Religious Interpreting
Inclusive interpreting services to engage Deaf and hard-of-hearing congregations in your church, temple, mosque, zendo, or other place of worship.
Religious Interpreting
Experienced and culturally-sensitive to the needs of various religious backgrounds, our interpreters provide equal-access for your Deaf and hard-of-hearing congregation members to ensure their full participation and inclusion in services, celebrations, rituals, and more.
Never worked with an interpreter before? Don’t sweat it!
We’ve included some helpful tips to ensure your inclusive experience goes smoothly.
Tips for Working with Religious Interpreters
- Request an interpreter as soon as you schedule your service or celebration. The earlier your request your accommodations, the more likelihood we have a professional available who matches your religious background.
- Communicate to an ICS coordinator the nature of your religious services as well as any specific requests to adhere to while in your place of worship, including wardrobe accommodations or customs to observe while on-site.
- Preparation materials ensure that the interpreter has the tools to produce the best quality work possible. Agendas, outlines of the service, music sheets, or formal readings should be shared with a coordinator as soon as available.
- Respect the interpreter’s scheduled end-time. If you need to extend your services, reach out to an ICS coordinator immediately.
- Allow the interpreter to sit or stand toward the front of the space, with a clear sightline of your Deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees. If necessary, reach out to an ICS coordinator to assess your specific site and to advise on the optimal placement for interpreters.
- Once the ceremony or service begins, avoid speaking directly to the interpreter or asking the interpreter to participate. The interpreter will be focused hard at work on providing accessibility to your congregation.
- Although you may wish to highlight the addition of an interpreter to your place of worship, it is not necessary to introduce the specific interpreter(s) unless you desire.
- Still unsure? Reach out to a coordinator to ask a question or discuss how to prepare for your service request.
Caption & Sign Language Accommodations: Religious Services
Translating spoken language into sign language or text captioning is not easy, especially if on the spot in front of a mixed-ability congregation of Deaf, Deaf-blind, hard-of-hearing and hearing participants. But you can count on Inclusive Communication Services to provide accurate and quality religious accommodations that afford equal-access to your spoken message via qualified sign language interpreters, media accessibility talent, and caption providers.
- Our sign language professionals are versed in a variety of Sign Language modalities and forms, including all the body movements, facial expressions, and signs incorporated into this complex language. Sign language interpreters are available to appear on-stage, on-screen, or as personal interpreters to ensure equal-access and inclusion of congregants with hearing loss.
- Our media accessibility talent include professional sign language interpreters, caption providers, and voiceover artists that ensure all aspects of your media – whether visual or auditory – are accessible to those with hearing loss or vision loss. Media accessibility talent can add an in-frame interpreter, multilingual captioning, or visual description voiceover with a multitude of customizations to meet any communication or accommodation need. The end result is an inclusive media product that’s completely accessible to your mixed-ability audience!
- Our caption services are available as a general accommodation or individual accommodation, depending on the needs of your congregation. For open-caption services, the transcribed audio is displayed as text on the service’s main screen to provide equal-access to those who do not utilize an interpreter. For closed-caption services, our providers can issue private links that open in discreet windows for those who are late deafened or hard-of-hearing to have equal-access to the auditory message.
Whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist, Inclusive Communication Services has accommodation professionals including proficient sign language interpreters, premium accessible media talent, and top-quality caption providers to ensure your business and government events run smoothly and inclusively.
Let’s start planning your next event! Speak to one of our representatives at (347) 927-5770 or write to us at info@inclusiveasl.com.
Frequently asked questions
There are dual reasons behind having a team of sign language interpreters at a religious service.
- Firstly, sign language interpreting is an exhausting job and drains your energy fast. Having a team of two or more interpreters allows them to switch the position at brief intervals of 15-30 min.
- Secondly, it ensures that you have a supporting interpreter to maintain the accuracy and quality of the sign language translation and provide effective communication without any error.
Yes, we have a team of over 100+ certified and experienced sign language interpreters and translators for religious services, ceremonies, and events. These services are best paired with a caption accommodation to ensure all participants with hearing loss have equal-access.
We maintain the highest quality standards for sign language translation and caption services. Our services should be scheduled a minimum 2-hours before the event, for virtual services, and a minimum of 2-days before the event, for in-person services. This timeframe allows us enough time to plan and provide you the best sign language translator for your request. This policy is non-negotiable and standard for all interpreting agencies in the United States.
Sign language, Captioning, and Accessible Media Services
Premium accommodation services for the Deaf, Deaf-blind, blind, and hard-of-hearing. Available in Person and Online!
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