Tips for working most effectively with a BSL/English Interpreter

What is the role of a BSL/English Interpreter? Interpreters facilitate communication between British Sign Language users and hearing people who use spoken English, making sure it is a smooth process. Interpreters must have excellent knowledge of the two languages and cultures. For example they will receive information in BSL, process its meaning, then interpret it … More

Deaf Awareness Week, co-ordinated by UK Council on Deafness is a campaign in which many different organisations participate, each able to promote their own work within the broad spectrum of deafness.

Many organisations collaborate and work together in a joint campaign of UK wide national and local events to raise awareness of the needs of the 1 in 6 deaf or hard of hearing people in the UK.   Deaf Awareness Week aims to promote the positive aspects of deafness, promote social inclusion and raise awareness of the huge range of local organisations that support deaf people and their family and friends.

Cinema and d/Deaf awareness

There are many ways in which cinemas and exhibitors can get involved to promote d/Deaf awareness within their organisations and for audiences. From staff learning some basic BSL signing to programming more captioned subtitled films to always adding subtitles to social media content, here are some resources to get you started.

d/Deaf awareness online

When planning film exhibition initiatives online it is important to think about access and inclusion for everyone.

Things to think about regarding d/Deaf awareness and online film exhibition:

  • Include films with closed captioned / subtitled options. Check individual films and VOD platforms for availability.
  • Add captions to videos on social media
  • Include or enable closed captions on live broadcasts for example on Facebook Live or Zoom
  • Include a BSL interpreter where possible for film discussions
  • We recommend using professional subtitling services to ensure consistency of accessibility and quality. You can find professional subtitling services here, some of which offer advice and training.

Share your experiences

We would love to know about your film or cinema project at Inclusive Cinema. If you’d like to submit your own case study, please download this Inclusive screening case study template and submit it to toki[at]filmhubwales.org, so we can share your experiences, too.

Resources

Guide to Online Film Clubs
read more
Learn how to plan and run an online workshop
read more
ICO: Developing Deaf Audiences for film
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Encounters: Watch HERE. NOW. THIS (12A) short film programme online
read more
Jo Wootten: Tips for working remotely when you’re deaf (with BSL videos)
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Jo Wootten: Captioning remote meetings and other useful resources for deaf people
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The Fringe Guide to Adapting Events for Deaf and Disabled Audiences
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Visible Cinema
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How to Make Sure You’re Not Excluding Deaf People from Arts Events
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Subtitling and audio description
read more
Digital Resources for Subtitling
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Everything There is to Know About Subtitling & How it is Done
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BSL Zone: Deaf Funny Programme 6
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How do I add captions to my Page's video on Facebook?
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Power in Our Hands and films about deaf community
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5 ways to make your venue more accessible for D/deaf people
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Tips for working most effectively with a BSL/English Interpreter
read more
Enabling Closed Captions on Facebook Live Broadcasts
read more
Closed Captioning on Zoom
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Do's and Dont's of Designing for Accessibility
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Lights, camera, caption! Why subtitles are no longer just for the hard of hearing
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YouTube Help: Add your own subtitles and closed captions
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Learn BSL from home in your own time with www.british-sign.co.uk
read more
Why You Should Always Add Subtitles to your Videos (and How!)
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How to Create Custom SRT Files for Video Subtitles
read more
Stagetext: How to subtitle your online content
read more
Matchbox Cineclub: subtitling and advice services
read more
Substital app: add subtitles to videos online
read more
Is Your Social Media Accessible to Everyone? These 9 Best Practices Can Help
read more
Deaf and Disabled access in film exhibition
read more
The Deaf Visual Archive
read more
Nothing About Us Without Us: An Overview of Disability/ Deaf Representation in Film
read more
BFI Player: FREE archive film "On the Level"
read more

Essential British Sign Language for Cinemas

The best way to market to Deaf audiences - Nikki Stratton

Socialising with tinnitus

Socialising with tinnitus can be challenging. A recent survey discovered that 4 in 10 people with tinnitus have changed their social lives because of the condition. It can be very easy to become isolated and withdrawn. So what can you do to reclaim your social life – not just in restaurants, but at the cinema, … More

Accessing Community Cinema: Driftwood Cinema

Project overview Community Cinemas operate on a tight budget and primarily screen from DVD using equipment aimed at the “home” market or a little better. Venues also are multi-use and not purpose built and therefore often suffer from poor acoustic qualities and do not offer tiered seating. However their audience demographic includes a significant proportion … More

We recommend using professional subtitling and audio description services for your film wherever possible, to ensure the best possible standard and accessibility for your screenings.

