A Deaf customer calls your contact centre. A Deaf employee joins a meeting. A Deaf service user walks through your door. What happens next?
For most UK organisations, the honest answer is: we are not sure. On-demand BSL interpreting closes that gap — instantly, without advance booking. This guide explains everything you need to know.
What Is On-Demand BSL Interpreting?
On-demand BSL interpreting is a live, real-time service that connects a Deaf British Sign Language user with a qualified BSL interpreter via video — the moment they need it, without prior arrangement.
Unlike traditional face-to-face interpreting, which requires booking days or weeks in advance, on-demand BSL interpreting is available instantly. A Deaf person, or the organisation they are trying to reach, initiates a video call through an app or web browser. A qualified BSL interpreter joins the call within seconds.
Sign Video by Sorenson has been providing on-demand BSL interpreting in the UK for over 20 years. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is available via the Sign Video app and web platform without registration or booking.
Key facts
- 20+ years providing BSL interpreting in the UK
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — no advance booking required
- Approximately 12 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss
- Around 90,000 people use BSL as their primary language in the UK
How Does It Work for Organisations?
Once your organisation is signed up with Sign Video, you are listed in the Sign Directory — our searchable directory of organisations that Deaf people can contact via BSL. When a Deaf person needs to reach you, they open the Sign Video app or visit the web platform, find your organisation, and start a video call.
Your team receives the call through your existing phone system.
A qualified BSL interpreter facilitates the conversation in real time — voicing for the Deaf caller and signing back what your team member says.
Step by step — what happens when a Deaf person contacts you
- The Deaf person opens the Sign Video app or web platform. No registration required.
- They search for your organisation in the Sign Directory.
- A qualified BSL interpreter connects instantly — average connection time is seconds.
- The interpreter calls your organisation on behalf of the Deaf caller.
- Your customer service team receives a standard phone call and speaks normally.
- The interpreter voices for the Deaf caller and signs back what your team member says.
VRS vs VRI — What Is the Difference?
Two terms come up frequently when organisations start researching BSL interpreting: VRS and VRI. They are related but distinct.