Guidelines for Working with Irish Sign Language / English Interpreters Table of Contents 1. Irish Sign Language (ISL) and the Deaf Community ............................................................................................... 5 2. Providing Interpreters – Legislation and National Guidelines ............................................................................... 7 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ..................................................................... 7 Irish Sign Language Act 2017 ................................................................................................................................... 7 Health Services ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Court Proceedings and Garda Interviews ............................................................................................................... 11 Court Proceedings ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Garda Stations ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Equal Status Acts ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Education .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Disability Act 2005 ................................................................................................................................................. 13 Employment Equality Act ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Northern Ireland and ISL Recognition .................................................................................................................... 15 3. Interpreters: Facts and Figures .......................................................................................................................... 15 What is the correct job title? ................................................................................................................................. 15 Where are interpreters trained?............................................................................................................................ 16 How many interpreters are there in Ireland? ......................................................................................................... 16 How many interpreters work part-time or full-time? ............................................................................................. 16 Do interpreters do further training? ...................................................................................................................... 17 Is there a register or professional association of interpreters? ............................................................................... 17 Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters ....................................................................................................... 17 Interpreter Professional Associations ................................................................................................................. 18 What is a ‘Deaf Interpreter’? ................................................................................................................................. 18 Guidelines for Working with ISL / English Interpreters 10 June 2021 4. Sourcing, Booking, and Paying for Interpreters .................................................................................................. 19 Where can I get an interpreter? ............................................................................................................................ 19 Freelance Interpreters ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Interpreting Agencies ........................................................................................................................................ 20 Referral Services and Information Points ........................................................................................................... 21 Staff interpreters ............................................................................................................................................... 21 What notice do I need to give? .............................................................................................................................. 22 Can we ask an interpreter to volunteer for an interpreting assignment? ............................................................... 23 How much do interpreters cost? ........................................................................................................................... 23 How does the payment process work? .................................................................................................................. 23 Are there grants or funding available elsewhere? .................................................................................................. 25 5. Picking the Right Interpreter .............................................................................................................................. 26 Which Interpreter should I Use? ............................................................................................................................ 26 What if the interpreter knows the Deaf person?.................................................................................................... 28 Should the Deaf service user be able to select who they want to interpret? .......................................................... 29 Should I tell the Deaf service user who the interpreter will be? ............................................................................. 29 Should I book the same interpreter for the next assignment?................................................................................ 29 Will the interpreter have gone through Garda Vetting? ......................................................................................... 30 Will the interpreter have Professional Indemnity Insurance? ................................................................................. 30 6. Different Arrangements for Interpreting ............................................................................................................ 30 Interpreters working alone .................................................................................................................................... 30 Interpreter Team (2 hearing interpreters) ............................................................................................................. 30 Interpreter Team (3+ hearing interpreters)............................................................................................................ 31 Interpreter Team (Deaf / hearing) ......................................................................................................................... 31 Remote (Video) Interpreting ................................................................................................................................. 31 Types of Remote Interpreting ............................................................................................................................ 31 Remote Interpreting - General ........................................................................................................................... 32 Quality Issues .................................................................................................................................................... 32 Deaf Service User – Comfort and Consent .......................................................................................................... 33 Remote Meetings .............................................................................................................................................. 33 Suitability of VRI ................................................................................................................................................ 34 IRIS (Irish Remote Interpreting Service) .............................................................................................................. 35 7. Preparing the Interpreter .................................................................................................................................. 38 Why is preparation important? ............................................................................................................................. 38 Can I trust the interpreter to keep our information confidential? .......................................................................... 39 What does the interpreter need in advance of an assignment? ............................................................................. 39 What does the interpreter need to know about the Deaf person? ......................................................................... 40 What do I do when the interpreter arrives? ..........................................................................................................