disability community.

I also own an interpreting business that specializes in Deaf interpreters, called CDI Network, and I'm very excited about their willingness to open their minds and use Deaf interpreters on the stages. I do expect that in the future, we'll see an increasing number of Certified Deaf Interpreters.

Interpreting at events isn't just about translating the words — it's about understanding the performance

With theater, music festivals, and anything like that, I like to have material more than a month in advance, if possible, to study. That lets me study the music, the artists' intention behind the language and behind their lyrics, and their culture. It also lets me understand more about what they mean when they're singing.

It's possible to just take it at face value, but I prefer to interpret it properly and accurately for the audience. That helps them actually understand the point of the music.

In the past, I've seen organizations struggle to get interpreters — both Deaf and hearing — for any public event. But more and more recently, I've been seeing a lot of wonderful Deaf interpreters, or just Deaf attendees, who really enjoy the music.

Many hearing people assume Deaf people don't like music, but that's not true

There are varying degrees of deafness, for example. Some Deaf people can still hear a little bit like music, but it depends on the individual.

It's amazing to see the number of Deaf interpreters increasing at music festivals, concerts, and other events. It's kind of like a Deaf person interpreting for another Deaf person's native language, and I think it's wonderful.

The hearing community may not comprehend the significance of ASL interpreting, especially when they're just sharing videos of interpreters on social media — something that's become a popular practice. Many hearing people actually don't realize that American Sign Language involves a lot of facial expressions and movements. It's not just translating spoken or written words into sign language. It's visually clear.

Our work is very similar to musical artists who sing with their voice

There's tone and frequency with musical artists, and the interpreters try to do that as well. It's just more visual.

Hearing people are likely attracted to watching sign-language performances because they're not normal to them. That's likely why sign performances end up being such a sensation on social media, and ultimately, that's a good thing — it helps expose people to signing at music festivals, which helps make events more accessible.

With more and more Deaf interpreters, we have more people performing in their native language — and that allows so many more people to enjoy the show.