Does anyone earn money from sign language

corris3

I'm intereested to know if anyone earns money from sign language and interpreting for deaf people, is it worth training to do this and if so where can you learn... my reason for asking is that someone mentioned at work that it is really difficult to get an interpreter so I thought opportunities might exist for some freelance work for social services or voluntary organisations what do you think?

danielle24

I believe there are opportunities but I've been looking into doing sign language for work and it's extremely expensive and would take a long time to reach a level where you are qualified for translation - it is just like any other language - those who make money translating have often studied the language at university.

amyparr

While I was at University in Leicester I had friends who were doing sign language courses at a local adult learning centre (not part of the university) one evening a week. As they were students they got it at a reduced price (very cheap as I remember!) and most of the other people who were there were on tight incomes and got a discount if they were short of money. It was provided by the Local Authority or something similar. Maybe something might be availabe where you live?

amyparr

I think this might be what they did:

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/departments/print.asp?pgid=6243

I know that this isn't what you're looking for but I just wanted to highlight that not all of these courses are prohibitively expensive, and that other local councils might offer similar things.

And in relation to help with fees: http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/education--lifelong-learning/adult-education/assistance-with-fees-and-costs

We also offer reductions to people who recieve certain means-tested and non means-tested benefits as listed below:

Category A
(Means-tested benefits)
Category B
(Non means tested benefits)
Income Support
Pension Guarantee Credit
Job Seekers Allowance
Working Tax Credit
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Disabled Persons Tax Benefit
Asylum Seekers Benefit
Incapacity Benefit
Disability Living Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Attendance Allowance
Single Parent Allowance
16-18 year old in full time education

* If your in Category A, qualification courses (courses marked with a Q at the end of the code) are FREE, and you only pay the concession fee for non-qualification courses.

*If you're in Category B, you only pay the concession fee for any course.

*You must produce evidence of your entitlement to a fee remission at the time of your enrolment. Without it your enrolment will not be accepted.

We can also offer support if you recieve a means-tested benefit or if you're on a low income with the cost of childcare, examination fees and even textsbooks and other materials. Ask at your local centre for information about Learner Support funding.

Material costs apply to some courses.

arkonite_babe

You will need to be at least Stage 3 IIRC, I have only completed stage one and it is tough. You have to commit everything to memory, it's not the sort of class you can take notes on!!

You will also need to be using the BSL on a daily basis if you can as it is very easy to forget a lot of the signs and nuances required.

Sign language is also regional, just as we have different accents in daily life there are slight variations in every region in the UK, never mind the fact that if you come across to Southern Ireland it's completely different, where it's Irish Sign Language (ISL)

The following links should be helpful to you....

Training as a BSL interpreter

Training as a BSL tutor

If there's a RNID or RAD office near you, pop along for a chat, they will help you with advice and where you can train. I did my CACDP (Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People) qualification in BSL at my local Technical College, it cost around £200 then a £95 exam fee. Well worth every penny. My signs and skills might be rusty but when I do meet some deaf people, I can communicate enough to let them see I am willing to make the effort and I always apologise for any mistakes that I may make during the conversation, I've not had a rude reply yet, infact people have been very appreciative.

There's also a good link here to explain a bit of the history of BSL in recent times

I hope that this helps you with some of the queries that you have about learning BSL

Good Luck with whatever you decide! :T

geordie_joe

corris3 wrote: »

I'm intereested to know if anyone earns money from sign language and interpreting for deaf people, is it worth training to do this and if so where can you learn... my reason for asking is that someone mentioned at work that it is really difficult to get an interpreter so I thought opportunities might exist for some freelance work for social services or voluntary organisations what do you think?

I work for the government, a couple of years ago I was on a course that lasted two days. On the course was a deaf person, and they'd hired two "signers" to interpret for him.

On the first day they did half hour stints, each one signed for half an hour then the other one took over. In the afternoon of the first day the signer who was "resting" went out of the room (don't know where to, perhaps the loo). The person who was signing stopped at the half hour mark and refused to go on, we had to wait for the other signer to come back before the course could continue.

On the second day one didn't turn up, so the other one did the first half hour then refused to go on. About twenty minutes later a message was delivered saying the the signer who had not turned up was not coming.

The signer who was there packed up and went home, she refused to even consider doing the whole day on her own. It was a 9 to 4 course with an hour for lunch and two half hour breaks. Five hours of tutoring in total.

Both signers were independent, not employed by a company, but both were regularly employed by the government.

Afterwards we had a discussion about it, and decided that signing must be hard work as neither signer was willing to do more than half an hour at a time. There was a clock in the room, but both had brought their own.

