INTERPRETERS
 
BSL as a native language

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Sometimes a third party may be necessary to facilitate communication between deaf and hearing. This may be the case in circumstances such as deaf students attending university.

Sitting in lectures a deaf student may find it difficult to understant what the lecturer is saying and even if they are able to lip read they may have to do so from a distance which makes an already tiring activity much more demanding. However, there are lots of options avaiable to them. The lecture theatre may have an induction loop installed. Alternatively, they may employ an interpreter or note taker. It is important to remember that not every deaf person uses sign languge and so an interpreter is not the answer to every situation. The deaf perosn should always be consulted.

Option available:

BSL OR SSE Interpreter

There are many different forms of sign language (for more informatiom click here) and it is essential that if an interpreter is used to aid communication, that the interpreter is using that person's sign language preference. British Sign Language and Sign-Supported English are the main forms of sign language used in England today.

BOOKING AN INTERPRETER

There are two methods of booking an interpreter: they may be booked through an agency of directly.   ASLI (ASSOCIATION OF SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS) produces a Directory of its Licensed and Associate Interpreter members thus making it possible to book an interpreter direct; in addition the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) submits the Register of British Sign Languge/ English Interpreters through the Independent Registration Panel (IRP)and also produces a directory of their Registered Interpreters. (6)

You should give as much information as possible to the agency or interpreter when you make the booking.  

What you need to know before contacting the agency/interpreter:

  • Date and time of the event including start and finish times.
  • Full address of where the event is to take place including directions/map.
  • Contact name and telephone number of the person making the booking and the event venue.  
  • The nature of the event.
  • How many people are going to be involved in the event, including the numbers of Deaf and hearing people who will be present and the requirements that they have.  This may mean that more than one interpreter needs to be booked
  • Any other information that will assist the agency/interpreter, e.g. if a female interpreter is required for reasons of privacy or decency, or if a person has a visual impairment.
  • Agree fee/costs.
  • COSTS

The cost payable depends on a number of factors including:

  • If you book an interpreter yourself or through an agency.
  • The nature of the assignment.
  • The times and duration of the assignment.
  • The qualifications and experience of the interpreter.
  • The mileage/travel expenses occurred can vary.

 

10   THE DUTY TO PROVIDE A BSL/ENGLISH INTERPRETER

ASLI was a key contributor to the guidance issued by the Disability Rights Commission on the duty to provide a British Sign Language/English Interpreter under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.  This is for employers, trade organisations and service providers.  This guidance is available at the Disability Rights Commission website at

http://www.drc-gb.org/publicationsandreports/publicationhtml.asp?id=296&docsect=0&section=0

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An interpreter is someone who is (at least) bilingual but also has the ability and training to be able to work between two languages and facilitate communication between people. As a trained interpreter you can become an Associate or Licensed member of ASLI although you do not have to be an interpreter to become either an individual or corporate affiliate of ASLI. Those enrolled on a training course which is recognised by ASLI may Join ASLI as Student members.
1. Those who are acquiring theoretical knowledge in accordance with the national interpreting standards and have the equivalent of NVQ 3 BSL can register as Junior Trainee Interpreters (JTI) with CACDP via Independent Registration Panel (IRP). JTIs are eligible to join as Associate Members of ASLI when they have successfully completed an approved course.

2. Those who have proven knowledge in accordance with the national interpreting standards and the equivalent of NVQ 4 BSL can register as Trainee interpreters (TI with IRP/CACDP) and are eligible to join as Associate Members of ASLI if they have successfully completed an approved course

3. Those that have proven knowledge meeting the national interpreting standards, NVQ 4 BSL and proven practical interpreting meeting the national interpreting standards are eligible to be Licensed Members of ASLI (LASLI) and are eligible to apply to the Independent Registration Panel (IRP) to become Members of the Register of Sign Language Interpreters (MRSLI).

 

LIP- SPEAKERS

 

 

 

 

 

There are other forms of communication that a Deaf person may prefer:

  • Sign Supported English
  • Lip speakers
  • Note takers
  • Speech-to-text reporters
  • Electronic note-takers
  • Deafblind Communicator Guides and Interpreters

 

http://www.equality.leeds.ac.uk/dis-serv/news/sw/ntskills/

Working as a note-taker
It is common for deaf and hearing impaired students to employ the support of a professional person to enable them to gain fuller access to the classroom environment, e.g. note-takers, sign language interpreters, or lip- speakers.

The note-takers role is to facilitate communication for deaf students using the written word. This means that the note-taker attempts to note all information, including lecture content, asides, class discussion/comments and any contribution the hearing impaired student would like to make. In effect they aim to produce the equivalent of live subtitles.

Note-takers also work with students with other needs, for example, dyslexic, visually impaired or mobility impaired students. Although the needs of these students are different to those of deaf students, the main function of the professional note-taker remains the same.

It is generally accepted that a good set of notes is one of the keys to academic achievement. Students who are unable to take their own notes because of a disability can therefore be at a serious disadvantage unless they have access to a trained and impartial note-taker.

