Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service ...

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Interpreter staffing and skillsIt is estimated that there are fewer than 50 Irish Sign Language/Englishinterpreters in Ireland at present (there are no official statistics available). Thereare currently 44 sign language interpreters on Irish Sign Link's database. Irish SignLink estimates that this includes almost all ISL/English interpreters currentlyworking in Ireland.All 44 interpreters on Irish Sign Link's database are self-employed and work on afreelance basis. There are 28 full time interpreters and 16 part time interpretersworking through Irish Sign Link at present.There is a significantly uneven geographical spread amongst practicing interpreters,with the vast majority (26) operating from Dublin. In many areas outside of Dublinthere is a marked shortage of interpretation services, for example there are no fulltime interpreters in Cork, Offaly or Carlow, used by Irish Sign Link.At present there is no formal accreditation and registration system for ISL/Englishinterpreters in Ireland. However, the Board of Irish Sign Link appointed anaccreditation sub-committee in 2004 and aim to have an accreditation systemapproved and implemented in 2006. Of the 44 interpreters used by Irish Sign Link,14 have been accredited, 24 are awaiting accreditation and 3 are not accredited(the remaining 3 are relay interpreters who are considered by Irish Sign Link as notrequiring accreditation, given that Irish Sign Language is their first language).The Centre for Deaf Studies, at Trinity College Dublin, provides training for IrishSign Language tutors and Irish Sign Language/English interpreters, generaltraining in the field of Deaf Studies, and linguistic research focusing on describingIrish Sign Language. It is the only centre associated with a university in Irelandwhich offers diploma courses in Irish Sign Language.At present there is no formal continuing professional development programmeavailable to ISL/English interpreters working in Ireland. Also, no official complaintsprocedure exists. An IASLI developed code of ethics for interpreters has been inoperation since 1997.Funding and pricingUnder current legislation, all public service providers are obliged to make fundingavailable for SLI services for Deaf people seeking to access their services.Irish Sign Link's income comes from two main sources:• Fee income from services provided to:– Government departments and agencies– Third level colleges, funded through the EU– Commercial organisations and others purchasing interpreter services• Government aid from the Department of Social and Family Affairs andComhairleIrish Sign Link has suffered from serious financial problems in the past.page 12 • Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service Requirements in Ireland
The prices charged by Irish Sign Link for either a full or half day assignmentinclude the interpreter fee, an administration fee and VAT. The interpreter fee isrecommended by IASLI and fees are stratified by the skill level of the interpreter.There is slight variation in the fees charged by the different booking agencies forinterpretation services.MESSAGES FROM THE CONSULTATIONAs part of this review, a series of interviews, discussions and workshops wereconducted with a range of stakeholders from the Deaf community, representativeorganisations, public sector users of SLI services, SLI service providers and leadingpractitioners internationally.The following table provides an overview of the core themes from thisconsultation. A detailed description of the consultation output is provided inChapter 4.Core themes from the consultationTheme 1:Theme 2:Theme 3:Theme 4:Theme 5:Theme 6:Theme 7:Theme 8:The need for sign language interpretation spans all aspects ofdaily living and demand is currently difficult to quantifyA clear scheme of entitlements is essentialAccess to SLI services must be strengthened throughout the countryThe quality of sign language interpreting and of the booking service ishugely important to Deaf people and to public service providersThere is scope for improved training and ongoing professionaldevelopment for interpretersAccreditation and a formal registration process for interpreters is oneof the most urgent priorities in developing sign language interpretationservices in IrelandPlanned investment in technology could significantly improve signlanguage interpretation services, but should not be seen as analternative to the development of face-to-face interpretation servicesKey elements mentioned during the consultation in relation to a futuremodel for delivering sign language interpretation services included:• A properly funded and resourced infrastructure• Ownership of the service by a named statutory authority• Regional development• A strengthening of the capacity of Irish Sign LinkA number of the themes outlined above relate to issues which are outside thescope of this review (in particular themes 2, 5 and 6). However, the viewsexpressed during the consultation in relation to all of the themes are outlined inthis report, in order to accurately reflect what was said during the consultationprocess.Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service Requirements in Ireland • page 13
Page 1: RESEARCH SERIESSEPTEMBER 2006Review
Page 4: 4.8 Theme 6: Accreditation and a fo
Page 7: PrefaceAs proposed in the Outline S
Page 10 and 11: Key players involved in SLI service
Page 14 and 15: INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICEThe rese
Page 16 and 17: appears to be growing in popularity
Page 18 and 19: • Personalised service - A person
Page 20 and 21: • The establishment of a new enti
Page 22 and 23: • Further development of the Iris
Page 24 and 25: • Estimated cost in year 1 is €
Page 26 and 27: 1.3 REVIEW OBJECTIVES and SCOPE1.3.
Page 28 and 29: 2 Review Methodology2.1 APPROACHFig
Page 30 and 31: Interviews and discussions• Inter
Page 32 and 33: 3 Overview of CurrentSign LanguageI
Page 34 and 35: Table 3.1. Persons aged 15 to 64, w
Page 36 and 37: 3.2 POLICY AND LEGISLATION3.2.1 Int
Page 38 and 39: Sustaining Progress, Social Partner
Page 40 and 41: According to the Education Act 1998
Page 42 and 43: 3.4 KEY PLAYERS INVOLVED IN SLI SER
Page 44 and 45: upholding the status of Irish Sign
Page 46 and 47: 3. A Deaf user or service provider
Page 48 and 49: 3.5.3 Main reasons for accessing se
Page 50 and 51: InternetThe internet and email have
Page 52 and 53: As shown in the table above, there
Page 54 and 55: Figure 3.10. Total number of interp
Page 56 and 57: The first cohort of students on the
Page 58 and 59: Looking at the summary financial an
Page 60 and 61: 3.7.2 Overall client spend on sign
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The public sector service providers
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4.3 THEME 1:THE NEED FOR SIGN LANGU
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subject for both Deaf and hearing s
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4.5 THEME 3:ACCESS TO SLI SERVICES
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4.6 THEME 4:THE QUALITY OF SLI AND
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primary client of the interpreter.
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4.8.1 The impact of the absence of
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4.9.3 What is neededFunding is need
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4.10.3 A quality service on the gro
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Table 5.1. Key statistics on SLI se
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The research has considered mainstr
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Summary• Other than where the par
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5.2.1 Linguistic approachIn all of
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Interpreting services are also prov
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5.3.1 Population distributionMost o
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5.3.3 Responsibility for booking in
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5.3.4 Sign language interpretersSal
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The use of videophones and webcams
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• It provides a flexible solution
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5.5 QUALITY OF SLI SERVICES DEFINED
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5.5.2 Interpreter training courses
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Pressure for the registration and r
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Proposal (which has been agreed wit
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• In most of the countries includ
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Table 5.6. Overview of key strength
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6 Summary ofKey Findings6.1 INTRODU
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6.3 KEY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT IN TH
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7 Recommended FutureModel for Deliv
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7.2 RECOMMENDED FUTURE SLI SERVICE
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Table 7.2. Key areas for improvemen
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7.3.2 Comhairle - oversight of SLI
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There are substantial risks associa
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Requirements:• Excellent project
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7.3.9 ComplaintsThe Irish Sign Lang
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number of Deaf clubs. The videophon
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7.6 OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPOR
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Accreditation should be linked to t
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videophone technology, piloted in t
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It is assumed that the rollout of t
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Appendix 1: Bibliographyand Referen
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www.bris.ac.uk/deaf - Bristol Centr
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SASLISLAISLISLIANZSMSTCDVCOThe Scot
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