And one of them had flatly refused to even consider doing a 7 hour day on her own, even with two half hour breaks and an hour break.

Some thought they were "putting it on" but most thought it must be hard signing for any length of time.

Personally, I couldn't wave my arms and hands around for half an hour just as exercise, let alone do it in such a way as to make sense to someone else.

Based on only one days experience of seeing it, it looks like bl**dy hard work to me.

With 12 students and a tutor in the room there was always some talking, so the signers worked continuously, there was no respite for them. It must have been hard for them, making sure the deaf person "heard" every thing that was said. There are signs for a lot of words, but you still have to spell out some, and hope you can catch up.

I think, there may be a shortage of signers, and it may be highly paid, but you work for the money.

corris3

thanks for all these comments, I'll certainly explore the training further as I like learning new skills so thanks for the links on that.

Tomscogg

Hi all, I am a qualified and registered BSL/English interpreter. I saw this thread and thought I’d respond with some advice and guidance.
Firstly, there are no on-line BSL courses available. Courses are run at approved colleges that have met the required standards. It is always best to learn with a tutor. Go to the Signature website for lists of approved centres near you.
As others have pointed out, signing (or as it’s known, interpreting ) is indeed hard work mentally, physically and financially. You must be trained to become an interpreter and your BSL and English language must be at a high standard and assessed at the correct level. I started learning BSL level 1 in 2000 progressed through to level 2 and applied to university in 2003 to train as an interpreter. Four years of full time academic study covered how to interpret, interpreter ethics and professionalism, the history and role of the interpreter, not to mention the study of advanced BSL skills. Even after all of this you have only gained a basic working knowledge. You are expected to continue studying on the job with further training at Post-grad and MA level. I and every other interpreter have studied in excess of 10yrs. I am still learning and honing my skills.
In order to work professionally as an interpreter it is considered good practice to register with the NRCPD as a communication professional. They will require proof of qualification that you are safe to practice. Registration means you have passed and achieved a standard of competency. You are then responsible for the quality of your work and you abide to a code of conduct. It also means clients have somewhere to go if they are not satisfied in any way with your service.
Learning to sign and interpreting are two very different things with different skills. Just because you have learnt a few signs does not mean you are able to interpret. It takes years of training to become an interpreter.
Imagine if you were asked to interpret for a native French speaker at a medical appointment just because you had passed GCSE French or could say a few words or phrases. Similarly, how would you feel if you were supplied an interpreter that could barely speak or understand what you were saying? Would you be confident you got all the information to make an informed decision?
BSL level 1 or 2 is the equivalent to this basic level. I would strongly advice against anyone who wants to interpret or is asked to interpret for someone without the proper training. It is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing you could get yourself into very sticky situations. You could give people the wrong information.
Please do check out the information on the NRCPD website and ASLI (Association of Sign Language Interpreters) for more information and guidance. Hope this has helped.
Cheers
T

PasturesNew

I bet there's an app for that .... or there will be shortly.

Naf

arkonite_babe wrote: »

You will need to be at least Stage 3 IIRC, I have only completed stage one and it is tough. You have to commit everything to memory, it's not the sort of class you can take notes on!!

I only did an introduction course (they started it in Carlisle because they found a lot of people dropped off the full stage one); I really wanted to go on but moved out of the area for work. It was fun, but intense, and definitely no way to take notes, and no point trying.

arkonite_babe wrote: »

You will also need to be using the BSL on a daily basis if you can as it is very easy to forget a lot of the signs and nuances required.

I hardly get to use the little I learned, and its mostly gone, unfortunately. I still have some basics every time I meet a deaf person though, which is good.

arkonite_babe wrote: »

My signs and skills might be rusty but when I do meet some deaf people, I can communicate enough to let them see I am willing to make the effort and I always apologise for any mistakes that I may make during the conversation, I've not had a rude reply yet, infact people have been very appreciative.

I found the same, with one exception. This guy seemed to have a real chip on his shoulder; when he couldn't hear what I was saying, I attempted to sign to help out, and it made him worse.
Literally every other deaf or partially deaf person I came across was thrilled that I knew even just a handful of signs. In my last job there were even 2 couples who came in regularly and would wait in the queue 'till I was free. I love it. It's a shame the only courses here are with one of the uni's and they offer no discounts for low incomes.


OP: my tutor said that interpreting is good work, its not too hard so long as you're able to keep up some practise, but its unpredictable. A lot of the work she did could be a call in the middle of the night to interpret for the police...