Christian Interpreters' Network

What is the CIN?

The Christian Interpreters' Network is a list of Signs of God supporters who are willing to make themselves available to interpret Christian events.

The list is made up of 2 parts
Part 1 Those who are trained interpreters- and registered with NRCPD (National Registers of Communication Professionals with Deaf and Deafblind People)
- or members of ASLI (Association of Sign Language Interpreters)
- or members of SASLI (Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters)

Some of these interpreters have skills and experience in leading teams, and we aim to use these individuals as team leaders, offering support and feedback to the other team members and encouraging everyone' s development.

Part 2: Those who have achieved NVQ Level 3 BSL and are involved in interpreting. These people may be gaining experience and we recommend they are always working in a team with other more experienced interpreters wherever possible.

I'd like to join the CIN list - What do I do?

If you have achieved your NVQ Level 3 BSL qualification, or are able to prove achievement of a recognised equivalent qualification you are eligible to join the Christian Interpreters' list. Those who have undergone interpreter training and are registered with NRCPD as a MRSLI, TI or JTI or an Associate or Full member of ASLI can join Part 1 of the list.

The details displayed on our website are only those already in the public domain via ASLI or NRCPD.  We will only release other details, or the contact details of those whose information is not publicly displayed when we receive a request from an organisation needing interpreters.

Our interpreting teams work highly professionally and also are an excellent way for those starting out in the profession to improve their skills by being mentored and encouraged by more experienced interpreters throughout the events.  We pride ourselves on modelling a supportive environment within Signs of God interpreting teams.

I represent a Christian organisation and we need interpreters

Signs of God is not an agency, so we do not guarantee to supply interpreters for any event.  However, we are  increasingly asked by Christian organisations to provide teams of interpreters for small or large conferences.  We aim to provide a team of suitably skilled individuals, led by someone who has met the national standards in interpreting and ideally, has experience of  leading a team.

There are two ways we may be able to help you:
1. The best way is to ask Signs of God to supply a team for your event.  We will ask you for details of the event(dates, venue, size, times of sessions) and your budget for interpreters.   We will help you with consideration for suitable interpreting team size for your event.  We recommend at the very least you provide the interpreters with expenses for travel, accommodation, all food and include a small honorarium or gift. This means an interpreter will not be 'out of pocket' by offering their time to work at your event.

We can help you with working out appropriate costs.  Many of our interpreters are freelance professionals and they volunteer their time to a number of Christian events every year.  Every time interpreters do this they lose income and so should not also have to pay to attend an event.  Interpreters should be reimbursed appropriately for the skilled and specialised service they provide.

We will also discuss the needs of the interpreting team with you, so they can work  effectively.  This could mean providing suitable positioning, lighting and sound - so they can hear and see clearly what is happening. It may mean reserving suitable seating for the Deaf delegates to see the interpreters too.

We can advise you every step of the way to make sure your event is fully accessible to the Deaf community.

2. Alternatively, we can provide you with our full CIN list and you can contact and book the interpreters yourselves.  In this instance you may need to negotiate with the individual interpreters about the fees or gifts and expenses you will provide and what they will need.  We can still provide you details of what the interpreters will need. You can download our Guide to Good Practice for conference organisers working with interpreters here.

We only accept individuals onto our CIN list who sign to minimum standards and we encourage those working in interpreting teams at events to take out appropriate Professional Indemnity Insurance. However, we do not assess the quality of any of the CIN list members and Signs of God cannot be held responsible for their conduct or the service they provide.

Our Christian interpreter network includes interpreters from all over the country and it is usually possible, with enough notice, to provide a team for every event.

Please do by aware that some times of year are busier than others!  Easter and the summer periods are when our CIN list members are doing most of their volunteer work!  You may need to give more notice for us to find teams at these times of year.

I'd like to join a Signs of God team at a Christian event

We are currently recruiting for team members for Signs of God teams at Spring Harvest, New Wine and Soul Survivor 2010.  Contact us for more details on how you could be part of a team.