British Sign Language (BSL)

BSL is the preferred language for many Deaf people living in Britain. More than 250,000 Deaf people use BSL as their first language with a further 120,000 hearing people using it as a means to communicate with Deaf friends, colleagues or family members. It is therefore more widely used than Welsh or Gaelic and its popularity is continuing to grow.

BSL was finally recognised as a British language by the UK government in March 2003. However it has still not been granted legal protection, and therefore BSL users are still not legally obliged to have full access to information in the required format.

It is therefore up to organisations to ensure that they are fully accessible and, more importantly, welcoming, for Deaf people.

Provide Deaf Awareness training and BSL courses to as many of your staff as possible (and across departments, not just Front of House), provide marketing materials and signage in simple, plain English and organise BSL Interpretation for a range of events.

Arts About Manchester can offer support and advice on all of these things. Click here for our list of BSL Interpreters.

Five Steps to Booking a ‘Terp

Step One: Act Quickly
As soon as you are aware that you will need an interpreter at your meeting, performance or event you should book one. Don’t put it off until tomorrow, even if the event isn’t for months, as there is a shortage of qualified interpreters.

Trying to book last minute may result in unintentionally excluding Deaf participants.

Step Two: Find A Favourite
If you have contact details for the Deaf people who are attending your event, ask them if they have a preferred interpreter. This is often the case and booking a favoured interpreter can have a hugely positive impact on your event. Similarly, if you are planning a Signed performance or event in your venue, ask previous bookers who they prefer.

Interpreting for a creative event such as a play or a guided tour is very different to interpreting for a meeting or conference.

 Therefore participants may have a number of favourites depending on the event.

Step Three: Double Up
When booking an interpreter for a one to one meeting, it is generally okay to book one interpreter.

However if you are preparing for a long meeting (more than an hour), or with lots of people (more than five) you should book two interpreters to share the work.

This is the case even when there is only one Deaf person attending. If unsure ask an Interpreter for advice.

Step Four: Send a Brief
If you have acted quickly, then there should be plenty of time to send a brief with any relevant materials to the Interpreters so that they can fully prepare. For performances or guided tours, send scripts, images, DVD’s and anything else that is relevant to the event. The Interpreter should at the very least have the opportunity to attend the performance at the earliest opportunity. However we also encourage venues to invite Interpreters along to rehearsals too.

For meetings and conferences, send the Interpreter everything that participants will receive, along with minutes of previous meetings and notes on key presentations.

If there will be lots of terminology, jargon or names used in the meeting it is also useful to send a glossary of these beforehand. It may seem like lots of work now, but it will benefit everyone in the meeting as the Interpreter won’t have to stop the meeting for clarification.

Step Five: Be Prepared
Before the day think about lighting, sound and seating arrangements.

The Interpreter must be situated in a well-lit spot, with as little background noise as possible. They must also be fully visible to the Deaf people they are interpreting to.

In meetings, it is normally ideal for the Deaf people to sit opposite the Interpreters. However if at all possible ask what will be best for the participants on the day.