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ASL Translation Services

Table of Contents

Introduction

APSEA’s ASL (American Sign Language) translation services help to create accessible spaces that are inclusive and diverse. It is important to consider all parties having an equal and mutual need for sight-translation services. By acknowledging diversity in language and recognizing the need for sign language/English translation, APSEA can provide opportunities for consistent and effective communication for all employees, families, educational and community partners.

Definitions

Freelance Interpreter

A self-employed person who works as an independent contractor for a range of clients providing ASL/English interpretation.

ASL Translation Lead

A person employed by APSEA who is responsible for producing English/ASL translations for organizational purposes.

ASL-English Staff Interpreter

A person employed by APSEA who is responsible for responding to ASL-English interpreting needs within the organization, coordinated by the Staff Interpreter Coordinator.

Staff Interpreter Coordinator

A person employed by APSEA who is responsible for coordinating and scheduling for all ASL-English interpreting needs, English-other language interpreting needs, and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) needs.

Supervisor of Accessibility Services

A person employed by APSEA who is responsible for the supervision of all accessibility services employees within the organization.

  • ASL-English Staff Interpreters
  • ASL Translation Lead
  • Staff Interpreter Coordinator

Purpose

This document reflects the expectations and standards for the provision of ASL translation services within APSEA in the support of communication access for all staff, children, youth, their families and caregivers, and communities.

Professional Integrity

APSEA’s ASL translation services are administered by the ASL Translation Lead who provides translation services by creating ASL translations of English documents and recordings, as well as written English documents from ASL recordings. As a Deaf person, ASL Translation Lead incorporates formative linguistic, regional, and cultural components to ensure accurate and appropriate translations that suit the intended audience.

The ASL Translation Lead follows the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Professional Conduct under CASLI- Canadian Association of Sign Language Interpreters and/or NAD-RID (National Association for the Deaf- Registry Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc) Code of Professional Conduct. Deaf Interpreter training supports the ability to translate from written or print text into ASL. As such, the ASL Translation Lead requires the ability of two key skills that are central to written/ASL translation:

  • Reading or ASL comprehension skills: the ability to comprehend written text in one language.
  • Written or ASL performance skills: the ability to produce a comparable rendition in written or recorded form into a second language.

Types of Translations

The ASL Translation Lead will determine what type of translation service is needed after gathering information from the person that requests the service.

The ASL Translation Lead will gather the information and confirm assignments, where possible, within 24 hours of receiving the request for services. They may communicate with an Information Technology (IT) staff member to determine how best to set up the translation (e.g., one long video, several videos related to topic/paragraph, etc.).

Written/Recorded Translation

Refers to the rendering of written text in one language to comparable written text in another language. In the case of ASL, which has no written form, translation may be rendered from a written text to video format, either live or recorded.

Sight Translation

Refers to the provision of spontaneous spoken or sighted translation of written text.

What Types of Materials Should be Translated?

The types of documents commonly submitted for ASL translation vary and include, but are not limited to:

  • Emails
  • Event Information
  • Policies
  • Human Resources documents
  • Reports
  • Presentations
  • APSEA Procedures
  • Guidelines
  • Training
  • Safety or Emergency Information
  • Resources for Learners
  • Video
  • Other

Making a Translation Request

Complete the ASL translation service request form located in the APSEA Staff Portal.

The ASL Translation Lead receives the request for translation services form via email and confirms receipt with the requestee and may request a meeting with the content creator for context. Once the translation is complete, the person who requested the translation service will receive the link(s) to the complete translation via email.

The following details are required for your translation service request:

Self-Identifying Criteria

The ASL translation lead will require the name and email of the staff member making the request, as well as the date the request is sent. The staff member sending the translation request should be able to answer any questions about the assignment the ASL translation lead may have. If this staff member is unable to provide the appropriate answers, the ASL translation lead may be obliged to contact the lead author or department supervisor regarding the assignment.

Preferred Deadline

Assignments with short and/or simple content may be ready in 2-3 workdays. Assignments with larger content and/or complex content will require several weeks or months to complete or require outsourcing. Longer or complex documents may require several video translations and will take more time to complete.

Please consider the impact of the translation on the intended audience when selecting your preferred deadline.

  • Is the information in your material time sensitive (are you communicating a deadline to staff, learners, caregivers, etc.)? 
    If the impact is not immediate the ASL Translation Lead may give you a timeframe that ranges from a couple weeks to a couple months for completion.

Timelines may vary depending on workload, operational demands, complexity of request, and the number and priority level of other assignments being translated. To aid in your assignment being completed within your desired timeframe, please plan accordingly, and give as much notice as possible.

If your request is urgent, please reach out to the ASL Translation Lead as soon as possible to discuss.

