JDA Magazine May 2025 Paperturn - Flipbook - Page 22
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MARCEL HIRSHMAN’S WORK AS AN IN-VISION SIGNER
Dan Langholtz writes:
Brinthan continues
to bring in a fantastic
array of speakers
for our Wednesday
Club. On 4 December
2024 the speaker was
Marcel Hirshman, and
we had the honour of
learning more about his
invaluable work.
Marcel is a well-known and highly regarded Deaf
BSL Interpreter/Translator and has appeared on
BBC and ITV television. He does freelance work
for Signapse AI interpreting, and you may have
seen him prominently displayed on big screens at
major train stations announcing transport updates
in BSL. You may also have seen him popping up
on company websites, translating the content into
BSL for Deaf people.
▲ Marcel providing live BSL interpreting at
the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II
Marcel has interpreted the BAFTAs at the Royal
Albert Hall, where he held a trophy.
He has also interpreted the Happy New Year
countdown on ITV. We were all shocked to learn
that this is 昀椀lmed in advance and not live!
As part of a team of interpreters/translators,
Marcel provided live BSL interpreting at the
funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
He told us it was a really interesting and
challenging experience as it was such a sensitive,
high-pro昀椀le assignment involving Royal Family
protocols. Marcel appeared live on Hyde Park big
screens for the national public. What a challenge
with the whole world watching!
16
JDATogether — Issue 50 — May 2025
Marcel founded his own business called WealdBSL
(named after his home area). He works with his
wife, Sophie.
His sole aim is to make information fully accessible
to BSL users. When 昀椀lmed or televised, he uses
suitable signs to ensure the content is understood
by Deaf people in various regions. He tailors his
work to meet the needs of di昀昀erent audiences,
including young Deaf children.
