Just Sign Ltd is a British Sign Language (BSL) provider.
About Just Sign
Just Sign Ltd is a British Sign Language (BSL) provider, a family owned and managed business based in Central Scotland, incorporated in 2004. We have an established track record of delivering BSL interpretation & translation services for over 25 years, with the capacity and proven ability to provide a BSL interpreter for any circumstance and situation across Scotland and the UK.
The business is owned and directed by Donna Jewell who is also a registered BSL Interpreter with over 10 years’ experience. Just Sign provides BSL interpreters, notetakers or other communication professionals across the Scottish public & private sectors including: Education, Health & Social Care, Creative Arts, Legal, Justice System and many more.
Donna is registered with the Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC) and Just Sign Ltd is also a SRLPDC registered agency.
Just Sign employs seven permanent staff and over 100 freelance BSL interpreters located throughout Scotland and the UK.
Donna and her team are committed to bridging the communication gap between the Deaf community and the Hearing community and ‘Making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work and visit’ (BSL Scotland Act 2015).
Our Head Office is located within Scotland’s central belt, allowing us to serve clients across the whole of Scotland and the UK.
We are committed to bridging the communication gap between the Deaf community and the Hearing community and ‘Making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work and visit’.
The business is owned and directed by Donna Jewell who is also a registered BSL Interpreter with over 10 years’ experience. Just Sign provides BSL interpreters, notetakers or other communication professionals across the Scottish public & private sectors including:
Education
We have worked with colleges and universities across Scotland, and have supported students studying at all levels, including PhD, Masters, Undergraduate, HND and HNC programmes.
We establish a consistent team of interpreters and/or notetakers to work with the student in lectures, classes, workshops, and projects, to provide high quality access.
Creative Arts
We have provided interpreters for plays, musical theatre, and pantomimes, and have worked with companies including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, National Theatre of Scotland and Traverse Theatre Company, as well as community theatre, school productions and student theatre shows.
Health & Social Care
We have many years of experience in providing interpreters for Health and Social Care assignments.
We provide interpreters who are skilled and accomplished in translating medical terminology and have a broad knowledge of Social Care pathways and support services.
Legal
We have over 25 years’ experience of working within the police and legal sector, and we are recognised as a trusted provider of interpreters who are accomplished and proficient in working in this specific domain.
Our customers love us.
We pride ourselves on our customer experience, we go above and beyond for our customers and it shows.
Our journey from the beginning
The start
In 2004 there were not many interpreters working in the Legal sector, mainly due to this work going via Agencies. In Scotland at the time there were few interpreting agencies, therefore a freelance interpreter took it upon themselves to set up an Agency in Scotland. The main aim, was to gain access to work within the Justice service. And so the Agency Just Sign was formed, the name deriving from Justice and Sign Language.
The takeover
After graduating in 2013, Donna Jewell worked as a freelancer, taking 90% of her workload from Just Sign. In February 2015, the Just Sign owner asked Donna if she would be interested in taking over the ownership of the company. Then in October 2015, the company changed hands. Initially Donna enlisted the help of her father Harley, whose Mother and Father were Deaf BSL users. With his wealth of public sector experience alongside Donna's Interpreter landscape knowledge, Just Sign was in good hands.
The team
In 2018 Laura joined the team as the office manager and we brought on two in-house interpreters. With the expansion of the team Donna enlisted the expertise of a business coach to help her navigate this new territory.
The Pandemic
We all know and felt the impact that Covid had on businesses. Just Sign was no different. We had to furlough our staff, leaving Donna & Laura to keep things afloat. This was a challenging time for the business. However, as we emerged out of Covid, Just Sign took a change in direction. We found ourselves working in a number of sectors thus increasing our client base. This in turn also saw us increase our in-house interpreting and administration teams, our freelance interpreter numbers increased, and our geographical area expanded.
The re-brand
With this change in direction, we began 2024 by putting a spin on the meaning behind Just Sign. Although it started with justice, we are now an agency that can provide interpreters within any sector, in any location and we simply “JUST SIGN”.
To make our customers' lives easier
Trust
Our customers have the trust and confidence that we have everything in hand.
Educate
We help, we educate, walk you through every step of the way.
Community
To empower and give Deaf people the same access.
Customer testimonials
What our customers really think of us.
Name Surname
Name Surname
FAQs
BSL interpreters are trained to translate between British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken or written English in a variety of domains. Interpreters will facilitate communication between Deaf and hearing participants, and work to ensure that everyone understands and can fully participate in the conversation. BSL interpreters are registered with an appropriate registration body. Just Sign interpreters are required to be registered with either Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC) or National Registers of Communication Professionals with the Deaf and Deafblind Community (NRCPD). All interpreters are required to follow a code of professional conduct, and any information discussed during an interpreted conversation will be treated confidentially by the interpreter. BSL interpreters are expected to act in an impartial manner. It is not the role of an interpreter to offer advice or personal opinions, nor to advocate on behalf of a Deaf person.
Deaf BSL users prefer to use BSL as this is their first language. British Sign Language has a different grammatical structure and is linguistically different from English. Lip-reading is also not an appropriate method of communication as studies have shown that only around 20% to 30% of what is being said can be understood through lip-reading, with the remaining information having to be guessed based on context. Lip-reading is also only a one-way communication method, as the Deaf person may not be able to make themselves understood by the hearing person.
Interpreters will often book work weeks and even months in advance. In recent years, demand for BSL interpreters has increased dramatically, so it is recommended that you request an interpreter as far in advance as possible. Although we will always endeavour to secure interpreters for last-minute requests, we cannot guarantee provision as interpreters may have less availability at short notice. It is important to recognise that interpreters may choose not to work in specific domains, which further limits availability for booking interpreters.
There are several options to get in touch with us and arrange an interpreter. If you would like to speak to our team directly, please call our office on 0345 646 0446. Alternatively, click on the Enquire button at the top of the page, which will take you to a Contact form on our website to request an interpreter. In this form you will be asked to provide details about your appointment/event, including date, time, duration, and details of what the event is about, as well as your contact information. Please be aware that submitting this form is only a request for us to begin the process of securing an interpreter. It does not guarantee that an interpreter has been booked.
Once we have an interpreter secured for the time and date you have requested, we will send an email confirming the booking. If we are unable to secure an interpreter, we will contact you to offer alternative times or dates where an interpreter has indicated that they have availability, if these are suitable to you.
Please contact office@justsign.co.uk immediately to advise of any changes. This may incur a cancellation fee as per our Terms & Conditions, which are detailed within our confirmation letter.
Still have questions?
Check out our FAQ page for all our FAQs
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you
1 Haypark Business Centre
Marchmont Avenue
Polmont
FK2 0NZ