Cintra Cambridgeshire Interpreting and Translation Service
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British Sign
Language

British Sign Language

British Sign Language (BSL) is the first or preferred language of nearly 70,000 deaf people in the United Kingdom. It is a language of space and movement using the hands, body, face and head. Many thousands of hearing people also use BSL. More people (Deaf and Hearing) use BSL than speak Welsh or Gaelic.

Contrary to popular belief, sign language is not international. Wherever communities of Deaf people exist, sign languages develop. As with spoken languages, these vary from country to country. They are not based on the spoken language in the country of origin.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), businesses and organizations are legally obliged to look at how they provide access for Deaf people. This may mean hiring a qualified sign language interpreter. People who have taken sign language courses, or have Deaf friends or family members are no substitute for a professional interpreter who has skills, training and experience to interpret well in the preferred community style.

If a person's first language is B.S.L., then English will be their second language. Leaflets, documents, letters etc. may not therefore be easily understood. It is to the benefit of business and agencies to improve information access to all groups of people, including the 70,000 BSL users in Britain.

People who have a visual loss in addition to their deafness, may need one of the following communication modes
  1. Hands On signing, which means the deaf person will place their hands over the hands of the Interpreter, in order to feel the movement of the signing.
  2. Small Visual Frame which may be preferred by people who have lost peripheral vision.
  3. Deaf Blind Manual may be used by people with little or no sight, but good English skills.