The number of students needing this service has increased considerably in the last few years and students are now more aware of what they want from a note-taker. It is essential that they are working with someone who can be relied upon to turn up on time, act in a professional manner and take a good quality set of notes that are well structured, legible and accurate. A note-taker should not only have these skills but also be flexible enough to work in a range of situations and with a variety of students. This might include, for example, working with deaf students who cannot lip-read/watch an interpreter and take their own notes at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

http://scotland.ideasfactory.com/performance/features/feature45.htm

TALKING HANDS

For a deaf audience, the sign language interpreter is the voice of the stage. They deliver the vocal line of any performance, from Shakespeare to pantomime to stand-up comedy.

Aside from translating, they have to contend with pre-show nerves, shaky hands, and the white knuckle mania of live comedy. Catherine King has spent several years interpreting for the Scottish stage. She gives Lesley Hart a slice of her hands on experience...


In the spotlight

Lifting your hands in the spotlight is a scary business, even for the most seasoned sign language interpreter. Any performer will know that "shaky hand" is the first sign of stage nerves. In most cases the hands are not the focal point. Actors in a play may be able to avoid using their hands in the first moments of being on stage, but for Catherine that's not an option.

"In that first minute you have to find a hook to get you into the performance. I love it when you have to walk on early and say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure all mobile phones are switched off'. I love those bits because that lets me raise my hands in the spotlight for a really technical thing, it's not part of the performance - just a wee piece of information, and that breaks it."

Time of the signs

BSL interpreters don't just appear on stage and wing it. They have to thoroughly prepare for each performance. "I go and view the show a couple of days earlier. I take the script with me and make notes. I time it – when does it start, when's the break, when can we swap over (if there's another interpreter). I also think about timing if there's humour involved, I listen for the laughs - no-one really taught me that, I had to figure it out for myself.

"An interpreter works usually about five or six seconds behind speech, that's their processing time. So on a stage, if a joke comes big and it gets a big laugh, if the interpreter's more than two seconds behind, the deaf people will be wondering why everybody's laughing because they haven't seen the joke yet. So you have to think about timing - is there a way that I can memorise those lines so I can see them coming?"

Three dimensional

"You have to then make decisions about, whether to edit that bit, or is there a way I can produce it in the language which encapsulates most of the information, but is very quick.

Fortunately sign language can do that quite often because it works on three dimensions. I can have emotion on my face, information on my hands, and the next piece of information - say, another emotional response - on my shoulders. So if you work hard and really think it through, you can produce two or three emotions within a couple of seconds of each other, which means you can get to the joke more quickly.

Found in translation

Traditionally, most sign language interpreters grew up with deaf parents. Catherine was a rare exception. "I was about 17 and I spotted somebody signing in the street, and I just thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I got into it from there. I just kept doing courses. You have to work really hard to get courses in Scotland - it's not that easy."

"There's an organisation called the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) – they run stage one and stage two courses - and that's from scratch. You can do them in Scotland - you just have to pay for them. Another option is to go through the SVQ system (Scottish Vocational Qualifications) - that will give you an equivalent qualification.

Sign posts

"If you want to be an interpreter you have to have stage one and stage two, or the equivalent. Then one of the routes is to apply to Heriot Watt University and do a part time two year certificate in interpreting studies and skills in BSL and English.

Once that's complete, you can apply to the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI) – they're the professional body. If you get into SASLI, you then do another batch of assessments as an interpreter - each one you pass you move on, if you fail you go back."

All in the interpretation

As a qualified freelance BSL interpreter, Catherine enjoys an eclectic range of work, interpreting for deaf people in the theatre, at conferences, in the health sector and in court. Members of SASLI are now given regular training on the skills necessary for each area of work.

Signed Performances in Theatre (SPIT) recently ran a one day theatre training event in Scotland. "They teach you it's not necessarily about putting out lots and lots of words. It's about concepts and the feel of the show, and atmosphere. Even if you can't hear it properly or you falter in the interpretation, they know the aim of the show."

Role reversal

The BSL interpreter is becoming a familiar sight on the Scottish stage, especially now that the Disability Discrimination Act requires that interpretation for the deaf is provided. But few of us will have seen deaf people perform their own theatre. "

What I'd love to see is more deaf people performing, because at the moment I only work into BSL and out of English, but a couple of years ago there was a guy called Rob Roy who came out over from Australia and he did a stint at the Edinburgh festival and he was an Auslan user. He did his whole performance in sign language and did very broad, funny visual stuff. My colleague Yvonne Strain was the voice over for it. That's a different challenge."

Izzard inspiration

Watching deaf people perform has inspired new career ambitions in Catherine. "If you'd asked me what my dream (stage) job was two years ago, I'd have said working for Eddie Izzard, but that's not my dream job any more. I think my dream job would be working for a deaf person who has carved out a career as big as Eddie Izzard using BSL. And I'd be their 'into English' interpreter - that's my dream job at Wembley, or make it Murrayfield since we're in Scotland."