BSL in Legal
Accessing the criminal justice system can sometimes be an intimidating and overwhelming experience. Just Sign was originally founded to provide high-quality interpreting services to the legal sector, which we continue to provide today.
We can provide interpreters who are knowledgeable and experienced in working with courts, solicitors, and police officers to ensure that clients fully understand what is happening as they move through the legal process.
Benefits of working with us
Just Sign has over 25 years of experience working within the police and legal sector, and we are recognised as a trusted provider of interpreters who are accomplished and proficient in working in this domain.
Securing an Interpreter
After you contact Just Sign, we will work to secure an interpreter for your client based on the information we request from you to ensure that we source an interpreter who best matches your needs and those of your client.
Please be aware that instances where police, solicitor, and court involvement are required, a different interpreter will be required for each of these area – please see our FAQ section for more information.
Courts
Once the date for the court has been set, contact us to secure your communication professional, our office staff will then ask you for the following information: date, time, location, client name, case ref number and type of hearing.
Scottish Police Authority
If you require a communication professional, contact us with all relevant information relating to appointment such as time, date and location, as well as your PSI, shoulder number and crime reference/incident number.
Solicitors
If your client requires a communication professional, please contact us with the date, time, location, and relevant information of the booking. Please note the fees for all communication professionals is required upfront.
Customer testimonials
What our customers really think of us.
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Customer journey
A typical customer case study journey and what we do and offer.
The opportunity
We were approached by both the Scottish Court and Tribunal Service and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for a trial that was scheduled to last approximately 7 weeks. We were advised that the accused and all witnesses in this case were BSL users.
What we did
We started by confirming the Floating Trial Diet dates. We also had to ascertain which interpreters had previously been used in the investigation, police interview process, and subsequent arrest. Prior involvement rules an interpreter out of working on the trial, as they could be called as witnesses themselves.
We booked 2 teams of 2 interpreters, one for the SCTS and for COPFS. We also advised the defence lawyer that they would require their own interpreter to take instructions from their client and any private consultations during the trial. Court interpreters cannot be used as they must remain impartial.
The outcome
The interpreters working with the COPFS had the opportunity to meet the witnesses before the trial, this allowed the witness to feel at ease. This also allowed our interpreters to make all the necessary adjustments to ensure the linguistic output was understood by all parties.
Due to the preparation and booking for interpreters with ample notice ahead of the trial start time, the case was able to proceed and come to its conclusion.
Our dedicated office staff were at hand to offer support to the SCTS, COPFS and interpreting team should they require it throughout the trial.
BSL / Deaf awareness training sessions
Give your team the confidence they need to communicate with colleagues/peers and customers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Why
Deaf awareness sessions aim to increase staff awareness of Deaf issues, people and culture, emphasising positive aspects of Deafness, encouraging social inclusion and raising awareness that supports those who are Deaf.
Improve your communication skills and understand how to make communication accessible.
What we do
Just Sign provides you with a Deaf BSL presenter who will work alongside a BSL/English interpreter to offer you either a 2-hour taster session or a half day/full day session.
We offer bespoke training courses that can be tailored to match your specific communication needs.
Benefit
Your team feel confident in communicating with Deaf BSL users. Therefore, having an increased understanding of the barriers faced on a daily basis by the Deaf community. This allows your team to work more effectively with Deaf BSL users.
This will also result in your Deaf BSL using colleagues and customers feeling you have taken steps towards an inclusive work environment.
Need a Notetaker
Electronic notetakers (ENT) produce a set of notes for people who can’t take their own because they are either lipreading or watching a sign language interpreter. ENT’s can be used within an education or work environment, eg. Meetings, training courses, lectures seminars etc.
ENT’s produce a summary of what is being said, this is not a full verbatim, word for word account, of what’s being said.
Need Access to Work
If you are Deaf or have a Deaf member of staff they can benefit from a Government scheme called Access to Work (ATW). An assessment for eligibility to ATW would be carried out and a grant would be awarded to help pay for any communication support, eg. BSL/English Interpreter, Electronic notetaker etc.
Just Sign has many ATW clients and we can ensure the right support is in place throughout the working day such as support to make phone calls, respond to emails, attend meetings etc.
FAQs
BSL interpreters are trained to translate between British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken or written English in a variety of domains. Interpreters will facilitate communication between Deaf and hearing participants, and work to ensure that everyone understands and can fully participate in the conversation. BSL interpreters are registered with an appropriate registration body. Just Sign interpreters are required to be registered with either Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC) or National Registers of Communication Professionals with the Deaf and Deafblind Community (NRCPD). All interpreters are required to follow a code of professional conduct, and any information discussed during an interpreted conversation will be treated confidentially by the interpreter. BSL interpreters are expected to act in an impartial manner. It is not the role of an interpreter to offer advice or personal opinions, nor to advocate on behalf of a Deaf person.
Deaf BSL users prefer to use BSL as this is their first language. British Sign Language has a different grammatical structure and is linguistically different from English. Lip-reading is also not an appropriate method of communication as studies have shown that only around 20% to 30% of what is being said can be understood through lip-reading, with the remaining information having to be guessed based on context. Lip-reading is also only a one-way communication method, as the Deaf person may not be able to make themselves understood by the hearing person.
Interpreters will often book work weeks and even months in advance. In recent years, demand for BSL interpreters has increased dramatically, so it is recommended that you request an interpreter as far in advance as possible. Although we will always endeavour to secure interpreters for last-minute requests, we cannot guarantee provision as interpreters may have less availability at short notice. It is important to recognise that interpreters may choose not to work in specific domains, which further limits availability for booking interpreters.
There are several options to get in touch with us and arrange an interpreter. If you would like to speak to our team directly, please call our office on 0345 646 0446. Alternatively, click on the Enquire button at the top of the page, which will take you to a Contact form on our website to request an interpreter. In this form you will be asked to provide details about your appointment/event, including date, time, duration, and details of what the event is about, as well as your contact information. Please be aware that submitting this form is only a request for us to begin the process of securing an interpreter. It does not guarantee that an interpreter has been booked.
Once we have an interpreter secured for the time and date you have requested, we will send an email confirming the booking. If we are unable to secure an interpreter, we will contact you to offer alternative times or dates where an interpreter has indicated that they have availability, if these are suitable to you.
Please contact office@justsign.co.uk immediately to advise of any changes. This may incur a cancellation fee as per our Terms & Conditions, which are detailed within our confirmation letter.
Still have questions?
Check out our FAQ page for all our FAQs
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you
1 Haypark Business Centre
Marchmont Avenue
Polmont
FK2 0NZ