Jo Wootten: Tips for working remotely when you’re deaf (with BSL videos)

Please scroll down for BSL videos and details of a BSL chat via Zoom on working remotely.

New to communicating remotely?  Want to know more? I asked deaf friends, interpreters, and speech to text reporters for their top tips (thank you!),  

Everyone is different, and the type of job you have will make a difference to your choice.  You may need to experiment to find a way that works well for you.   

Some practical suggestions for the newbie

• Make time to familiarise yourself with different platforms like Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts.  Practise with family or friends.
• If you are using communication support, ask your interpreter or speech-to-text reporter, or agencies if they have any tips or information sheets.   Many will be able to guide you through the process.  
• Have a back-up plan in case the connection is not good e.g. if Google Hangouts isn’t working well, use Skype etc.   There has been a surge in internet use so you may experience problems. Be prepared! 
• At the end of the meeting, review how it went.  Ask your communication support for feedback. Ask your colleagues if there is anything that can be changed so that future meetings work better 

Top tips from Toby Burton who is an experienced user of using interpreters remotely

Toby Burton, Chief Financial and Operating Officer for Fastmarkets – an international company – describes in BSL how he uses interpreters working remotely for meetings and conference calls.  

Here’s a video in BSL from Toby talking about why it’s a good idea to think about remote working now.

In this video, Toby gives some technical tips in BSL:

And here, Toby describes how to work with interpreters remotely in BSL:

 

Toby Burton and Sherratt Rowan (one of Toby’s regular interpreters) have offered to host a Zoom seminar about working remotely for BSL users on Thursday 26th March 7pm-8pm.   So, if you’d like to know more, why not join us?  Here’s the link.   https://zoom.us/j/768489404   (There will be no voice over and no captions.) Hope to see you there! (Max 100 attendees).

If you would like to have a Zoom seminar about using captions remotely, please can you say so in the comments below and I will arrange one. 

Which platforms are best?

It will depend on your job, and what your requirements are.  But this is what I’ve been told…

1. Zoom is the most popular, particularly for larger meetings. I’ve spoken with deaf people, interpreters and speech to text reporters who are experienced remote workers, and they all recommended it.
2. Microsoft Teams has good picture and sound quality, and has automatic video captions (if you are employed, find out if your employer uses this).
3. Google Hangouts (automatic video captions available)
4. Skype (automatic video captions available)

People are also using FaceTime and What’s App to communicate with their interpreters.  

Choose what seems right for your situation.  Zoom is more complicated to use than Skype. Many are happy with Skype, FaceTime or What’s App. 

Remember, you can use one platform for your work meetings (e.g. Skype for Business), and another platform to communicate with your interpreters. 

I was strongly advised against using Skype for Business (which isn’t the same as Skype) as the quality is poor.  

Why is Zoom so popular?

• Picture and sound quality are both good
• Can enlarge person signing so it’s easier to see them (less tiring to watch).
• If it’s a long meeting, you can have two interpreters who can see each other and support each other more effectively.
• Captions can be personalized – you can make them larger/smaller.
• Captions can be streamed into the meeting OR you can choose to view them on a separate screen  
• Seems to be more stable than other platforms
• End to end encryption

Here are three pictures of how Zoom can look on your screen with captions being streamed.    You should experiment to find the view that works best for you. It’ll also depend on how many people are at the meeting – 80 people is very different from 3 people. 

1. Gallery View

2. Speaker view (this view is triggered by a person’s voice so doesn’t work well if there is a mixture of people speaking and signing at the meeting).  Note the chat function on the right hand side.

3. Speakers can share websites, presentations or papers that are being discussed.  You can still see interpreters and captions. Here we are showing Limping Chicken (of course!).  

If you have arranged captioning, you can record Zoom meetings with the captions, and watch a replay of the meeting.

Hearing from two other deaf people working with interpreters remotely

It’s worth bearing in mind that everyone will be using the video/phone for different purposes, which will affect your choice. Remember everyone is different.  We heard from Toby earlier who likes Zoom.

Here are two other examples of how deaf people are using technology with interpreters.

“I use Skype conference call quite a lot to connect with other members of the team in the UK and overseas via my interpreters. Now, because of the current coronavirus situation, we are starting to work from home for a couple of months at least. The solution is to send invites to my interpreter’s Skype ID instead of my Skype ID to allow my interpreter to be fully engaged in the group call, with a separate zoom chat with me at the same time. Zoom App is quite easy to download and the functions are pretty good and reliable.” 

“Have been working remotely this week.  I’ve been at home and my interpreter has been at her home, and we have been calling my clients.  She is using a phone to call them, and a separate I pad or similar – using Facetime/What’sApp video – to interpret on a phone/I pad for three-way conversations.  I recommend the interpreter uses a good headset with one ear piece so they can hear the conversation, and also sign hands-free”

Captions

Above, the photos show the captions being streamed (you can change the size).   Another option is to have captions on a separate screen. If you want to try out live captioning first for free, you can see it in action for the Prime Minister’s Coronovirus afternoon news updates broadcast on the BBC, click here.

Here’s a picture of how it could look on your screen.  You can change the colours and size of the text. I have chosen yellow text on a black background.

Alternatively you can use a full screen (if you only have one screen, consider using a tablet or phone as a second screen).  Here, the background is white with black text. 

Useful tips for using remote communication support 

• Give your communication support preparation before the meeting e.g. names of attendees, agenda, meeting papers and explain common acronyms that your company uses, such as DPN – Deaf President Now.
• If you are using the interpreter all day, let them know your schedule.
• Remember that interpreters and speech to text reporters are human and will need breaks
• Ask your communication support for feedback after the meeting to see if anything should be done differently next time so that it works even better.

Using sign language?