Multiple Documents

If your translation request includes more than one document, please select each type of material from the dropdown menu in the table provided in the ASL Translation Services Request Form. For each document, please provide the word count. If there is no selection matching your document type in the dropdown menu, select ‘other’ and provide an explanation as well as the word count.

Contact(s)

Provide the name, email and department supervisor for the author of the document you are requesting translation for. Authorial and departmental contact information may be used to answer questions on document content and complexity. It is important the ASL Translation Lead has this information in case they have questions, need clarification, or need to book a meeting to discuss the assignment to ensure an accurate translation.

Intended Audience

Explain who the audience of your material is: children/youth, APSEA staff, families, educational and community partners, or the public.

Final Document

Submit final documents only to ensure accurate translations (do not send drafts). Please ensure your documents have been checked for accessibility before sending them for translation. Documents can be sent to the Supervisor of Accessibility Services for an accessibility review.

Preparation Materials

Provide any materials that will provide background and context, as required and as available. Providing supporting documents allows the ASL Translation Lead to prepare for the translation will help ensure your request is processed in a timely fashion and is accurate. For example, if your document uses lots of industry specific language, please provide a glossary of terms.

Planning and Inclusion

The ASL Translation Lead may benefit from being included in meetings which the assignment content is being discussed or reviewed. For example, if you know a policy you are writing will be translated, schedule it in the meeting agenda and invite the ASL Translation Lead to attend the part of the upcoming Leadership Team meeting where you will be reviewing it and asking for feedback. This will help the ASL Translation Lead gain context and a better understanding of your assignment and will help with the preparation, accuracy, and efficiency of creating the translation.

Video Submission

Videos need to be closed captioned to provide translation/ interpreting service. The transcript of the video is required to support the translation. If the video will be interpreted (i.e., English to ASL), the video will need to be slow in pace with frequent pauses to allow time for the interpretation. If the video requires a voice over (i.e., ASL to English), the ASL Translation Lead will book an interpreter for this service.

Visual Contents

If there are visual contents such as pictures, graphs, etc., please provide enough information and context so they can be translated to ASL. The ASL Translation Lead will describe the visual content in a summative format in ASL.

Translation Considerations

When determining the appropriateness for sight-translation services, consider the following:

Intended Audience

For documents with broad intended audiences, translation is recommended. For smaller intended audiences, translation may not be required. If unsure, ask the recipients for their content language preference.

Content

For documents that contain important information and/or complex language or concepts, translation is recommended.

Team Interpreting

A team of interpreters may be required for assignments that requiring additional support. Such teams may include the ASL Translation Lead, Staff Interpreter(s) and/or Freelance Interpreter(s). The ASL Translation Lead will help determine when this may be required.

ASL Translation Services Contact Information

To contact APSEA’s ASL translation Services Lead, please use this form. If you are requesting a video meeting through Outlook using zoom or MS teams, please submit an ASL interpreter request through the APSEA database after confirming the meeting date with the translation lead via email. Another option would be to have the ASL translation lead contact you by phone using Canada Video Relay Services.

Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA)
5940 South Street
Halifax, NS B3H 1S6
apsea.ca

Appendix A

ASL Translation Request Checklist

Questions to ask yourself when making a request for ASL translation services:

  • Have I provided my preferred deadline? Please consider the length and complexity of your request, as well as the impact of the translation.
  • Have I explained the intended audience of the translation?
  • Am I providing the final version of the document? Has it been checked for accessibility?
  • Have I provided supporting materials to provide background/context to support the translation (if required)?
  • Have I provided the contact information for the main people involved in the material being translated so the ASL Translation Lead can reach out if they have questions.
  • If my material is complex or lengthy, am I available to have a meeting with the ASL Translation Lead to ensure they have the required context and information to complete the translation?
  • If sending a video, have I made sure it has closed captions and have I provided the transcript?
  • Have I provided supplementary information on all visual aspects (photo, graphs, tables of data, etc.) so the ASL Translation Lead is able to describe them accurately in ASL?

Appendix B

ASL Translation Services Workflow

Step 1

APSEA staff member submits the ASL Translation Service Request Form via email to the ASL Translation Lead.

Step 2

ASL Translation Lead reviews and confirms the translation service request.

Step 3

ASL Translation Lead creates the translation of the material.

Step 4

If the requested service is an ASL video, the ASL Translation Lead sends completed video to APSEA IT team to be edited.

Step 5

IT edits the video and sends it back to ASL Translation Lead.

Step 6

ASL Translation Lead does final review of edited video.

Step 7

ASL Translation Lead sends the completed translation assignment via email to the APSEA staff member who made the request.

Step 8

APSEA staff shares the translation.

Last Updated: March 2024

Serving Children & Youth Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing/Blind or Visually Impaired