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Interpreting and Translation — the difference
What separates interpreting from translation, which international standard governs each, and where InSignLanguage stands on both.
England & Wales
InSignLanguage Ltd — last updated 22 July 2026 — version 1.0
People use "interpreting" and "translation" as though they mean the same thing. They do not, and the difference decides who is qualified to do your work, how it is quality-checked, and which international standard applies.
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 exists once, in real time, and cannot be edited afterwards. A translator works from settled source material to create a finished piece — a BSL video, or a written English text — which can be reviewed, corrected and re-checked before anyone sees it.
Side by side
Interpreting | Translation | |
When it happens | Live, as people speak or sign | Ahead of time, from finished source material |
What you get | Communication in the moment | A file you keep and reuse |
Can it be revised? | No — it happens once | Yes, and it is, before delivery |
Quality control | Registered interpreter, prepared and briefed; team interpreting for long or demanding assignments | A second qualified person reviews the work before it is delivered |
Typical examples | A GP appointment, a disciplinary hearing, a conference, a Video Relay call | A policy document in BSL, a website page in BSL, a signed induction video |
The standard | ISO 18841:2018 — interpreting services | ISO 17100:2015 — translation services |
A signed video is a translation, not an interpretation
This trips people up, because nothing is written down. But if we work from a finished document to produce a recorded BSL video, that is translation: there is a source text, a drafting stage, a review stage and a deliverable. The fact that the target language is visual rather than written does not change what kind of work it is.
Filming an interpreter working live at an event, and keeping the recording, does not turn it into a translation. It is a recording of an interpretation, and it carries the limits of live work.
Where we stand on each
Interpreting — our main service, and we are certified
Interpreting is the bulk of what we do: face-to-face, remote and Video Relay, across health, legal, education, employment and Access to Work settings. 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 — we do it, we follow ISO 17100, and certification is in progress
We deliver BSL translation, and we build the service to follow ISO 17100:2015. That means a qualified translator does the work and a second, Deaf reviewer checks it before delivery — the revision step is the heart of the standard, and it is what separates a translation from a recording of someone signing.
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. We would rather tell you exactly what our process is and let you hold us to it than imply an accreditation we do not yet hold.
There is an honest constraint behind this. There are very few qualified BSL translators in the UK — the qualification is recent and expensive to obtain. We will not put translation work in the hands of someone who is not qualified for it just to fill a slot, even when that means saying no or quoting a longer lead time.
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, a page or a script and you want it available in BSL for anyone to watch — you need a translation.
You have a recorded video in spoken English and you want a BSL version — translation.
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. The service terms are in our Terms and Conditions of Service, and translation work is governed by our BSL Translation Terms.
InSignLanguage Ltd · 26 Domum Road, Portsmouth PO2 0QZ · Company number 10943637 · ICO registration ZC163713