Deaf man becomes UK’s first qualified and registered relay-intralingual interpreter

A Deaf man from London is the first person in the UK to become a fully qualified and registered relay-intralingual interpreter – it has been announced.

Ezio Savva, CEO of the social enterprise Femaura, received the confirmation from the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people (NRCPD) on Wednesday.

Sharing the news in a public post on Facebook, Mr Savva said he was “very proud of achieving this”.

According to the NRCPD, relay-intralingual interpreters work with Deaf people “with specific or complex language needs” to adapt what is being said by a hearing British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter into “a native variation” of BSL.

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The Deaf person’s response is then signed back to the hearing interpreter by the specialist.

Mr Savva’s registration comes after the NRCPD expanded its categories for registered (RSLI) and trainee sign language interpreters (TSLI) to include the role last year.

The organisation said in February 2021: “This is the first time NRCPD has had a category for Relay-Intralingual Interpreters, and we are excited about welcoming more professionals to the registers.

“Over the next 1-2 years, we expect to welcome a number of TSLI’s and RSLI’s with this specialism.

“As with any new registration category, it will develop and grow particularly in the first years, as more professionals register and as other courses become available.“

On Wednesday, following Mr Savva’s registration, NRCPD wrote on Instagram: “Today, we are congratulating Mr. Ezio Savva on becoming the UK’s first ever fully qualified and registered Relay-Intralingual Interpreter (RSLI).

“This is a fantastic achievement and we are looking forward to welcoming even more Deaf professionals on the NRCPD registers.

“Congratulations Ezio!”

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.