Sign Solutions

Sign Solutions – Sign Language Interpreting Agency is the country’s largest Language Service Provider for the field of deafness. Situated in rural Alvechurch, near Birmingham, they are regarded as the foremost specialist interpreting agency for the provision of experienced Sign Language Interpreters and Communication Support for both general and legal domains throughout the UK.

Sign Solutions logo

Since their beginnings in 1998 as a joint partnership between Gloria Ogborn and Sean Nicholson, Sign Solutions have grown rapidly in their specialist field, to provide not only BSL interpreters but also lipspeakers, palantypists and deaf relay, amongst others. Gloria and Sean, now directors, have remained as practising interpreters. They are also assessors for NVQ4 Interpreting on the company’s most recent venture to deliver high quality training and assessment of BSL/English Interpreting.

Amanda Ford, Head of Business Development and Office Manager, says that since joining the company in 2004 the business has grown enormously:

“We now have a turnover in excess of £1 million per annum. In the past twelve months we have recruited more office staff and interpreters and have expanded so much that we have moved offices twice to house our ever increasing numbers!”

Their most recent recruitment drive has seen staff interpreter numbers rise to 18, with an additional 300 freelance interpreters whom they regularly subcontract work to.

Amanda is keen to stress that their interpreters work on all sorts of assignments from court bookings and police station appointments to conferences with over 10,000 delegates;

“Then there are the more unusual bookings, for instance one of our interpreters recently had to don ‘scrubs’ and interpret for a lady who was having an operation. Then there was the gentleman who needed an interpreter at his wedding to marry his Deaf Thai bride, or the deaf school children who needed interpreters to enable them to attend a three-day clown festival!”

If you are interested in working as an interpreter, booking an interpreter or training to become an interpreter please visit the Sign Solutions website for further information. You can also read our individual case studies to give you an insight into the working lives of BSL interpreters, simply click on the links to download the case studies:

A Day in the Life of a Qualified BSL Interpreter (pdf 68KB)

A Day in the Life of a Trainee BSL Interpreter (pdf 66 KB)

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