Gavin Lilley

 

The lecture will explore how sign language is efficiently used on an international level - as a contact language within the deaf community. We will look how sign language skill, in addition to knowledge, can improve cross cultural communication. Particular sign linguistic features will be discussed, looking at their efficiency in international discourse.

 

He has grown up with an unwavering passion for learning other Sign Languages and teaching which he discovered during his first job as a Project Officer at the University of Central Lancashire. He then became involved in developing a key BSL curriculum and worked as a lecturer in the University’s BA Deaf Studies course. During this time, he further developed his keen interest in sign language teaching and translation. He also studied at Pohjois Savon Opisto in Kuopio, Finland, where he met his wife. They both use BSL and FinSL on a daily basis.

Gavin has worked on a number of other multinational sign language projects; ‘Signall 3’, and ‘Euro Sign Interpreter’ at the University of Sussex are such examples. He was also involved in Remark’s translation team for the London 2012 Olympics website, presenting daily summaries of the sporting events to millions worldwide.  He has taught workshops in international signing to well over a hundred Sign Language Interpreters all over Europe.

Gavin is fluent in British Sign Language, Finnish Sign Language and has some experience with American and German Sign Languages. He is also fluent in written English and is currently studying Finnish complemented with basic knowledge of French and German! He holds a BA Honours Degree in Deaf Studies, NVQ6 in BSL, ‘K’ Level in Finnish Sign Language, Certificates in American Sign Language (ASL), Sign Linguistics, International Sign, a PG Cert in Teaching, PTTLS, CTLLS and is registered with the Institute for Learning (IFL). He is also a qualified A1 assessor and has worked with candidates nationwide on their BSL NVQ3 and NVQ6 training. He has also taught Finnish Sign Language in the interpreting programme at Humak, the Helsinki University of Applied Science.