Country report: The NETHERLANDS
Annual General Meeting, 18th September 2009
Country facts:
· Population: 16.528.699 (15.000 – 20.000 sign language Users)
· Size of the country: 41.528 sq km
Facts on sign language interpreters:
· Number of registered sign language interpreters: 283 (no data on part-time vs. full-time
ratio).
· Number of registered speech-to-text writers: 60 (no data on part-time vs. full-time ratio).
(source: www.stichtingrtg.nl)
· Interpreter organization:
Nederlandse Beroepsvereniging Tolken Gebarentaal (NBTG)
Dutch Professional Organization of Sign Language Interpreters
NBTG Board
The board of the NBTG consists of the president, secretary, treasurer, 1 general member and 2
board co-workers. The NBTG board is assisted by a policy maker, an office coordinator and an
associate at the financial department. Since January 2009 the speech-to-text writers are no
longer a member of the NBTG. They established their own professional organization, called the
Nederlandse Schrijftolken Vereniging (NSV), Dutch organization of speech-to-text writers. ).
NBTG Members
The NBTG has a total number of 523 members:
261 Interpreters
153 students
7 Sponsor Plus
3 Sponsor members
82 Newsletter subscriptions
17 special members
· Interpreter training:
Four-year Bachelors program (part-time and full-time) at the College of Utrecht. The program is
in the first year a combined program for teachers and interpreters in Dutch Sign Language. After
the first year the program is separated. The program officially started in 1998. The 10 pilot
students of this new program graduated in August 2001. In 2002/2003 28 students graduated, in
2003/2004 32 students, in 2004/2005 20 students, in 2005/2006 25 students, in 2006/2007 28
students, in 2007/2008 33 students and in 2008/2009 42 students graduated. Main subjects in
the program are Dutch Sign Language, Interpreting or Teaching Skills and Deaf Culture.
The College of Utrecht also offers a Master program Deaf Studies. Graduated interpreters with a
BA degree have the opportunity to enroll in the MA program.
Events 2008-2009
Interpreting in educational settings
A special working group has worked on the development of a DVD with information on sign
language interpreting in educational settings. The DVD was launched in September 2009.
Regulations
In the past year the board of the NBTG has spent a lot of time on a lawsuit against the
governmental agency that is responsible for the payment of interpreters. In 2008 the NBTG tried
to negotiate with this governmental agency about new rates within the financial payment
system of interpreting services. The government agencies are very much focused on saving
money, and have less attention for quality and an easy to use and accessible system for clients
and interpreters. The government agencies changed their policy for 2009 with as a result severe
problems for clients and interpreters.
The lawsuit has resulted in new negotiations between the NBTG and the governmental agency. A
solution for the actual problems (e.g. the loss of income of interpreters due to the new policy
and rates) still has to be found.
Board at work
The NBTG board with the office coordinator and the policy maker are continuing to look into an
efficient work flow for the NBTG. Due to many volunteers and the few paid staff, this is an
ongoing task. To be more efficient the board created a daily and a general board. As you could
read above (NBTG board), the board has no longer a speech-to-text writer co-worker on the
board. Since November 2006 all speech-to-text reporters were offered a tryout membership. In
November 2008 the members of the NBTG decided at the annual general meeting that the
membership would not become a definite membership. In January 2009 the speech-to-text
writers established their own professional organization.
Workshops
The NBTG working committee on continuing education, in co-operation with the board, organized
various workshops for (student) interpreters.
Last year the NBTG hosted the following workshops:
· Use of voice and presentation techniques
· Regional signs
· Using the corpus of Dutch sign language
· Sign supported Dutch
· The sign language interpreter as an ally
· Translation of Biblestories
· Visual thinking
· Make up your mind
· Telling a story in sign language
· Lecture about quality standards
· Interpreting for children
· Voicing
Publications
The Interpres Newsletter is published every three months and is distributed to all members. Every
edition covers a theme and in addition it reports on the latest events in the field of sign language
interpreting. There is also a monthly news bulletin especially for interpreter and student members.
In 2008 the NBTG has published a new leaflet about the work of the NBTG. We have also published a
new book on the profession of sign language interpreting, which is available since September 2008.
Goals of the NBTG for the coming year
From 2009 on, the NBTG envisions together with its partners in the field, the following ambitions:
1. To increase the quality of sign language interpreters, matching the changing needs and
wishes of the organisations of deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, sudden-deafened, and
deaf-blind people.
2. The NBTG will do this by regularly investigating the needs and wishes of users of the
interpreting services, as well as of interpreters and students by organising qualitative
continuing education.
3. Increasing the educational possibilities for interpreters, such as post doctoral studies and
specialisations.
4. Increasing the knowledge on the role of the interpreter at the government, user
organisations and interpreter users, in cooperation with partners in the field.
5. Installing a formal cooperation-platform with all user organisations and the government.
6. Stimulating social recognition of sign language interpreting as a profession.
Markell Rijsdijk, September 2009