Interpreting Services

BSL

What is the Interpreting Services hub?

The Interpreting Services Hub is led by Cath Booth( Wales Executive, Action Deafness Cymru) and Martin Griffiths (BDA Cymru Manager). The hub will look at interpreting services in Wales with a view to assessing current interpreting resources in Wales and assessing future needs. We are keen to ensure that Wales has more interpreters covering all areas of need from medical appointments to arts and theatre. We will cover relay interpreting, BSL/English interpreters, International Sign, Video Relay Services, Communication Support Workers etc.

Interpreting in Wales

To investigate and report on current interpreting resources available across Wales; and to identify trends and future capacity. In person, remote and VRS interpreting to be profiled. Investigation of interpreter experiences in Wales including development opportunities and increasing retention of skilled professionals.

Pathways to Interpreting

Explore pathways to interpreting available in Wales/UK. Identify barriers to becoming an interpreter and propose solutions. Investigate ‘fast-track’ learning possibilities v traditional routes. Investigate methods of promoting interpreting as a career and specialisms available.

The Patient Experience

Identify themes in past and current patient experiences in settings with and without interpreters. This area to include booking of interpreters by health services, fulfilment and patient feedback. Explore how deaf patients can provide confidential and accessible feedback on interpreters.

Threats & Opportunities

To look at the increasing use of technology in enabling remote interpreting and video relay services. Investigate VRS services and report on issues and benefits. Explore whether VRS services should be regulated. Explore threats and opportunities of AI on future interpreting provision.

What are we doing?

Patient Experience

With BDA Cymru, we have been scoping patient experiences and collecting names of potential deaf participants in research activities.

WITS

We have joined WITS’ Advisory Board to feedback on patient issues. We are working with BDA Cymru looking to run a survey involving WITS and other agencies.

Interpreter CPD

We are working with Wales Council for Deaf People and BSL-English Interpreters to explore CPD and retention opportunities.

Pathways

We are working with Wales Council for Deaf People to look at stimulating pathways in Wales.

There aren’t enough BSL interpreters in Wales, and it’s often hard to get one when you need one, especially for GP or hospital appointments. We want to change that.

Facts & Figures

Wales currently has 54 Registered Sign Language Interpreters (RSLI) in Wales.
Wales has 3.5% of the UK number of RSLIs.
There is currently no clear pathway to interpreting available in the Welsh education system.
WITS provides interpretation and translation in around 140 languages; BSL is the third most requested language.
WITS advises that it offers a fulfilment rate of around 98%.
There are four main Video Relay Services (VRS) in the UK: SignLive, SignVideo, SignWow and InterpretersLive; none are based in Wales.

Are you a Welsh BSL signer? Want to get involved?

It is useful to know about your experiences when attending medical appointments in Wales. We’d be keen to know whether you are offered a BSL-English Interpreter or have to fight for that. Also, to let us know if an interpreter turned up and how they performed. If no interpreter arrived, what did this mean for you? Were you able to feedback and raise concerns or even provide positive feedback?

FAQs

How important is this hub?

This hub is vital to help us suggest solutions to better deaf BSL signers’ patient experience. It will enable us to collect, record and analyse data to help us report issues, trends, and to help us formulate recommendations for positive change.

What kind of initiatives are planned?

We plan to conduct research with deaf BSL signing patients to find out key information about their patient experience.

We will work with current registered interpreters, trainee interpreters, communication support workers and BSL learners to look at the journey to becoming an interpreter.

We will work with VRS providers, interpreting agencies, health boards and other relevant stakeholders to inform our work.

Why is this necessary?

Our Welsh Government and health boards always ask to see robust evidence to support calls for changes to improve the experience of deaf BSL signers in Wales. It is important to involve deaf patients, interpreters and others to gather this body of evidence.

I want to help - what can I do?

We would love your help – it may simply be sharing experiences or maybe helping us bring deaf people and others together in your area. We would be happy to discuss this informally with you.