News

An Interview with Lauren

31 October 2023
Why did you want to become a BSL/English interpreter? I previously worked in Mental Health settings that supported Deaf people and was fortunate enough to observe the amazing work that the interpreters did and this inspired me to get into it myself. What training and qualifications did you have before you joined the INT course? […]
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An Interview with Matt

31 October 2023
Why did you want to become a BSL/English interpreter?? I decided to become a BSL/English interpreter after a career change. In my previous jobs, I was using BSL on a daily basis and in my last role that also involved some interpreting. I thought it would be worth developing that skill further and also to give me […]
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INTRA6 Pass Rates 2023

5 October 2023
We are pleased to report on our most recent pass rates for the Signature Level 6 Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting and Translation qualification for the 2022/23 academic year. Overall, we achieved a 92% first time pass rate across all of our interpreting courses and a total of 40 students. Almost 60% of students achieved […]
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An Interview with Sophie

30 June 2023
What is your deaf family background? Both of my parents are deaf as well as my extended family. I grew up using BSL at home everyday as my first language.   What BSL training and qualifications did you have before you joined the IDPHS course, if any? I had already done my Level 6 BSL […]
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An Interview with Iona

16 June 2023
What is your deaf family background?  I grew up with a profoundly Deaf mother and brother, as well as grandparents and many family/friends on my mother's side. BSL was my first language and one I used in everyday life at home. What BSL training and qualifications did you have before you joined the IDPHS course, […]
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An Interview with Ahmed

2 June 2023
Why did you want to become a deaf interpreter and translator? I was working as a TV presenter and previously a support worker. As part of my support worker role I would regularly translate documentation to support Deaf individuals. I became interested in the translation and interpreting process and decided to formalise my studies to […]
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INTRA6 Pass Rates 2022

11 November 2022
We are pleased to report on our most recent pass rates for the Signature Level 6 Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting and Translation qualification. Overall, we achieved a 93% pass rate across all of our interpreting courses and a total of 50 students. Almost 80% of students achieved a Merit or Distinction. We are particularly […]
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Welcome to our new heritage signers cohort

18 October 2022
We are delighted to welcome a brand new cohort on our unique Interpreter Development Programme for Heritage Signers course. This course provides an alternative pathway to becoming a BSL/English interpreter for hearing people who have grown up in deaf signing families; they can join without any formal BSL qualifications and become qualified interpreters in 3 […]
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Welcome to Deaf Interpreter Development Programme (DIDP) students

12 September 2021
It’s September and the new academic year has started! This year we welcome an incredible 46 more students to the BSL First community, across 5 different interpreter and translator programmes. This week we started the Deaf Interpreter Development Programme. Our DIDP course is the only course in the UK specifically for deaf people to become […]
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Interpreting students present on Cokely's miscue analysis model

8 September 2021
Students on our Level 6 Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting course have been studying Cokely’s miscue analysis model and put together this entertaining video. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
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100% Pass rate for BSL6

8 September 2021
Well done to our Level 6 BSL students who studied throughout lockdown and all passed! We received a 100% pass rate for Level 6 BSL.
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BSL courses on hold

8 September 2021
We regret to announce that our BSL courses and MyBSLFirst subscriptions are currently on hold. There has been a delay in getting the learning resources completed on time over the summer. We are working as fast as we can and we hope to launch the MyBSLFirst platform in the new year. We need to have […]
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Translation Talk

8 September 2021
Akbar will be curating the Translation Talk Twitter account from 20-24 September 2021. Follow Translation Talk on Twitter to see what Akbar will be talking about! https://twitter.com/translationtalk?s=20
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ASLI Census 2021

8 September 2021
The Association of Sign Language Interpreters commissioned a census of the signed language interpreting and translation (SLTI) profession. The research was carried out by academics at Heriot-Watt, Wolverhampton and West of Scotland universities, with several stakeholder organisations, including Interpreters of Colour Network (IOCN), contributing to the research as an advisory board. Akbar Sikder was the […]
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Welcome back to all current students

8 September 2021
Welcome back to our current cohorts on the Interpreter Development Programme for Heritage Signers (IDPHS) and the Level 6 Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting courses, who will both start the second year of their course.  
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