Interpreting and Translation — the difference

InSignLanguage Ltd — last updated 24 August 2026 — version 2.0

People use “interpreting” and “translation” as though they mean the same thing. They do not. The difference decides who is qualified to do your work, how it is checked, and which international standard applies. It also decides what we will and will not take on.

The difference in one line

Interpreting is live. Translation is produced.

An interpreter works in the moment: a meeting, an appointment, a video call. What they produce happens once and cannot be edited afterwards. A translator works from settled source material to produce a finished file, which is drafted and then revised by a second qualified person before anyone sees it. That revision stage is the heart of the translation standard, ISO 17100:2015.

What we provide: interpreting

Interpreting is what we do. Face to face, remote and Video Relay, across health, legal, education, employment and Access to Work settings, delivered by Registered Sign Language Interpreters.

Our interpreting service is certified to ISO 18841:2018 — certificate ATCISO2479, issued by ATC Certification, valid to 8 December 2028. We also hold ISO 9001:2015 for quality management.

Translation: not something we are taking on at the moment

We are not currently taking on new translation work. Translation is not part of what we offer today, and we are not certified to ISO 17100:2015. We are not going to claim a standard we do not hold. If that position changes, we will say so here.

So if your purpose, your regulator, a court or a public body requires a translation, or requires a certified, sworn or attested translation, you will need a translation provider. Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will say so plainly, rather than take work we are not the right supplier for.

BSL Video Presentations: interpreting, recorded

Where you need information available in BSL outside a live conversation, we offer a BSL Video Presentation. A qualified hearing Registered Sign Language Interpreter interprets your finished material to camera, and we record and caption that interpretation.

It is a filmed interpretation, and it carries the limits of live work. There is no drafting cycle, no second qualified person revising the work before delivery, and no certificate of accuracy. That is precisely what makes it interpreting rather than translation, and it is the honest description of what you receive.

BSL Video Presentations are available through our Marketplace and are governed by our BSL Video Presentation Terms.

Which do you need?

• People will be talking or signing to each other, at a set time — you need an interpreter.

• You have a document or a script and you want it available in BSL for people to watch — a BSL Video Presentation, within the limits set out above.

• You need a certified, sworn or attested translation — you need a translation provider. We are not offering that at the moment.

• Not sure — tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will tell you which it is, including when the answer is that you do not need us at all.

Ask us

Email support@insignlanguage.co.uk. Our service terms are in our Terms and Conditions of Service.

InSignLanguage Ltd · 26 Domum Road, Portsmouth PO2 0QZ · Company number 10943637 · VAT registration number GB 298 6629 31 · ICO registration ZC163713