Details of interpreting services can be viewed in British Sign Language (BSL) on this page. Click the links in the box below the video player to view a video clip about each subject.

The Sign Language Interpreting Service has a team of in-house interpreters which provides services to:

• Islington Council
• Islington Primary Care Trust (PCT)
• Some other local service providers

If you want to read the contents of the videos, please scroll down to the text below the video player.

Examples of Services Offered

Islington Council:

• Social Services (such as appointments with social workers)
• Housing (such as appointments with housing officers to talk about rent arrears, repairs)
• Schools (such as parent-teacher meetings)
• Aquaterra Sports and Leisure Centres
• Council Tax/Housing Benefit
• Consultation meetings

Islington PCT:

• GP appointments
• Health Centres
• NHS optometrists (such as eye tests)
• NHS dentists
• Various other health appointments

Other Local Services:

• Whittington Hospital
• Islington Housing Associations
• Islington MPs

Service Availability

Interpreters work from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. If you need an interpreter outside of these hours, advance notice will be required

Contact us

If you wish to book a Sign Language Interpreter for an appointment, please contact:

Tel: 020 7527 3962
Minicom: 020 7527 6067
SMS: 07816 820795
Fax: 020 7527 3275
interpreter.signlanguage@islington.gov.uk

23-26 St Alban's Place
Islington
N1 0NX

Notice Required

Due to high demands, as much notice as possible should be given, preferably two to four weeks. Interpreters maybe available at shorter notice. Please contact us to check. Priority is given to urgent requests such as:

• child and adult protection investigations
• mental health assessments
• urgent health appointments
• homelessness
• if you consider your appointment to be urgent, please contact us to discuss your request

Information Required

You will need to provide the following:

• your name and contact details
• the date, time and duration of the appointment or meeting (please note that the interpreter may not be able to stay beyond the allocated time, due to other interpreting commitments)
• the nature of the appointment or meeting, with any background information that might be helpful
• the full address of the venue
• any relevant paperwork that would be helpful for the interpreter, such as an agenda, minutes of previous meeting, copies of overhead notes etc. These should be sent to the interpreter at least one week prior to the booking, where possible
• where the assignment involves the use of any jargon or technical language, which the interpreter may not be familiar with, the interpreter should be provided with information prior to the booking

Costs

Adult Social Services and Islington Primary Care Trust fund the sign language interpreting service.

The following charges apply:

Deaf people using the interpreting service	Free of charge
Staff within Islington Social Services	Free of charge
Staff within Islington Primary Care Trust	Free of charge
Staff within other Council departments	Charged at a competitive rate
Other local service providers	Charged at a competitive rate

Contact us for details of charges or if you are not sure whether you will be charged for the service.

Cancellation Policy and Charges

Due to high numbers of requests, it is important to notify us as soon as possible of cancellations of meetings/appointments or if the interpreter is no longer required.

National standards for cancellation charges apply:

Notice of five working days or less	100% of fee charged
Notice of between six and ten working days	50% of fee charged
Notice of more than ten working days	No charge

Top Tips on using a Sign Language Interpreter.

• Make sure you are in full control of the situation - the interpreter is only there to interpret what is being said or signed.
• Speak clearly, and avoid using abbreviations or jargon. The interpreter may pause at any time in order to ask you to repeat or clarify what you are trying to get across.
• Speak directly to and face the deaf person, not the interpreter.
• There will usually be a slight time delay during the interpreting process. Please allow the deaf person time to receive the information and respond if they want to, before moving on.
• The interpreter will not give advice or comment on matters being discussed, but may do so on matters relating to the communication process.
• If working alone, the interpreter will need a short break after approximately 30 - 40 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please use the set of questions below to quickly find answers to all your enquiries about British Sign Language and the Deaf community.

About British Sign Language (BSL)

• What is British Sign Language (BSL) - is it like English?
• How many Deaf BSL users are there in the UK?
• Is Sign Language Universal?
• Do all Deaf people use Sign Language?

Learning BSL

• Where can I learn BSL?
• How long does it take to learn BSL?

Communication

• Can Deaf people read and write English? For example, can I communicate with Deaf people through pen and paper, or by letter?
• What is the best way to contact a Deaf person if I can’t phone them?
• If a Deaf person comes into my office to make an appointment, how can I best communicate with them?
• For appointments, could I use the Deaf person’s friends or family to interpret?

Using BSL interpreters

• What does the Law Say about Deaf people and interpreters?
• Whose responsibility is it to book the interpreter?
• Should I use a qualified and registered interpreter?

Guidelines about using BSL Interpreters

• How many interpreters will I need?
• Can I request a specific interpreter for an assignment?
• Why do interpreters need to take regular breaks during an interpreting assignment?