Language Service Professionals 

 

What is a Language Service Professional?

Some Notetakers decide to specialise as Language Service Professionals (LSPs). The role of an LSP is to facilitate communication between deaf and hearing people by providing live access to spoken English.  There are various types of LSPs - including British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters, Lipspeakers, Speech to Text Reporters (STTRs) and Notetakers.  Which type of practitioner is appropriate for the service user will vary according to his/her particular communication requirements and language preference. 

 

Electronic Notetakers as Language Service Professionals

An Electronic Notetaker may provide communication support for deaf people who are comfortable reading English at high speed.  The electronic notetaker produces a real-time, summary of what is said using an ordinary laptop computer - usually linked to a second laptop for the client to read from.  The laptops are connected by cable, wireless or Bluetooth networking or linked to a braille machine for deafblind clients.  At the end of a meeting or event, the electronic notetaker should provide a copy of the transcript by email, hard copy or memory stick.

Although electronic notetaking does not produce a verbatim record, a qualified operator is  specially trained in condensing language and uses dedicated notetaking software* with shorthand capabilities to speed up the typing process.  This software also enables the client to type messages to the operator and add their own notes to the transcript.  Environmental sounds and other relevant information will be recorded.  Changes in speaker will be identified either by the person's name or as "NEW SPEAKER:".

 

Manual Notetakers as Language Service Professionals

Manual Notetakers take notes for deaf or disabled people in a wide range of situations.  Their clients include but are not limited to, people with visual or hearing impairments, dyslexia or mobility problems.

One advantage of manual notetaking over electronic is that annotations of handouts, diagrams and equations can be easily added to the written notes.  Manual Notetakers can also provide notetaking services on outdoor excursions and field trips.  Notetakers are trained to take a clear set of  notes in handwritten English for the client to read later.   The Notetaker accompanies  the client to a lecture or meeting,  and will require to sit within "listening  distance" of the speaker.  In a summarised form,  the notetaker records, as far as possible, all relevant spoken information, including asides, and any class discussion/comments.   This leaves the client free to concentrate on what is being said.

Manual Notetakers work in a variety of settings where the client may wish to have a comprehensive set of notes to refer to in the moment or at a later date. Bookings include a variety of workplace meetings such as Appraisals, Conferences, Training and Staff Meetings. Health care appointments including  GP  and Audiology appointments at the RNTNE ( Royal National, Throat Nose and Ear Hospital). Manual Notetakers are widely used within an Educational setting.

 

 

Are Language Service Professionals Monitored?

Language Service Professionals who are registered with ANP and/or NRCPD (formerly CACDP) adhere to a strict code of ethics.  This means they will not offer opinions during an assignment and everything that is said remains confidential. 

 

 

 


 




 

 

* ANP currently endorses three software systems - SpeedText®, Stereotype®, and NoteED®.