To provide subtitles which are accessible for D/deaf audiences you will need to provide caption (descriptive) subtitles for your film, which provide extra information about the sound onscreen as well as dialogue. Subtitling often used for foreign language films translates the dialogue only and assumes a hearing audience. Please check with the individual subtitle supplier whether they provide this.

For foreign language films, you will need a Subtitler and/or Audio Describer who can translate for screen.

Here are details of some UK based organisations who may be able to help:

Subtitling, BSL and Audio Description Services

Matchbox Cineclub  – Subtitling.
Day for Night – Subtitling , audio description, translation in 45 languages.
Voicebox – Subtitling.
Glocal Media – Subtitling and BSL translation for media.
Zebra Uno – Subtitling and BSL translation for media
Capital Captions – Subtitling, audio description and translation.
Screen Language – Subtitling, audio description and translation.
Matinee Multilingual –  Subtitling, audio description and translation in 80+ languages.
Mind’s Eye – Audio Description
Vocal Eyes – Audio Description
Audio Description Association – Offers a directory of freelance Audio Describers, sorted by region.
Sign Language Media – BSL translation for media.
Reflect BSL – BSL translation for media.
Red Bee Media – BSL translation for media.
Bradford Talking Media – Subtitling and BSL translation for media.
Sign Language Direct – BSL translation for media.
Tarjuman – Subtitling and translation.

BSL Interpreter Services

If you are looking for a BSL interpreter for your film screening, event or meeting, here is a list of Interpreter services and organisations who may be able to help:

Action On Hearing Loss – BSL Interpreters, Deafblind interpreters, Lip Speakers, Sign Supported English (SSE) Interpreters.
Clarion UK – BSL Interpreters.
Sign Language Direct – BSL Interpreters and Lip Speakers.
Sign Solutions – BSL Interpreters.
Deaf Umbrella – BSL Interpreters, London and South East (Kent).
Prestige Network – BSL Interpreters.
Zebra Uno – BSL Interpreters, Lip Speakers, Sign Supported English (SSE) Interpreters, Deafblind Interpreters, international Sign Interpreter.
LanguageLine Solutions – BSL Interpreters.
BID Services – BSL Interpreters.
Royal Association for Deaf People – BSL Interpreters, Lip Speakers, Deafblind Interpreters.
Link Hearing – BSL Interpreters.
List of BSL interpreter contacts.

Speech-To-Text and Live Caption Services

AVSTTR (The Association of Speech-To-Text Reporters) – Speech-To-Text Reporters
Action on Hearing Loss – Speech-To-Text Reporters
MyClearText – Speech-To-Text Reporters
Clarion UK – Speech-To-Text Reporters
NRCPD (The National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People) – Speech-To-Text Reporters
BIVR (British Institute of Verbatim Reporters) – Speech-To-Text Reporters
Stagetext – Subtitling and live captioning
AI Live – Live captions
Transcription City – Subtitling and live captioning
Capital Captions – Live captioning

Captioning software

Streamtext – Realtime caption solution
CC Extractor – produces subtitle files from closed captions
Rev.com – transcription, subtitling and captions
Zubtitle – captions for social media
Speakertext – cloud-worker generated captions

Inclusive Design Toolkit

Every design decision can make the user experience better or worse. Successful inclusive design requires informed decision-making at the concept stage, because it can become prohibitively expensive to make changes later on. This kit describes the four main phases of inclusive concept design: Manage: Review the evidence to decide ‘What should we do next?’ Explore: … More