21. Sign Language Translation and Interpreting in the United Kingdom

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"How Far We Have Come, and How Much Further Do We Have to Go? Sign Language Translation and Interpreting in the United Kingdom" | Chapter summary in British Sign Language
Chapter authors: Robert Adam, Jemina Napier, and Stacey Webb

From “International Perspectives on Sign Language Translator and Interpreter Education”
Edited by Jemina Napier, Stacey Webb, and Robert Adam
Published by Gallaudet University Press

*This video may not be repurposed or incorporated into other works in any way without the express written consent of the signer and the chapter authors.*

Visual description: Woman with blonde wavy hair and glasses wearing a burgundy dress with large white flowers. She is seated with a background of one green and one blue thick stripes. She is signing in British Sign Language.

Transcript:
This is a summary of the UK chapter, presented in British Sign Language (BSL). Jemina Napier, Robert Adam, and Stacey Webb, co-authors and fellow faculty members at Heriot-Watt University in the UK, have contributed over 80 years collectively to the research and teaching of Sign Language Translation and Interpreting (SLTI).

The United Kingdom comprises four nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There are an estimated 40,000 to 70,000 deaf BSL users in the UK. The BSL (Scotland) Act of 2015 and the UK BSL Act of 2022 officially recognize BSL as a minority language.

The SLTI profession in the UK is supported by various membership organizations, each serving different regions or special interest groups: Scottish Collaborative of Sign Language Interpreters (SCOSLI), Association of Sign Language Interpreters UK (ASLI) and Visual Language Professionals (VLP), which both operate across the UK, and special interest groups such as the Deaf Interpreters Network (DIN), Interpreters of Colour Network (IOCN), and the Muslim BSL Interpreters Network (MBSLIN).

The National Union of BSL Interpreters (NUBSLI) advocates for fair pay and working conditions.

There are three primary registration bodies for SLTIs: Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC), National Register for Communication Professionals with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD), and the Regulatory Body of Sign Language Interpreters (RBSLI) — both offer registration across the whole of the UK.

The first registration body, the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI), was established in 1981 and later evolved into SCOSLI and SRLPDC in 2020 as separate membership and registration bodies. The first UK-wide registration body, initially known as the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP), was established in 1982 and is now called NRCPD. All registered SLTIs must fulfill Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements.

Currently, there are approximately 1,600 registered SLTIs in the UK, including increasing numbers of deaf practitioners and new signers who learned BSL later in life.

Training for SLTIs initially stemmed from deaf organizations and later expanded to several universities. Presently, only four universities offer interpreter training programs: two undergraduate and three postgraduate programs. Additionally, vocational training through the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) route is available via seven private providers in the UK. All training programs must align with the National Occupational Standards (NoS) for all translators and interpreters, including SLTIs. Trainees may achieve either Trainee (TSLI) or fully qualified Registered (RSLI) status.

Heriot-Watt University (HWU) uniquely offers the opportunity to study BSL alongside a spoken language and is also involved in the European Masters in Sign Language Interpreters (EUMASLI) program, delivered jointly with universities in Germany and Finland.

The field of SLTI research in the UK is expanding, with 19 PhDs completed since 2005. Future developments include improved training opportunities to expand the number of deaf translators and interpreters; the introduction of a BSL school qualification (GCSE); potential specializations in legal, health, and conference interpreting; and initiatives to enhance diversity and representation in the profession and in training recruitment. These changes indicate a dynamic future for the profession and its training pathways.