Interpreters& Transcription Services Fact sheet

Islington Councils Services

LBIs Interpreting & Translation Service (ITS)

Room 206
Highbury House
5 Highbury Crescent
London
N5 1RN

Tel: 020 7527 4024
Fax: 020 7527 4245

For enquiries & complaints contact the Interpreting and Translation Services (ITS) Co-ordinator on Tel: 020 7527 4024

Interpreters

Interpreters are booked directly through the officers using the lists available from their managers. If you are unable to book, or their isnt an interpreter available for the language you require then the ITS hold a list of Islington approved interpreters of which fees vary.

Translation

Translations of short letters to individual clients are organised directly by officers. When the Council are unable to offer translators they will be able to provide details of agencies from a list made available to them of approved agencies used by Islington Council.

Rates of pay for interpreting

£15 per hour (minimum engagement time one hour).
£7.50 per subsequent half hour interpreting.
£5.00 per 15 minutes telephone interpreting (minimum fee £5.00).
Cancellation fees: £7.50 if less than 48 hours notice is given
Travelling Costs: Return fares by public transport are paid on production of evidence.

Rates of pay for translators

£8.00 per 100 English words typed translations.
£15.00 at rate for documents of less than 200 English words.
£4.00 per 100 English words for page layout.
£3.00 per 100 words for external checking and proofreading.
Cancellation fees: £7.50 if less than 48 hours notice is given. If the translator has started work on the document then the full fees of what has been translated will be paid or the minimum cancellation fees, whichever is the greater.

Method of Payment

Gross. Inland Revenue has classified freelance interpreters / translators as self - employed. Interpreters/Translators must be paid promptly. Agencies recommended by Islington Council will have varying rates and methods of pay.

Islington Councils British Sign Language Interpreter.

Debbie Conway
166 Upper Street
London
N1 1XU

Tel: 020 7527 3396 (Direct Line)
Tel: 020 7527 3394 (Main Reception/Support Service)
Minicom : 020 7527 3396
Fax: 020 7527 3275

Email: debbieconway@islington.gov.uk

Islington Council has a full time Sign Language Interpreter. This is a free service, which you can use whenever you use any council service. You can use the Sign Language Interpreter for anything to do with the Council. For example:

Social Services: e.g. when you have appointments with a social worker.
Housing: e.g. when having appointments with housing officers to talk about rent arrears, Council tax, repairs etc).
Schools run by Islington Council: e.g. when attending parents evenings or having meetings with teachers.
Sports and Leisure Centres.

If you are unsure whether you can use the councils interpreter for your appointment, please contact Debbie Conway directly. Interpreters are provided free by the RNID for health appointments within Camden and Islington. You can get an interpreter for: Doctors surgeries, NHS Hospitals, Community Health Centres and Clinics (within Islington & Camden).

If you want an interpreter for a health appointment, please contact the RNID on:

Tel: 020 7296 8064/8066
Minicom: 020 7296 8065
Fax: 020 7296 8083
Emergency Tel No. (after 5pm): 01273 771613

The Sensory Disability Team

166 Upper Street
London
N1 1XU

Tel: 020 7527 3394
Fax: 020 7527 3279
Minicom: 020 7527 3282

Website: www.islington.gov.uk

The Sensory Impairment Team provides borough-wide specialist services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted and those who are deaf and blind. They also carry out assessments and identify accessible equipment in order to enable people with sensory impairments to maintain independence at home.

For Deaf or Hearing Impaired

RNID Communication Services Unit (CSU):

London and the South East
RNID South East CSU
19-23 Featherstone Street
London EC1Y 8SL

Tel: 0870 6050 123 (Information Line)
Tel: 020 7296 8066/8064 (CSU)
Fax: 020 7296 8083
Textphone: 020 7296 8065

Email: CSUSoutheast@rnid.org.uk
Website: www.rnid.org.uk

If you have an emergency call outside office hours (for example, police or medical), please call Tel/Textphone: 01273 596267

Sara Ulfsparre is the Communication Services Co-ordinator and will be able to provide you with details of communication support in your area. There are a wide range of services provided by the Communication Services Units covering the whole of the UK. These include: Sign Language Interpreters - British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters, Sign Supported English (SSE), Video Interpreting, Lipspeakers, Notetakers, Speech-to-text operators (Speed Text and Palantype), Deaf/blind interpreters. It is also possible to hire equipment including induction loops. Prices for these services vary so you should contact the Communication Services Unit directly. When you are booking up for the communication services you should let them know details of your appointment, event, meeting at the Communication Services Unit with as much notice as possible. Prices vary but in many situations, the communications service can be paid for by your local council, health authority, agency or organisation. Full-time students often get financial support from their Local Education Authority or receive a Disabled Students Allowance in order to pay for communication services. Your local CSU Co-ordinator will be able to give you more details.

Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD)

RAD Interpreting Service
The Pines
Lynderswood Farm
London Road
Braintree
Essex
CM77 8QN

Tel: 0870 774 3525
Fax: 0870 7743526
Text: 0870 774 3527

Email: interpreting@royaldeaf.org.uk
Website: www.royaldeaf.org.uk

The Royal Association for Deaf Peoples Interpreters Service will be able to provide interpreters. They are based at The Pines and they are affiliated with the Royal Association for the Deaf who also have an Equipment/Hearing Advisor based at St Marks Centre for Deaf People. The Interpreting Service is available Monday to Friday from 9.00am - 3.00pm and you should contact them directly regarding a price list.

Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) St Marks Centre for Deaf People

Equipment/Hearing Advisor - Val Collins
RAD St Marks Centre
Cottage Place
Chelmsford
Essex
CM1 1NL
Tel: 01245 283777
Fax: 01245 346609
Text: 01245 257704

Website: www.royaldeaforg.uk

The St Marks Centre for Deaf People have an Equipment/Hearing Advisor - Val Collins who is available Mondays and Wednesday. She will be able to provide information on loan of equipment such as hearing induction loops and general advice on Communication Support. They have a Communication Support Directory which can also be found on the RAD website.

Royal Association for the Deaf People (RAD)

Head Office
Walsingham Road
Colchester
Essex
CO2 7BP

Tel: 01206 509509
Fax: 01206 769755
Text: 01206 711260

Email: info@royaldeaf.org.uk
Website: www.royaldeaf.org.uk

Royal Association for the Deaf People (RAD) helps people get the most out of life. They offer an Information & Advice Service, Centres for Deaf people, training and interpreting & communication support. They have a number of different offices providing these services including the RAD Head Office, the RAD Interpreting Agency and St. Marks Centre for Deaf People.

If you require an Interpreter?

The RADs UK Communication Support Directory will enable you to find contact details for agencies, interpreters, lipspeakers, speech-to-text reporters, notetakers, communication support workers and deaf/blind interpreters. Before you book your interpreter:

Be sure of the type of sign language interpreter that you require.
Consider the type of event that you require the interpreter for.
Give as much notice as possible.
Give the full address and contact details and a map if possible, plus the name of the client the interpreter will be interpreting for.
Give the start and finish times together with the purpose for the event and forward any preparation material to the co-ordinators as soon as possible, to assist the interpreters.
The fee for the interpreters services should be agreed when making a booking.

The City Lit Institute

Centre for Deaf People
Connaught Hall
41 Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9EX

Tel: 020 7388 4282 (Melinda Napier)
Tel: 020 7387 9705 (Interpreters)
Fax: 020 7388 4282

Email: m.napier@citylit.ac.uk
Website: www.citylit.ac.uk

The City Lit run BSL Training Courses for interpreting, their courses include BSL Stage 1, 2 and 3, Deafblind Guiding Skills, Lipreading/Lipspeaking, advocacy skills for Deaf people and many others. They are able to provide interpreters from 1st September 2004 and Melinda Napier can be contacted at Connaught Hall to arrange this.

Centre for Deaf People

Connaught Hall
41 Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9EX

Tel: 020 7383 7624
Fax: 020 7380 1076

Email: cfdp@citylit.ac.uk
Website: www.citylit.ac.uk/cfdp

The Centre for Deaf People offer courses for the Deaf & Hearing Impaired and they should be contacted at the above address. They also have the Head office at which courses are often based at The City Lit, 16 Stukeley Street, London, WC2B 5LJ. Tel: 020 7242 9872.

For Blind or Visually Impaired

In addition to services provided by the Councils ITS service.

