BSL Translation Terms

Terms for BSL translation work — recorded translation of written content into British Sign Language, and BSL video into written English.

England & Wales

InSignLanguage Ltd — last updated 22 July 2026 — version 0.1 draft

These terms cover BSL translation: turning written or spoken English into a recorded British Sign Language video, and turning BSL video into written English. They sit alongside our Terms and Conditions of Service, which apply in full; where the two differ, these terms govern translation work.

Translation is not interpreting. Interpreting is live and cannot be revised once it has happened; it is governed by ISO 18841:2018, to which our interpreting service is certified. Translation is a produced piece of work — drafted, reviewed and delivered as a file — and it is governed by ISO 17100:2015. If you are unsure which you need, see Interpreting and Translation — the difference.

0. The standard we work to

We build this service to follow ISO 17100:2015. Two of its requirements shape everything below: the translator must be demonstrably qualified, and the work must be revised by a second competent person before delivery. That revision step is not a courtesy check — it is the part of the standard that makes a translation a translation.

We have applied for ISO 17100 certification and it is in progress. Until it is granted we do not describe ourselves as certified to it, and neither should anyone quoting us. We will tell you who translated your work and who reviewed it.

There are very few qualified BSL translators in the UK — the qualification is recent and costly. We will not assign translation work to someone unqualified for it to meet a deadline. Where that means a longer lead time, we will say so when we quote.

1. What you give us

You supply the final approved source text. Translation begins from settled copy: BSL is a visual language with its own grammar, and a change to one English sentence can require re-filming a whole passage.

If the source changes after work has started, we will tell you what it affects and quote for the additional work. You also tell us the audience, the register, the intended platform, and any terminology that must be signed a particular way.

2. How the work runs

Brief and glossary. We agree terminology, names, and any regional or specialist signs before filming.
Translation. A qualified translator prepares the BSL rendering — meaning-for-meaning, not word-for-word.
Deaf-led review. A second, Deaf reviewer checks the translation for accuracy and natural BSL.
Delivery. We deliver the agreed file formats by the agreed date.

3. Checking and accepting the work

You have 10 working days from delivery to review. Tell us in that window if anything is wrong and we will correct it. Two rounds of correction for accuracy — mistranslation, a wrong name, a missed passage — are included at no charge.

Changes of preference after sign-off — a different signer, a different backdrop, a change of tone — are new work and quoted separately, because they mean re-filming. If we hear nothing within 10 working days, the work is accepted.

4. Who owns the translation

On payment in full, you own the delivered translation and may use it for the purpose we agreed. We keep ownership of our working methods, templates and glossaries, and may reuse them.

5. The person on screen

This is the part most translation contracts miss, and it matters.

A BSL translation shows a real, identifiable person signing. That person has rights in their own performance and their own image, separate from your ownership of the file. So:

Use is licensed for the purpose, platforms and duration we agree in writing before filming.
Using the video for a materially different purpose — a national advertising campaign when we agreed an internal induction video — needs the signer's fresh consent, which we will seek for you.
You will not edit the translation in a way that changes its meaning, or recut it so the signer appears to say something they did not.
Where no duration is agreed, the licence runs for three years from delivery and we will contact you before it lapses.

Nothing here stops you keeping and using the file internally, or archiving it as a record.

6. Accessibility

We deliver to the standards we publish. Where you tell us the translation must meet a specific accessibility requirement — a WCAG conformance level, a particular caption or player specification — we will confirm in writing before starting whether we can meet it.

7. Fees, changes and cancellation

Translation is quoted per project, not per hour, and the quote states what is included. Cancellation and rescheduling follow the Cancellation Schedule, with one difference: because translation is produced ahead of delivery, cancellation after work has started is charged for work actually done, evidenced on request.

8. Confidentiality

Source material is confidential. Translators and reviewers are bound by contract and by their professional register's code. We do not use your material as a sample or portfolio piece without your written agreement.

Draft — three points for John to confirm: (1) whether outright ownership on payment is right, or a perpetual licence would suit better; (2) whether two free accuracy rounds is the right number; (3) whether three years is the right default performance licence where none is agreed.

InSignLanguage Ltd · 26 Domum Road, Portsmouth PO2 0QZ · Company number 10943637 · ICO registration ZC163713