Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) interpreting and translation

ÖGS interpreting at court, at work and at conferences

Regional variation in ÖGS is noticeable and often linked to the Deaf schools in Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Klagenfurt, so tell us where the Deaf person grew up. Contact between Austrian and German Deaf communities means some vocabulary overlaps, but a DGS interpreter is not a like-for-like replacement in formal settings.

We arrange ÖGS interpreting on site and by video remote interpreting for court hearings and dealings with public authorities, medical appointments, university lectures and examinations, workplace meetings and international conferences. Our ÖGS interpreters are qualified professionals. Two interpreters normally share longer or technical assignments, and in courts, police interviews and psychiatric settings, a Deaf interpreter working with a hearing interpreter improves accuracy. For Vienna's international organisations and multilingual events, we can combine ÖGS with International Sign or other national sign languages.

Written German or English into ÖGS video

Many Deaf Austrians read German as a second language. We translate written texts, such as patient information, official letters, university regulations, HR policies and accessible website content, into recorded ÖGS video produced with Deaf translators, and we translate signed ÖGS video into written German or English. Austrian civil and academic documents in German are translated and certified by our German team.

Accessible information for Deaf audiences in Austria is increasingly expected online, and a short ÖGS clip at the top of a web page or form often does more than a long written explanation. We script these clips with you, film them with Deaf presenters and supply captions so that the same message reaches hearing visitors.

Captions and transcripts

Webinars, training films and recorded meetings can be supplied with accurate captions and written transcripts, in German or English, covering both the spoken and the signed content. Every file is checked by a person before delivery.

Sectors we support in ÖGS

Our vetted, trained and qualified ÖGS interpreters can support courts and public authorities, hospitals and clinics, universities and colleges, employers, and conference organisers and international bodies. With SILA Linguists® one coordinator assembles the right team, from a single interpreter to a co-working pair with a Deaf interpreter, every professional is vetted, and confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR protect each booking.