Find out more about the journey that culminated with our new specialised ISL glossary of parliamentary terms.
A glossary for Parliament
Our glossary comprises a list of approximately 80 terms specific to parliamentary proceedings and activities. This terminology is most often used in settings that in other contexts would not carry the same meaning.
Why the glossary was developed
The ISL team undertakes live interpretation of political proceedings, programming and events. In addition to this core work the ISL team:
- Provides ISL translations on the Oireachtas website
- Provides ISL interpretation for Deaf visitors and witnesses before Oireachtas committees
- Works with the education outreach officer interpreting programmes for students
- Provides internship placement for final-year ISL interpreting students
- Seeks Deaf community engagement, particularly feedback on ISL content and programming
- Facilitates an ISL conversation café for staff who would like to practice ISL
- Provides ISL interpretation where required for tours of the Leinster House campus
In 2020, the ISL team was interpreting fast-paced political dialogue with complicated jargon and quickly realised coping strategies were needed. Aware of ISL glossary projects developed in collaboration with Deaf teaching professionals, the team decided to explore if the same could be done for political terminology.
Consultation and collaboration
In 2020, a Deaf interpreting course had been established in the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin and the ISL team approached the centre with a collaborative proposal for this project to develop a new ISL glossary with terms specific to interpretation in a parliamentary context.
Development of the glossary
- Sign development | Deaf interpreting students
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Deaf Interpreting students were integral to the initial development of signs. Students were divided into groups and assigned terms, after which they began to develop draft signs for each term.
These groups met the ISL team to discuss the meaning of the terms and context of their use. Draft signs were submitted as part of students' coursework
- Feedback | Interactive survey
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The ISL team worked with the Houses of the Oireachtas web team to create an online survey to collect feedback from the broader Deaf community and ISL users.
The survey was accessible in ISL and written English, comprising eight videos with approximately ten signs in each.
- Wider outreach | Feedback processes
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In June and September 2022 the ISL team held in-person sessions with Deaf Senior Citizens Day Centre at the Deaf Village Ireland, which included 69 participants.
In November 2022 the team held a webinar feedback session with Deaf and hearing ISL/English interpreters. This session included 13 participants.
- Finalisation | ISL expert group
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This group comprised ISL interpreters, academics and linguists and the objective was to finalise the glossary. A balanced group of three Deaf and three hearing experts was established, with the remit to evaluate collated feedback and consider alternative suggestions received for some signs before arriving at an agreed version of the sign through group consensus.
WASLI Conference 2023
The development of the ISL glossary of parliamentary terms was presented by the ISL team at the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters Conference 2023 on Jeju Island, South Korea in July 2023.
The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 | Beginning the process
The passing of the Irish Sign Language Bill 2017 into law was only the beginning of what was possible, including the development of the new ISL glossary of parliamentary terms.
The 30-year campaign for recognition of ISL, culminating in the ISL Act, led to the recruitment of the ISL interpreters in the Houses of the Oireachtas, with Caroline O'Leary as senior Irish Sign Language interpreter and Ciara Grant as junior Irish Sign Language interpreter.
Acknowledgements
The development of this glossary was only possible through a collaborative effort across the Deaf community. The ISL team is grateful to the following people for their work in the process:
- Deaf interpreting students and faculty from the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin.
- Within the Houses of the Oireachtas Service - management and colleagues in the Broadcasting Unit, web team, social media team, the education outreach officer, staff from the Joint Committee on Disability Matters and the Office of the Ceann Comhairle.
- Pi Communications.
- ISL glossary survey respondents.
- The Deaf Senior Citizens Day Centre, Deaf Village Ireland.
- The ISL expert group.
Contact us
If you would like to discuss the ISL glossary of parliamentary terms with us, please feel free to get in touch.
ISL team isl@oireachtas.ie