Access to Work
Regular or ad hoc workplace support — meetings, supervisions, training, appraisals and day-to-day working life. I can invoice under an Access to Work award.
Bristol & the South West
Interpreting that keeps the language at the centre.
Registered British Sign Language interpreting for workplaces, healthcare, conferences, theatre and community life.
- RSLI since 2015
- NRCPD 1016511
- ASLI member
Email to book
signingcentricbsl@gmail.com
The interpreter
Adrian Bailey
I am a Registered Sign Language Interpreter working principally in Bristol. I have held full RSLI registration with the NRCPD since 2015, and I am a member of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters.
Signing Centric is my practice. Bookings come to me directly and I am the person who turns up, so you know who will be in the room and I know what the job needs. Assignments range from a twenty-minute clinic appointment to a run of performances.
Registration means an assessed qualification, a professional code of conduct, a complaints route and ongoing professional development. You can check my registration any time on the NRCPD register .
What I cover
Every setting has its own demands
A consulting room and a stage ask for different things. Tell me the setting and I will tell you how I would approach it.
Medical appointments
GP and hospital appointments, clinics, mental health services, diagnostics and follow-ups. Handled with care and full confidentiality.
Conferences
Platform and breakout interpreting, panels and Q&A. Longer programmes are co-worked with a second registered interpreter.
Live music and theatre
Performance interpreting, prepared from script and score. This is rehearsed work, prepared in advance, so it is worth booking early.
Community events
Public meetings, faith settings, sport, funerals and weddings, local authority consultations and community organisations.
And more besides
Legal, education, training and one-off assignments. If it is not listed here, ask.
Ethos
How I like to work
Four things I hold to, whatever the setting.
Preparation is most of the job
By the time I walk in, I want to know the names, the subject and the shape of the day. Send me the agenda, the script, the slides, the running order. The quality of an interpretation is usually decided before it starts.
Meaning, not words
A joke has to land. A eulogy has to move people. A song has to feel like a song. I work for the effect the speaker intended, which is not always the same as a tidy word-for-word rendering.
The room belongs to the people in it
My job is to make the conversation possible — to make sure everyone understands and feels understood. That is the standard I hold myself to, and what you should expect from me.
Straight answers
If a booking needs two interpreters, more preparation time or an earlier start, I will say so up front. If I am not free, you will hear back quickly enough to find someone who is.
Booking
One email starts it
No forms. Email goes straight to me. I will come back to you quickly with availability and cost, and if I am not free I will say so straight away.
Include these and I can usually answer in one reply
- Date, start time and expected finish time
- Full address, or the platform if it is remote
- The setting — medical, workplace, conference, performance, and so on
- Who will be there, and who the Deaf participants are
- Anything I should prepare from: agenda, script, slides, running order
- Who is paying — Access to Work, an employer, a venue, an individual
Practical questions
Before you email
Where do you work, and what happens for bookings outside Bristol?
I work principally in Bristol. I do take bookings further afield, and for those the chargeable period runs from my departure until I arrive back at my home address, unless something different has been explicitly agreed in advance. I will always confirm this in writing before the booking is fixed.
How far ahead should I book?
As early as you can. Registered interpreters in any given area are a small pool, and popular dates go quickly. Performance work needs the most notice, since preparation from script or score is part of the work. Short-notice enquiries are always worth sending.
Can you invoice through Access to Work?
Yes. Tell me in your first email that the booking sits under an Access to Work award and I will set the paperwork up accordingly. If you are still working out what to apply for, say so and I can explain how interpreter bookings usually run.
Is what is said confidential?
Yes. Registered interpreters work to the NRCPD Code of Conduct, which binds me to confidentiality and impartiality. What happens in the assignment stays in the assignment. Where I co-work with a second interpreter, the same obligation applies to them.
Why do some bookings need two interpreters?
Interpreting is cognitively demanding, and accuracy falls away over a long stretch. For longer assignments, conferences and performances, two registered interpreters work as a team and swap at intervals. I will tell you at the quoting stage if a booking calls for it.
What are your cancellation terms?
Cancellation terms are confirmed in writing when a booking is accepted, and depend on the length and type of assignment. Email me for the current terms.
How do I check your registration?
Search NRCPD number 1016511 on the NRCPD public register. It will show my registration status and category. It is worth doing for any interpreter you book.
Follow along
Topical posts about BSL and our community, and more about what I do.