This is a report on a pilot project commissioned by the BBC in conjunction with the author's final MA dissertation for Durham University. The purpose of the research was to investigate British Sign Language (BSL) production on television and its comprehension by the viewing audience. The data analysis could then be used for programme decisions relating to cultural and linguistic specifications. This is especially pertinent in view of the current Broadcasting Act in Great Britain, which stipulates 1% of sign language transmission on all digital and terrestrial television by 1999 and an increase to 5% by 2009.1
In the original research, 70 hours of signed data were recorded. Individual profiles were made for each signer on a sample tape as well as a thorough description of a respondent group.The research focused on a comprehension test.This involved three group categories reflecting two varieties of sign language users, a group whose BSL is most informed (influenced) by English, another whose BSL is dominant, and a hearing (non-signing) group used for comparison. All sample and test responses were analysed and profiled in view of signing production and psychosocial treatment of the language. The use of sign language on television was compared with its wider use among deaf people.This paper summarises and concludes the discussion and recommendations that may be directly referred to by programme makers and translators/interpreters.2
2023. Deaf signing diversity and signed language translations. Applied Linguistics Review 14:5 ► pp. 1045 ff.
Rani, Annu, Vishal Goyal & Lalit Goyal
2023. Advancing from Manual to Automatic Telecast of News for Deaf. In Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing [Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 628], ► pp. 311 ff.
Rowley, Katherine & Kearsy Cormier
2023. Attitudes towards age variation and language change in the British deaf community. Language & Communication 92 ► pp. 15 ff.
2022. News ‘with’ or ‘in’ sign language? Case study on the comprehensibility of sign language in news broadcasts. Perspectives 30:4 ► pp. 627 ff.
Kusters, Annelies & Jordan Fenlon
2022. “It is natural, really deaf signing” – script development for fictional programmes involving sign languages. Multilingua 41:4 ► pp. 415 ff.
DOĞAN, Caner
2021. Televizyon Haber Bültenlerindeki İşaret Dili Çeviri Hizmetine Yönelik Sağır Topluluğun Tutum Ve Beklentileri. Çeviribilim ve Uygulamaları Dergisi 2021:30 ► pp. 18 ff.
2004. Television as a Source of Information for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired. Captions and Sign Language on Austrian TV. Meta 49:1 ► pp. 81 ff.
Sutton‐Spence, Rachel & Bencie Woll
2004. British Sign Language. In The Handbook of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 165 ff.
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