Information Sheet Summary In May 2007 Volunteering England launched a video in British Sign Language with English subtitles on its website. We hope it will be an interesting way to publicise our work, and a good way to reach out to new people and organisations. If your organisation wants to produce a sign language video, you might find the following tips helpful. Please note that this isn’t intended to be a professional guide to video making, so we suggest that you seek other advice as well.
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Make sure that D/deaf people are involved in the project
If you don’t have any D/deaf volunteers or staff at your organisation, talk to clients or customers in the local community. Try asking a deaf society or club in your local area for advice. If you don’t know where your nearest one is, you can try searching the British Deaf Association’s free Information Directory (see below).
Decide on the main message of your video
You could provide a general introduction to your organisation’s work, or you might want to focus on a particular topic. Are there any common questions which people ask, or which you think deaf people in particular would ask?
Develop a clear script for your video
Some Deaf people who use sign language as their first language can find it difficult to read written English. If you want to translate a written script into British Sign Language, use short sentences and plain English. This will make it easier to understand and to translate into British Sign Language. Make sure that the translation is checked for accuracy.
Find the skills you need
You will probably need to combine several types of skills to make the project work, for example, filming expertise, skills in website development, knowledge of sign language and understanding of the deaf community. You might find one supplier who can offer all this, or you might decide to work with several organisations and combine their skills. If you don’t know who to ask, try contacting professional filming companies or local deaf organisations. You could also search on the internet for videos you like and contact the production company who made them.
Try to compare quotes from several different suppliers if you can. Get references from previous clients and ask to see previous examples of videos which the supplier has made.
Planning your video
Watch other videos on the internet to get ideas. You will need to think about the technical side and creative aspects too.
- Do you want subtitles and how will they be displayed?
- Which computer formats will you use? Eg: Realplayer, Windows Media Player
- What backdrop will the video have?
- Will you have a voiceover or soundtrack?
- Do you have any preferences about the presenter’s appearance or clothes!
Producing your video
If you can, observe or help out on the filming day. It’s a good opportunity to learn more about sign language and the filming process. You can also answer any last minute questions about the script. Once the video is finished, you should ask some deaf people to review it for you. Also, try to test it on different computers to make sure it plays well.
Launch your video
When you’re ready to launch your video, make sure that your staff and volunteers are also ready to receive more enquiries from deaf people. You could arrange free or low cost deaf awareness or disability equality training through a local organisation. You should also look at practical communication issues. For example, you might receive more calls through RNID’s Typetalk relay service for telephone calls, so make sure people are prepared and know how to use the service.
Monitor and evaluate your project
You can find out whether the video has reached your intended audience through a survey or feedback form. Evaluating the project should also help you to plan more videos or other kinds of resources in the future. Lastly, remember to make sure the message in your video remains relevant and up-to-date.
Further information
British Deaf Association website
http://www.bda.org.uk
British Telecom – BSL on the internet
http://www.btplc.com/age_disability/bsl2007/index.htm
RNID’s Typetalk relay service for telephone calls
http://www.typetalk.org/
Sign Station website about sign language and deaf awareness
http://www.signstation.org/
Signpost website and BSL services
http://www.signpostbsl.com/
Last reviewed: June 2008
We have made every effort to ensure that this Information Sheet was correct at the time of publication. It is intended as a summary of relevant issues and suggests further sources of information. Legal or other formal advice should be sought where appropriate.
All of Volunteering England’s Information Sheets are available at:
www.volunteering.org.uk/information
Or please contact Volunteering England’s Information Service
Freephone Information Line: 0800 028 3304 (M-F 10.30-12.30 & 14.00-16.00)
Email: Information@volunteeringengland.org
