British Sign Language

British Sign Language is the preferred language of deaf people in the UK. It is a visual language and has its own distinct grammar and vocabulary.

Although the United Kingdom and the United States share English as the predominant spoken language, British Sign Language is quite distinct from American Sign Language (ASL). BSL is also distinct from Irish Sign Language (ISL). It is also distinct from Signed English, a manually coded method expressed to represent the English language.

BSL has many regional dialects. Signs used in Scotland, for example, may not be used, and may not be understood immediately by those in Southern England, and vice versa. Some signs are even more local, occurring only in certain towns or cities (such as the Manchester system of number signs). Likewise, some may go in or out of fashion, or evolve over time, just as terms in spoken languages do. Essential Translation will always provide an interpreter who knows the local language.

We can also provide Sign Supported English translators if this is preferred. This is widely used but not a language in it's own right - it takes the signs from BSL and uses them in the same order as English.

Booking a Sign Language Interpreter

The role of a British Sign Lanuage interpreter is similar to any other language interpreter, to ensure that people speaking different languages can communicate easily and without misunderstanding. BSL translation isn't word for word - not every English word corresponds to a sign in BSL. The interpreting process therefore involves expressing the same meaning using a different vocabulary and grammatical structure.

Only the most experienced British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters work with us so you can be assured of the quality of their work.



Please contact us with a description of your requirements by clicking HERE.