About this course
If you’ve already completed our Introduction to International Sign course, or already have some experience using International Sign (IS), this session is designed to help you build on those foundations. It is a practical online workshop for interpreters and translators who want to feel more confident using International Sign in a wider range of real-world situations.
This 6-hour session focuses on developing your use of International Sign in everyday life, at work, and in a range of community and professional settings. We’ll look at how IS can be used more flexibly and effectively in contexts such as health, education, and political discussions, and consider the kinds of decisions that support clear communication across different backgrounds and experiences.
Through practical examples, discussion, and group activities, participants will explore:
key features of International Sign and how these may shift in different contexts
some of the cultural and communicative considerations involved in using IS with people from different backgrounds
how to use International Sign more confidently in a range of everyday and professional situations
strategies for making communication clear, appropriate, and easier to follow
how International Sign may be used in settings such as community work, health, education, and political contexts
ways to continue building both production and receptive skills when working in international environments
Activities will give attendees the opportunity to practise, reflect, ask questions, and try out different strategies in a supportive setting, with space for feedback and discussion throughout.
Who is this session for?
This course is designed for qualified and trainee interpreters and translators who already have some prior knowledge or experience of International Sign and want to build their confidence in using it more widely and more effectively.
Learning outcomes
- Build confidence in using International Sign across a wider range of situations
- Gain a clearer understanding of how context affects communication in IS
- Practise strategies for clearer and more effective interaction
- Improve both production and receptive skills in international settings
- Reflect on how to adapt your communication for different people and contexts
- Leave with practical ideas and experience you can take into future work and interactions
Live, interactive and supported
This is an active learning session with explanation, structured discussion and practical work. A useful course handbook or supporting materials are provided, together with a CPD certificate for each attendee.
Participation and cameras
Participation is encouraged. Cameras help people connect with those they are learning and working with, while recognising that there may be circumstances where having a camera on is not practical or appropriate.
Not recorded
This course is delivered live and is not recorded. Please book only if you can attend at the advertised time.
About the trainer
Gavin Lilley
Gavin Lilley is a Deaf Translator, BSL teacher, assessor, and trainer with more than 20 years’ experience in sign language education and professional development. A native BSL user from a multi-generational Deaf family, he brings both lived and professional experience to his teaching and training. Gavin has extensive experience teaching and assessing BSL from Levels 1 to 6 and has delivered training to thousands of learners across the UK. His teaching work has included the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Sussex, and a range of other organisations and training centres. Alongside his teaching and assessment work, Gavin delivers CPD for sign language interpreters, translators, students, and Deaf organisations. He has also worked as an anchor for an international Deaf news programme and as a Deaf Translator. Gavin has extensive experience of International Sign and is also fluent in American Sign Language. His training draws on his knowledge of BSL, translation, visual communication, and Deaf linguistic experience, with a practical focus on how these work in real communication.