RNIB

Royal National Institute for the Blind
105 Judd Street
London
WC1H 9NE

Tel: 020 7388 1266
RNIB Helpline: 0845 766 9999

Email: helpline@rnib.org.uk
Website: www.rnib.org.uk

The RNIB Helpline provides: Information, support and advice for anyone with serious sight problems. The Helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9.00am - 5.00pm. They provide a rapid transcription service for £6.50 with a set up charge with an additional £7.00 per page for Braille, audio, or disc or alternatively an additional £5.00 for large print. They do not provide a price list as prices for larger documents vary and you should contact them directly for quotes.

Action for Blind People

14 -16 Verney Road,
London
SE16 3DZ

Freephone Helpline: 0800 9154666
Tel: 020 7635 4800
Fax: 020 7635 4829

Email: info@afbp.org
Website: www.afbp.org

Action for Blind People is a national charity, they have a national Information & Advice Centre with up to date resources and close contact with other service providers. They provide a Freephone Helpline from Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm and all of the information that they provide is free and impartial. They are unable to provide a transcription service but will be able to refer people on to other organisations. Supplies of Action for Blind Peoples own publications are all available in clear print, Braille, on tape or computer disc, or they can email them to you.

Metropolitan Society for the Blind

Lantern House,
102 Bermondsey Street,
London
SE1 3UB

Tel: 020 7403 6184
Fax: 020 7234 0708

Email: enquiries@msb.gb.com
Website: www.msb.gb.com

The Metropolitan Society for the Blind and partially sighted is a national charity providing grants for holidays and equipment. They presently do not offer transcription services.

Disability Action in Islington (DAI) - Transciption & Brailling Services.

Disability Action in Islington
90 - 92 Upper Street
London
N1 0NP

Tel: 020 7226 0137
Fax: 020 7359 1855
Minicom: 020 7359 1891

Email: daii@compuserve.com
Website: www.daii.org

DAIs hearing induction loop is unavailable to hire at present. If you would like to hire the induction loop then contact Tess McManus via email at the office. She will forward your details accordingly if and when the service resumes. The Braille Service is also currently suspended and again should you require this service then contact DAI directly and again they will forward your details appropriately if and when the service resumes. In the meantime, details of other organisations offering hearing induction loops, interpreters, transcription to print, disc, audio tape, large print, or pictorial format will be available.

For Learning Difficulties

Disability Action in Islington (DAI)

Disability Action in Islington (DAI) is presently unable to provide its transcription service that produces documents that are easy to understand/pictorial formats. Tess McManuss contact details are under the DAI Transcription Services section above should you require to contact DAIs transcription service sometime in the future if and when it resumes

People First

3rd Floor
299 Kentish Town Road,
London
NW5 2TJ

Tel: 020 7485 6660
Fax: 020 7485 6664

Email: general@peoplefirstltd.com
Website: www.peoplefirstltd.com

People First is run by people with learning difficulties campaigning for equal rights and they give information, training and advice to other people. They are able to provide information in accessible formats and you should contact them directly for quotes for this. People First have produced a set of CDs with a pictorial dictionary together with a book called Access to Pictures for use in producing information that is accessible to people with learning difficulties. The Access to Pictures set is available for purchase by sending a request together with a cheque made payable to People First at the address above. The price for the Access to Pictures set is as follows:

For self advocacy user groups for people with learning difficulties the price is £45 (including postage and packing).
For voluntary sector organisations the price is £85 (including postage and packing).
For statutory sector organisations the price is £125 (including postage and packing).

Change

Unit 19-20
26 Ranhay Road
Leeds
LS7 1AB

Tel: 0113 243 0202
Fax: 0113 243 0220
Minicom: 0113 243 2225

Email: changepeople@btconnect.com
Website: www.changepeople.co.uk

Change are a user led organisation that produce a picture bank of images for use in producing documents that are accessible to people with learning difficulties and also make organisations information accessible.

Centre 404

404 Camden Road
London
N7 OSJ

Tel: 020 7697 1325
Fax: 020 77000085

Email: family@centre404.org.uk
Website: Unavailable at present.

Centre 404 (formerly Islington MENCAP) has been a highly successful parent-led organisation providing support and information to parents of children with special needs. They provide home visits, regular newsletters and are able to assist with transcriptions for which you should contact them directly.

Disability GO & Direct.gov

Disability Unit
Level 6, Adelphi
1-11 John Adam Street
London
WC2N 6HT

Email: feedback-disability@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.disability.gov.uk
Website: www.directgov.uk

Disability GO is a new Government website to enable people to obtain up to date information on disability issues in combination with there other major website Directgov. which will provide more information on civil rights along with internet links.