• Watching signing in 2D is more tiring for both the deaf person and the interpreter – you will both want breaks
• Make sure the interpreter can see your hands, not just your face! 
• Have good lighting, and a plain background.

Do you lipread?

Even if you didn’t use communication support at work before Covid-19 hit us, I’ve noticed that, with the extra demand, the sound and picture may not synchronize. This means video communication doesn’t really work for people who use a mixture of residual hearing and lipreading. 

You may need to use remote captioning or BSL interpreters so that you can fully participate in meetings. If you are using this service for work, you can apply for Access to Work support to pay for this if you haven’t already got an agreement in place.  

Automatic captions are better than nothing 

Automatic video captions using speech recognition can be found on:

• Google Hangouts
• Skype
• Microsoft Teams.

Speech recognition relies on good quality sound. Accuracy is greatly improved if people have a headset. If they don’t have a headset, get them to speak near the microphone.  

This facility might be particularly useful for one-to-one informal conversations with family or people who speak clearly and you know well, and it’s easy for you to ask  them to repeat what they have said.  

However, for formal work meetings, a speech to text reporter will provide more accurate captions.  

This is a picture of what automatic captions look like on Microsoft Teams.

Here’s a picture of what automatic captions look like on Skype (you should be able to find the caption button in the right hand corner of your screen):

Experiencing technical problems? 

First of all, it may not be your computer.  It might be the increased demand which is causing problems.  But here are some trouble shooting suggestions.

• A good connection is important.  Do you have high broadband speed?  Cable can be more reliable than wi-fi.  You may need to plug your computer into your router instead of working wirelessly.
• For clear sound, it is advised that people use headsets with microphones, and if there are a lot of participants, that people mute themselves when they are not talking.  
• Check that ‘blur my background’ is switched off, as this can make it difficult to see signing.
• If your camera produces poor picture quality, try experimenting with changing its settings. Turn off auto-focus, for example.
• If your computer has a in-built camera, this may not give the best picture for signing. A separate webcam may improve this.
• If you have an old computer, it may not be able to process video quickly enough. You can get blurring, jittering, pixellation, etc of the picture.  You need a good quality picture for visual communication.
• Your workplace may have security restrictions. IT departments will be up to their eyes arranging remote working for lots of staff.  You may need to ask them if they can open up security. Realistically, you may have to wait as it is likely that your IT departments will be very busy arranging remote working for lots of staff.

Want to make the picture bigger?

Video chat can involve peering at a small smartphone, or laptop screen at arm’s length.  Some people display long video chats on their larger smart TV screen. This results in more ‘life-size’ images at a comfortable viewing distance. 

How? Prop the phone at the bottom of the TV screen or hang it from the top edge. ‘Mirror’ the phone’s screen to the TV, using iPhone Screen Mirror/Screencast/Miracast/Google Home app etc. Start the video call. If necessary, re-adjust the phone for landscape/portrait orientation. Sit back and benefit from (usually superior quality) TV vision and sound. 

A suitably positioned laptop can also cast video chat to a smart TV, again by mirroring or physically connected with an HDMI lead.

Here’s an example of Zoom being used in a social situation:

How much do the different platforms cost in the UK? Which ones are free?

• Using Zoom – unlimited 1-1 video meeting calls, 40 mins limit on hosting group video meetings (3 to 100 people) with the Basic/Free package. To have a longer meeting, someone has to have a Pro subscription (it doesn’t have to be the host).. Anyone with an invite can join a Zoom call – see: https://zoom.us/pricing– at the moment a Pro account is £11.99/mo
  
  • Using Google Hangouts – Video calls can include up to 10 people for free (on Gmail, G Suite Basic packages) or 25 people (using Business, Education packages). Everyone who wants to join a group conversation must use Hangouts / have a Google account. – at the moment a Gmail account is £0/mo & G Suite Basic is £4.14/mo
  
  • Using Google Hangouts Meet – “Meet” is the premium version of Google Hangouts, available to you if you pay for a G Suite Basic package + above. This allows you to set up unlimited video conference calls for up to 100 participants. Anyone with an invite can join a Google Hangouts Meet call (without having to pay or upgrade their account – only the “host” needs to have a premium account) – https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html– at the moment G Suite Basic is £4.14/mo
  
  • Using WhatsApp – unlimited 1-1 video meeting calls, and group video calls for up to 4 people with Free package. Only available via WhatsApp mobile app (not desktop/web version) – at the moment a WhatsApp account is £0/mo
  
  • Using Skype – unlimited video meeting calls for up to 50 people with Free package. Everyone who wants to join a group conversation must use Skype / have a Skype account – at the moment a Skype account is £0/mo
  
  • Using Discord – All-in-one voice and text chat, with video calls for up to 10 people for free. Everyone who wants to join a group conversation must use Discord / have a Discord account. – at the moment a Discord account is £0/mo – https://discordapp.com
  
  • Using Whereby – unlimited video meeting calls for up to 4 people via the Free account. Pro versions allow up to 12 people & Business version is unlimited – at the moment a Free Whereby account is £0/mo & Pro is $9.99 /mo https://whereby.com/information/pricing/

Last but not least:

1. Good luck!
2. Please add your own suggestions and tips below.   Together, we can help each other.
3. Thank you to everyone who helped to me write this article, including people who contributed to a FaceBook discussion which I have shamelessly plundered.  I’d particularly like to thank Toby Burton, Sherratt Rowan, Andy Mell, Steve Wherry, Jane Wemhoener James Kearney, Wendy Anderson, Ian Reynolds, Roger Beeson, Dani Sive, Patrick Rosenberg, and Orla Pearson of MyClearText Ltd who provided free captions for the Zoom meeting photos in this article.

By Jo Wootten.