Who uses sign language interpreting services?
Sign languages were not ‘made up’ but developed naturally, just as spoken languages did. This is why there is no ‘universal’ sign language. The sign language used in Australia is Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Auslan and English are quite separate and different languages. English is very much a second language for many Deaf people for whom Auslan is their first or preferred language. A Deaf Society of NSW study in 1999 showed that there were approximately 6,400 Deaf people in NSW who used sign language to communicate. Many of these individuals will require or prefer an interpreter in order to achieve meaningful communication with hearing people. However, it is important to remember that our hearing clients require the interpreter as much as the Deaf person does. After all, most Deaf people are more fluent in English than the average hearing person is in Auslan!
