Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is British Sign Language?
Where can I buy books, videos and other material on Sign language and deafness in general?
I would like to do voluntary work with deaf people, is this possible?
Can I sign in English word order?
Can I use sign language with my hearing baby?
How do deaf people in other countries sign?

INFORMATION ON SIGN LANGUAGE COURSES

I have never learnt Sign Language before can I enrol on a Level 1 straight away?
How long is CACDP Level 1 course in duration?
What will I learn on CACDP Level 1 course?
How long is CACDP Level 2 in duration?
What will I learn on CACDP Level 2 course?
What holidays are taken throughout the course?
Where are the courses held?

STATISTICS

How many Deaf BSL users are there in the UK?
How many Qualified BSL Interpreters in the UK?

COMMUNICATION

Do all Deaf people use Sign Language?
How do I communicate with a Deaf person if I cannot use Sign Language?
How do I contact a Deaf person if I can’t phone them?
If a Deaf person comes into my work place to make an appointment, how do I communicate with them?

INTERPRETING SERVICE

Should I use a qualified and registered Interpreter?
How much will it cost?
How many Interpreters will I need?
How much notice do I need to give?
If I need an Interpreter can I ask the Deaf person to bring his family or friend to Interpret?
Is it the Deaf person’s responsibility to book their own Interpreter?
Why do Interpreters need to take regular breaks during an Interpreting assignment?
Can I request a specific interpreter for an assignment.

GENERAL QUESTIONS
What is British Sign Language?
British Sign Language is a visual language, it has its own grammar and structure. BSL grammar is very different to English. BSL uses a range of hand shapes, facial expression and hand and body movement.

Where can I buy books, videos and other material on Sign language and deafness in general?
There are some materials available in local libraries and bookshops or you can visit Forest Books to purchase materials.

I would like to do voluntary work with Deaf people, is this possible?
Yes we willingly take in volunteers if you have some Sign Language skills. Please fill in the link on our website and we will get back to you at our earliest convenience or download this application form.

Can I sign in English word order?
Yes, you can. Signed Supported English (SSE) is what it is called when the Sign Language is in English word order. Some parents and schools use SSE to teach the structure of English language, while continuing to use BSL for conversational communication.

Can I use sign language with my hearing baby?
You certainly can. Baby signing is very popular. Parents use it to reduce frustration for their young children, and it may even have language benefits. For more information go to Talk First website

How do Deaf people in other countries sign?
Deaf people have different sign languages in each country. Just as English is different from Spanish, International sign languages vary in syntax, grammar, and concepts.

INFORMATION ON SIGN LANGUAGE COURSES
I have never learnt sign language before can I enrol on a Level 1 straight away?
No prior experience is needed to enrol on a Level 1 and we have ongoing courses available.

How long is CACDP Level 1course in duration?
Our courses usually run for 3 hours per week over an 18 week period

What will I learn on CACDP Level 1 course?
Please follow this link to CACDP website where it will show the curriculum for Level 1

How long is CACDP Level 2 in duration?
Our courses usually run for 3 hours a week over approximately 26 weeks. However 30 hours of independent learning is required in addition to develop your signing fluency and confidence when communicating with the Deaf Community.

What will I learn on Level 2 course?
Please follow this link to CACDP website where it will show the curriculum for Level 2

What holidays are taken throughout the course?
We normally follow college set holidays but the final decision is made between the Tutor and the Students on that particular course.

Where are the courses held?
In the conference room at our new offices:-

Blackburn Rovers Enterprise Centre
1st Floor
Ewood Park
Blackburn
BB2 4JF

STATISTICS
How many Deaf BSL users are there in the UK?
Latest figures state there are around 50,000-70,000 Deaf people who use BSL

How many Qualified BSL Interpreters in the UK ?
Latest figures state there are 469 qualified registered Interpreters in the UK

COMMUNICATION
Do all Deaf people use Sign Language?
All Deaf people are different. Some use BSL as their first or preferred language, others communicate through lipreading and speech.

How do I communicate with a Deaf person if I cannot use Sign Language?

You could use pen and paper but remember some Deaf people may have limited literacy skills and therefore may find it difficult to read and write English.
You can look at them face to face and use a clear lip pattern so if they can lipread they may understand.
Use gestures, body language and point to objects (it is not rude to point this is part of Deaf culture)

Remember Sign Language is a very visual language.

How do I contact a Deaf person if I can’t phone them?
There are different ways of being able to communicate, you can either :-

email them
through text messages
by fax
write a letter
use text phone / minicom.

All of these rely on English so make sure you use clear, short sentences in plain English.

If a Deaf person comes into my work place to make an appointment, how do I communicate with them?

Find a quiet area with good lighting.
Make sure you have their attention and look at them all the time throughout your conversation.
Speak clearly at normal pace
Try and use gestures, body language, props and pictures where you can.

This will help the Deaf person as BSL is a very visual language.

INTERPRETING SERVICES
Should I use a qualified and registered Interpreter?
It is advisable. They will be trained, experienced and provide quality services in more areas. Qualified Interpreters may either be Members of the C.A.C.D.P. (Council for the Advancement of Communication for Deaf People) or Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI).

Sometimes, it may be possible to use Registered Trainee Interpreters (RTI’s), but this depends largely on the experience of the Interpreter and whether they have been through a recognised Interpreter training programme Trainee Interpreters should not be used for Adult or Child Protection, Mental Health or any work of a legal nature.

Registered interpreters will have the following:

Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)
CRB Enhanced Disclosure clearance
Agreed to follow the Code of Ethics for Sign Language Interpreters

How much will it cost?
We charge between £25 and £30 per hour. Some Interpreters are minimum 2 or 3 hrs.

How many Interpreters will I need?
This will depend on the length and nature of the assignment.

One Interpreter is usually sufficient but in the following cases two or more may be required:-

where the assignment does not allow the interpreter to take regular breaks
where the assignment is longer than 2 hours

How much notice do I need to give?
Please give as much notice as possible. One or two months is usually enough if you can but we can usually offer an Interpreter at the last minute. For more information please see our Interpreter Terms and Conditions.

If I need an Interpreter can I ask the Deaf person to bring his family or friend to Interpret?
It is advisable to use a registered interpreter for the following reasons :-

Friends or Family members may not be fluent in BSL
They may have not been trained to translate or interpret between between BSL and English
It will not ensure that all of the information is relayed to all parties
Information will be given in an impartial way

The use of professionally trained and qualified Interpreters, working to a Code of Professional Conduct and subject to a complaints and disciplinary procedure, can safeguard everyone involved in the assignment.

Is it the Deaf person’s responsibility to book their own Interpreter?
No. By law, it is the service provider, not the Deaf person. It is not appropriate to ask a Deaf person to arrange, book or bring an Interpreter with them to appointments.

Why do Interpreters need to take regular breaks during an Interpreting assignment?
There are two main reasons Interpreters are required to take short breaks every 30 to 40 minutes.

Research has shown that the optimum period for Interpreting is 20 minutes, after that the Interpreting accuracy deteriorates
Interpreters require a break as a Health and Safety precaution, due to the increased risk of developing Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

For Deaf Service users, watching a sign language Interpreter for extended periods in time can lead to eyestrain. Therefore consider scheduling in breaks for them as well as the Interpreters.

Can I request a specific interpreter for an assignment?
Yes in the following cases:

if you require a particular gender
one with other language skills, eg. language other than BSL
one who has extensive knowledge of a particular subject or domain